The use of computers in qualitative research has dramatically changed the way social researchers handle qualitative data and computer-assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) has become an indispensable element in the researcherÆs tool kit. Authors Nigel G. Fielding and Raymond M. Lee, leading researchers in the field, provide a lucid and accessible text on the nature of this change and profile potential new approaches to qualitative data analysis. They report on findings from the first systematic field research on the impact of CAQDAS. They analyze the rapidly growing popularity and legitimacy of qualitative research methods, looking at usersÆ experiences of CAQDAS and the advantages and disadvantages of computers use, research resources, and the status of qualitative research. Fielding and Lee also cover the principal approaches in qualitative research and show how leading computer programs are actually used. They provide a framework for developing the craft and practice of CAQDAS and conclude by examining new techniques and the evolution of qualitative research to meet new challenges. Computer Analysis and Qualitative Research will be essential reading for anyone using qualitative research methods.
Nigel Fielding, BA (Sussex) MA (Kent) PhD (LSE), is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Surrey, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and a member of the Community of Experts of the European Science Foundation, and served on the Mixed Methods Research Association’s presidential task force on the future of mixed methods.
His interests in research methodology include mixed methods, socio-spatial methods, qualitative software, interview methods, field observation, and digitally-mediated fieldwork. Nigel has authored/edited 27 books, many in research methodology, including The SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods, Sage, 2018 (second edition), with Grant Blank and Ray Lee.
Raymond M. Lee is an Emeritus Professor of Social Research Methods at Royal Holloway University of London. He has written extensively about a range of methodological topics. These include the problems and issues involved in research on “sensitive” topics, research in physically dangerous environments, the use of unobtrusive measures, and the role of new technologies in the research process. His current research focuses on the historical development of interviewing techniques.
