Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin
Susanne Friese · Thomas G. Ringmayr (eds.)
ATLAS.ti User Conference 2013
Fostering Dialog on Qualitative Methods
Herausgeber: Martina Schäfer · Daniel Kammen
Noara Kebir · Daniel Philipp
Innovativer Zugang zu Energiequellen in abgelegenen Gebieten
Innovating Energy Access for Remote Areas: Discovering Untapped Resources ▪ ▪ ▪ Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin
Proceedings of the International ATLAS.ti Conference
12th–14th September, 2013 at Technische Universität Berlin
ISBN 978- 3-7983-2692-7 (online)
Susanne Friese | Thomas G. Ringmayr (eds.)
ATLAS.ti User Conference 2013
Fostering Dialog on Qualitative Methods
Proceedings
September 12–14, 2013
Technische Universität Berlin
Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin 2014
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ISBN 978-3-7983-2692-7 (online)
Online published on the Digital Repository of the Technische Universität Berlin:
URL http://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-tuberlin/frontdoor/index/index/docId/5157
URN urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-51577
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-51577
Table of Contents
01 Susanne Friese
Methods and methodologies for qualitative data analysis
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44138
The main aim of this paper is to introduce the contributions that are published in the
proceedings. As a side-line, I follow up on an observation that I made (not only) at the
conference – which is the distinction between methods and methodology. I hope that you
will enjoy and benefit from reading the articles in the proceedings and watching the
corresponding videos of the original presentations on the conference YouTube channel
(http://www.youtube.com/user/ATLASticonference)
02 Heiner Legewie
ATLAS.ti – How it All Began (A Grandfather’s Perspective)
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44140
In this article Heiner Legewie describes the story of ATLAS.ti – from the first idea that resulted
in the research project ATLAS (Archive of Technology, Life World and Language), to the
various stages of developing the software ATLAS.ti from a first prototype up to its first
commercial version. The story includes a number of anecdotes from this time showing the
human touch behind the software ATLAS.ti that is still present even many years later.
03 Nicholas Woolf
Analytic strategies and analytic tactics
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44159
Using ATLAS.ti powerfully is a specific skill that has little to do with learning to operate the
software. In this keynote address I present the core of my propositions that will be fleshed
out in more practical terms in my forthcoming book, “How to use ATLAS.ti powerfully”. The
key issue is how we resolve the contradictions between the iterative and emergent nature of
qualitative research that is expressed in our analytic strategies, and the pre-determined, linear
nature of computer software that is expressed in the analytic tactics we use to execute the
qualitative data analysis (QDA). Contradictions can be resolved in several ways: through
denial, by choosing between the contradictory alternatives, or by trading off between them.
These variously lead to approaches to QDA that I refer to as one-level, two-level, and three-
level QDA. However, these approaches to reconciling the contradictions do not easily lead to
using ATLAS.ti powerfully. By learning from the general principles described in Edward
Luttwak’s five-level model of military strategy, I propose a five-level QDA that resolves the
contradictions by transcending them. I propose that this is the best approach to using
ATLAS.ti powerfully.
04 Michael Kolocek
The Human Right to Housing: Using ATLAS.ti to combine qualitative and
quantitative to analyse global discourses
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44166
The paper is part of the author’s PhD research considering the human right to housing. In this
exploration, ATLAS.ti is utilized for a global discourse analysis of about 500 States Parties
reports and 250 concluding observations of a human rights committee. The author
differentiates between two forms of inadequate housing: homelessness and SPaces of
Inadequate Housing (SPIH). The Primary Document Family Manager and the Query Tool aid
to compare these inadequate housing forms and the responding policies of different states
and UN regions. The focus of this paper lies on the description of the Auto Coding Dialog.
The paper argues that the Auto Coding Dialog can facilitate dealing with a vast amount of
data because it aids to separate the text segments relevant for housing. Additionally, the
author illustrates how research findings that have been worked out with ATLAS.ti can be
visualized through diffusion maps. These maps give an overview of the different contents of
the human right to housing in a global perspective.
