One of the really interesting points that was made on Tuesday was that a researcher can use ATLAS.ti as a data management tool, and that coding is only part of the analysis process. I think it is easy to get lost in the (sometimes overwhelming) task of coding, and I have found myself feeling bad that I am not coding as much as I probably should be. But a series of events over teh last two weeks has helped me realize that perhaps it hasn't been time to code yet. I've been conducting formal and informal interviews, taking notes, and writing memos as I think about and synthesize information.
I have all of these documents in different places. It is nice to know I can utilize a CAQDAS package to store it all. I wonder if NVivo has similar functionality in this regard to ATLAS? I'm going to need to make a decision soon about which package I am going to use so I can get organized.I'm still not sure which one I should use. My advisor can get NVivo fairly cheaply, and I wonder if I need the structure it provides. But (I think) I like the theoretical underpinnings and assumptions of ATLAS. I'm looking forward to next week when we dive in ourselves. In the meantime, I have downloaded trials and am beginning to test them out.
Yes! This is one of the main reasons why I moved to FULLY using a CAQDAS package. There is tremendous value in having everything in one place. NVivo does afford the same thing -- so does MAXQDA.
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