Qualitative Researchers in Poland as CAQDAS Users. Example of an Analysis Using NVivo

As CAQDAS develops, novel advancements within information technology and data processing, as well as analytic algorithms and techniques, are incorporated for the purposes of qualitative sociology and the social sciences. Nowadays, CAQDAS application is becoming increasingly common in the field of qualitative sociology. While reliance on computer-aided software for qualitative data analysis is not the default mode of operation among researchers in Poland, CAQDAS applications are gaining momentum among qualitative researchers who adhere to a variety of different methodologies. The purpose of this article is to showcase the solutions offered by NVivo software that may serve to carry out research based on grounded theory methodology and to reflect on the use of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis by both ourselves and other Polish qualitative researchers. Although CAQDAS software has been receiving growing attention in Poland, much confusion persists with regard to researchers’ expectations of CAQDAS tools and their actual mode of application within the constraints of a particular research methodology. The above dissonance does not compromise the fact that successive versions of CAQDAS tools are ever better at meeting the needs of researchers carrying out qualitative research, including collaborative research, as demonstrated by our research experiences.