05 Tanja Kornberger
Decoding Privacy – An Anthropological Study of the Privacy Concept in
Mobile Software Development
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44174
Despite it's ubiquitous social importance, the concept of privacy is challenged in
unprecedented ways by the emergence of mobile technologies. Previous research has shed
some light onto user concerns regarding privacy in a mobile context, however, only little
attention has been paid to the attitudes and practices of mobile developers. To close this
gap, this study presents an empirical account for the role of privacy within mobile software
development from the perspective of developers. The study is comprised of two samples of
unstructured interviews with developers from the United States of America and Germany; it
applies an anthropological method in an engineering context and uses ATLAS.ti to implement
a grounded theory approach. ATLAS.ti is used to analyze developer’s conceptualization of
privacy as well as country specific aspects of user privacy. The code system generated with
ATLAS.ti further represents developer's awareness of privacy relevant conflicts, their
assessment of the different stakeholders involved in the user privacy debate and their
knowledge of and experience with privacy measures. Based upon this code system a
framework is derived that structures crucial factors for the understanding and
implementation of privacy strategies in mobile software development.
06 Brett Hansen
Grounding ethnographic content analysis, etic as well as emic strategies;
a study of context for instructional designers
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44183
Parallels were realized between Krippendorff’s (2004) validity evidence for content analysis
and Fereday and Muir-Cochrane’s (2006) interpretation of Schultz’s (1967) postulates for
increasing rigor within the examination of social phenomenon. In order to increase empirical
validity of content analyses Krippendorff (2004) suggested concentrating on the structure of
the analysis, validity of the data, and the relational aspects of the findings. Fereday and Muir-
Cochrane introduced a step-by-step analysis process containing deductive and inductive
coding, allowing their research to begin grounded and then progress to a thematic, data-
driven discovery. Ethnographic Content Analysis (Altheide, 1987) disregards a priori coding as
a quantitative characteristic; however, the etic (and emic) quality of the Fereday & Muir-
Cochrane methodology adds grounding and structure to ECA without disrupting the
discovery, descriptive nature of the methodology. Instructional designers must be familiar
with the characteristics and relationships of context when designing for context-based
learning environments. No design or analysis models exist that account for the variable
relationships of context. ATLAS.ti® provided the capacity, foundation, and modeling to
support both etic and emic qualities and validity evidence through an ECA of internet job
postings identifying and modeling contextual elements and their relationships.
07 Ani Munirah Mohamad
Using ATLAS.ti 7 for Researching the Socio-Legal Implications of ICT Adoption in the
Justice System of the High Courts of Malaysia
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-51241
The paper describes the use of ATLAS.ti 7 in examining the socio-legal implications of the
adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the justice system of the
High Courts of Malaysia. Engaging a qualitative method, the study includes both secondary
data involving library-based research, and primary data generated from a case study of four
High Courts of West and East Malaysia. The paper discusses steps in preparing the data,
coding the data and finally analysing the data. ATLAS.ti was used throughout the research
process to manage both primary and secondary data, to build up the code list inductively
and deductively, to track the relevant quotations from time to time, to explore the data using
the Query Tool, to connect ideas and notes and to visually arrange objects in order to make
sense of the data in an iterative way.
08 Denise Elvira Pires de Pires, Eliane Matos, Eliana Pinho de Azambuja, Letícia de Lima
Trindade, Magda Duarte dos Anjos Scherer
New Technologies and Workloads of Health Care Professionals
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44200
Multiple case studies were carried out in Brazil and the Netherlands from 2003 to 2009, with
the objective of analyzing the influence of high-technologies on the workloads of health care
professionals. The data was obtained and analyzed through a triangulation of methods.
ATLAS.ti, software program for qualitative data analysis, was used for data analysis. The
interviews, observation notes, and documents studied from each case were initially bundled
in three Hermeneutic Units (HUs), with the purpose of identifying elements that may
decrease or increase workloads. Afterwards, the three HU were merged into a single new HU
that included all research data. Our findings were that the great majority of those interviewed
perceived that high technologies decrease workloads. First, because new equipment is more
ergonomic, which reduces physical strain, and it also provides more precise data about
patients. Second, because new technologies in the organization of work contribute to a more
collaborative and satisfactory job environment. Stronger collaboration and greater
satisfaction improve the safety and quality of health care, thus reducing workloads.
Innovation increases workloads: in the initial use of new technologies, when it occurs in the
contexts of cost reductions, non-participative managerial models and in poor working
conditions, or when there is a lack of training to work with new technologies. In conclusion,
high technologies may increase or decrease workloads depending on the context, which is
especially influenced by work conditions, management models, and institutional values.
