Why use FrameWork?
FrameWork helps you manage and interpret textual data by making it simple to systematically and comprehensively analyse qualitative data sets – however simple or complex they are:
- Its unique features make it simple to create tailored matrices and summarised data. You can then conduct case-based and thematic analysis.
- Your original transcripts or text remain one click away from the summaries at all times, maintaining your original contact with the data.
- Framework has all the features you'd expect from a Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis software (CAQDAS) package.
How summarisation helps you
FrameWork helps you manage data by creating summaries for parts of your primary data. You can assign these summaries to particular themes within your analytical framework. This allows you to organise and manage your data at an early stage in the analytical process, while staying close to your original data throughout.
Compared with just assigning verbatim text to codes, as in traditional indexing methods, creating summaries encourages comparisons between and within cases.
The summarisation process: taking large quantities of verbatim data and drilling down to a concise summary.
Managing your data
Summarisation also allows a more concise view of research data. By summing up respondents’ key points, researchers work with a more manageable amount of information. You can also format text to easily distinguish verbatim text, quotes, summaries and researcher comments.
Summarisation also begins the process of abstracting away from the verbatim data, a primary aim of qualitative research – and it facilitates this being done in a consistent and rigorous way. This gives the analyst a sense of perspective on the data but does not require large conceptual jumps too early in the process.
How the matrix output helps you
With traditional coding and indexing, you organise your subject into an analytical ‘tree’ format and assign data to a particular branch. The result is a printed output of grouped verbatim text from which you can start your analysis.
FrameWork takes you one step further. You can group data using similar indexing methods – and then run queries to examine data, test your analytical hunches or hypothesis, and explore your objectives.
The result is a chart format called a matrix output. You can change the size and level of detail shown to make it easier to manage and present data. And you can save and share the results with team members.
Analysis: by case or by theme.
The matrix output allows you to investigate your summarised data by case or theme. At the touch of a button you can return to the original verbatim text to interrogate it further, ensuring that your analysis remains grounded in your data.
You can also query multiple cases over multiple themes, giving a more encompassing view of your data so you can explore the relationships between cases and themes.