09 Sylvia J. Hysong
The Role of Organizational Culture on a Subculture of Feedback
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-54163
Organizational culture has long been studied in relationship to organizational performance,
though this relationship has not been established consistently. Martin (2002) suggested the
simultaneous existence of a general culture, and multiple, context-specific subcultures in an
organization. Are subcultures simply context-specific reflections of the larger organizational
culture? Or do they serve as potential moderators of the relationship between the larger
organizational culture and organizational performance? To explore this question, we
employed ATLAS.ti 6.2 to conduct a content analysis of organizational culture at four United
States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs).
Sites were selected purposely based on their performance on 15 clinical measures. At each
facility we conducted one-hour telephone interviews of the facility director, the director of
primary care, and one full-time primary care physician and nurse. Participants answered
questions about the types of clinical performance information they receive, and seek out, the
utility of such data, and how they use said information.
Each site’s culture was highly distinct. However, despite these differences across sites, the
mirror relationship between organizational culture and feedback subculture was present in all
four sites, suggesting the subculture is a reflection of the parent culture.
10 Benson Banda
Continuing Professional Development through Sustainable In-service Teacher Training
System in Kenya, Malawi and Zambia
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-51251
A teacher is critical in modelling a learner. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for
teachers is important in attaining sustainable education. Africa has had several In-Service
Training (INSET) systems as interventions towards CPD. Respective governments owning,
managing, driving and sustaining INSET is vital if effective teacher professional development
aimed at sustainable quality teaching and learning is to be achieved in any country. However,
the problem is the presence of un-sustained CPD and INSET systems in Kenya, Malawi and
Zambia running for short periods with un-sustained continuity. With the view to propose
owned and sustained INSET system, the objective of this qualitative research was to identify
governmental strategies that would enhance CPD through sustainable INSET. Secondly, it was
to clarify teacher professional development with the focus on implementation of programs at
operational levels, the role played by: individual governments through in-country trends and
its structures as well as international trends and cooperation. To achieve this, a qualitative
study based on the Grounded Theory approach examining historical records, perception and
field visit was conducted. The data was analysed with the support of ATLAS.ti 6.2 This paper
discusses how the software worked to reduce the data so that it can be explained to the
benefit of this research.
11 Óscar Enrique Gómez Rodríguez
Using ATLAS.ti for extracting the social representation of kidnapping in Colombia in
the online media
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-51269
The article begins by briefly describing what social representation is and introducing the
topic of study. The focus however is on the description of how ATLAS.ti was used in the
process of analyzing a large volume of data encom-passing a period of 6 years including text,
image and video documents. Described are the process of coding and the various uses of the
network view function including the formation of hypertext and the development of
conceptual network views.
12 George Rossolatos
A methodological framework for conducting multimodal rhetorical analyses of
advertising films with ATLAS.ti
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44257
The aim of this paper is to present a novel methodological framework for analyzing the
multimodal rhetorical structure of advertising films. By drawing on a corpus of 87 TV
commercials from the world’s most valuable brands according to the BrandZ 2012 report and
a resulting pool of 561 ad filmic segments, it will be shown how (i) TV ads may be segmented
(ii) how individual segments may be coded with one or more verbo-visual rhetorical figures in
the light of three distinctive levels of analysis (iii) how statistical output pertaining to the
rhetorical structure of TV ads may be produced and interpreted. The filmic syntagms are
segmented and coded by applying a rhetorical taxonomy of four operations and thirty-nine
verbo-visual figures with the aid of ATLAS.ti 7 as content analytical tool. The exposition of the
adopted rhetorical approach covers conceptual, methodological and interpretive areas, with
view to yielding a coherent and holistic view of the technical issues involved in conducting
multimodal rhetorical analyses of ad films with ATLAS.ti, while highlighting how ‘figurative
competitive advantages’ may be yielded for brand discourses.
13 Trena Paulus, Jessica Lester
Using ATLAS.ti for a discourse analysis study of blogging in an educational context
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44263
While some scholars have claimed that data analysis software tools are not useful for
discourse analysis work (Macmillan, 2005), in this presentation we report on our use of
ATLAS.ti for conducting a discourse analysis of blog posts and comments made in the
context of an undergraduate nutrition course (Lester & Paulus, 2011; Paulus & Lester, 2013).
We describe several aspects of our analysis, including: managing the data through document
families and quotations, collaborating as a team, engaging in “unmotivated looking” through
memos, maintaining a focus on discursive actions through hyperlinking and network views,
and narrowing the analytic focus through codes and queries. While we found ATLAS.ti to be
extremely useful for documenting our analytic decisions in a transparent and systematic way,
we also call for features that would allow the analysis of online interactional data in a more
seamless way.
14 Komalsingh Rambaree
Three Methods of Qualitative Data Analysis Using ATLAS.ti: ‘A posse ad esse’
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44270
This article appraises the possibilities, limitations and challenges in undertaking three
different methods of qualitative data analysis using ATLAS.ti. The discussion is based on three
different research projects carried out from 2004 to 2012. In the first project, a grounded
theory analysis of data collected in 2004 was carried out using an inductive approach to
make a theoretical proposition on Mauritian early adolescents’ internet-mediated dating
pattern. In the second project, an abductive thematic network analysis was carried out using
qualitative data collected in 2006 from Kenya and Zambia on adolescent sexual and
reproductive health. In the third project, a deductive critical discourse analysis was carried out
using an eco-social work research from Mauritius, undertaken in 2012. This article concludes
that ATLAS.ti presents numerous possibilities for researchers to carry out different methods
of qualitative data analysis. However, there are certain limitations and challenges that need to
be considered by the researchers when undertaking computer assisted qualitative data
analysis.
15 Azza J. Ahmad-Tajuddin
Defining Professional Communication Skills for Malaysian Graduates:
Looking at trustworthiness
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-51278
Lincoln and Guba (1985) posit that trustworthiness of a qualitative research study is
important to evaluate its worth. The use of data analysis software like ATLAS.ti raises the issue
of trustworthiness–specifically: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability–in
defining the Professional Communication Skills (PCS) for Malaysian graduates. In this study,
PCS for the workplace is defined by the Malaysian stakeholders: employers of the private
sector, the Malaysian government, and academia. ATLAS.ti was utilised to analyze and
triangulate data from in-depth interview recordings, annual reports, Human Resource
documents, government policies as well as documents from academia. By using ATLAS.ti,
meticulous, yet rapid and concise data analysis can be carried out without risking
trustworthiness. It is believed that ATLAS.ti has helped to develop the PCS framework in order
to help instructors and policy makers of Malaysian HEIs in making a sound judgment in
teaching PCS in classrooms. Since ATLAS.ti covers the issue of transferability, a similar study
can be replicated from time to time to ensure that the PCS framework is updated, based on
the needs of the stakeholders, which then help to develop the graduates’ potential to be
more marketable employees.
16 Rebecca Chikondi Ngalande, Esmey Mkwinda
Benefits and challenges of Using ATLAS.ti
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44224
The first time I used ATLAS.ti was during my master’s program. Part of the program was to
take a course that would benefit faculty members, students at the college and other nursing
college back home on my return through capacity building. Therefore, learning about
ATLAS.ti was ideal as it had not yet been introduced at the college in 2002. The model used
to acquire knowledge and skills of ATLAS.ti was the participatory empowerment model by
Fetterman. This was to be realized by enrolling in an ATLAS.ti course, practice using different
data sets as well as mentor at least four people on my return home to evaluate my
knowledge and skills. The first experience was when I used the software to analyse data of my
thesis. The major benefit noted was that the software directs the researcher, through use of
different types of codes that enhances formulation of categories and themes, thus reducing
time used to analyse data manually. At college level it meant sharing of new knowledge on
data management which is congruent with the academic tradition. The challenges were lack
of adequate software; technical support and time to practice. Based on my experience, I
recommend that knowledge and skills of ATLAS.ti are important in this era of technology and
when working at a higher institution of learning. The college needs to build capacity and
encourage faculty to know and use this software.
17 Christina Silver, Christine Rivers
Learning from the Learners: The role of technology acceptance and adoption theories
in understanding researchers’ early experiences with CAQDAS packages
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44300
This paper presents findings of a qualitative longitudinal study tracking the use of different
CAQDAS tools over the period of 12 months. This is the first project of its kind that follows
researchers from learning a CAQDAS software to applying skills and using it in a research
project. Findings illustrate that initial enthusiasm with the potential of software is often
tempered by frustrations with its actual use. Users frequently attribute frustrations and
cessation of use to lack of software functionality. However, successful adoption of CAQDAS
technology is related to methodological awareness, adeptness in the techniques of analysis
and technological understanding. Theories of technology acceptance and adoption have
been used to contextualise findings and to develop a CAQDAS-specific model that helps
teaching CAQDAS software.
18 Andrea Potgieter
Learning through teaching: ATLAS.ti and Social Media
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44230
Social Media is no longer a foreign concept in the current business environment. Companies,
for the most part, understand the value that an effective Social Media strategy can add.
Firstly, this paper reports on the possible use of ATLAS.ti in analysing user interaction on
Social Media platforms, in order to generate feedback that may assist companies in
developing and maintaining a customer-focused Social Media strategy. Furthermore, this
paper will discuss the researcher's decision to apply ATLAS.ti for this specific purpose, as well
as the challenges and victories that were faced in introducing a post-graduate student to this
tool.
19 Trena Paulus, Ann Bennett
Teaching qualitative research methods with ATLAS.ti: Beyond data analysis
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44240
This presentation will share best practices for integrating ATLAS.ti into advanced qualitative
research methods courses. During the spring, summer and the current fall 2013 semesters,
students were required to use ATLAS.ti as a project management tool for their semester’s
work in order to develop the skills they would need to continue its use during the thesis
phase of their programs. In these courses students are typically engaged in independent field
work projects, in which they are reviewing the literature, collecting data, transcribing, and/or
engaging in data analysis. Each of these phases were conducted within ATLAS.ti and shared
with the instructor at regular intervals throughout the semester for feedback. By introducing
ATLAS.ti during coursework, positioning it as a project management tool in addition to a data
analysis tool, and supporting students’ early experiences with its use, we anticipate that these
novice researchers will be more likely to continue using the tool to support their work.
Suggestions for best practice for this instructional approach will include a focus on how to:
provide adequate access and technical support, balance methodological and technical
instruction, create meaningful student assignments, and provide effective feedback.
20 Florio Arguillas, Janet Heslop, Kim Burlingame, William Block
How to Collaborate as a Team Using ATLAS.ti within a Shared Computing Environment
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-51287
This paper discusses three scenarios of Cornell University research teams collaboratively
using ATLAS.ti on a shared computing environment. The first scenario involves a Project
Administrator (PA) creating a master team HU and a team library on a shared folder. The two
other scenarios discuss the pitfalls of not correctly managing team project files. We describe
each scenario and offer step-by-step instructions and solutions. All three scenarios described
in this paper have team/my libraries located on a shared folder and used same PD-same
code stock strategy when merging HUs. We also discuss the particulars of our shared
computing environment, our general and team-specific recommendations as to how each
team should manage their files, and other use cases concerning ATLAS.ti that came to our
Helpdesk.
21 Trena Paulus, Megan Woods, David Atkins, Rob Macklin
Current Reporting Practices of ATLAS.ti User in Published Research Studies
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-44295
Scholars investigating Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) have
noted that we know relatively little about how researchers use packages such as ATLAS.ti in
their practice. We report findings of a content analysis of 321 empirical articles, published
between 1994 and 2013, on the use of data analysis software. The purpose of this analysis
was to characterize both who is reporting the use of CAQDAS tools, and how they are
reporting that use in their publications. Studies were analysed for subject discipline and
researcher country of origin, overall methodological approach, and use of the software in
different phases of the research process. We found that researchers were predominantly from
the health sciences (69 %) and published in health sciences journals (66 %). Forty-eight
percent of corresponding authors were from the United States, with 43 countries
represented. Interview and focus groups were the most common data sources used; most
studies did not identify a particular methodology beyond “qualitative”. Few studies (13 %)
provided any details on their use of ATLAS.ti beyond mentioning that it was used, and 97.5 %
of the articles used it only for data analysis. We encourage researchers to provide more detail
as to their use of ATLAS.ti and explore the potential for ATLAS.ti to support aspects of their
study beyond data analysis.
Conference YouTube Channel:
The live presentations can be viewed at:
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