Advice for Graduate Student on Qualitative Data Analysis

[Rebecca Garvoille]

**Forwarded on behalf of Lara Mengak at Virginia Tech. Please respond to her directly at lfme...@vt.edu**

 

Hi all, 

 

I am a graduate student at Virginia Tech looking for advice from those of you that have experience with qualitative analysis.

 

Does anyone have strong preferences for one qualitative software (NVivio, Atlas TI, etc.) over another for analyzing interview transcripts (primarily thematic coding)? 

 

We are also looking for recommendations regarding transcription and recording equipment.

 

Has anyone used the new Dragon Dictate Pro or any other type of dictation software for transcribing interview audio files?  This new version of Dragon claims to be able to handle multiple voices without training, but we are wondering how well it really works?

 

Does anyone have any tips or tricks for recording phone conversations? I’m considering  either 1) recording hour long interviews with my cell phone (iPhone, specifically), or using 2) using a landline with a headset on. Can any recommend a good app that lets you record conversations on your cell phone in standard audio file formats?  Or, is there a way to hook up a recorder to a landline if you are using a headset (I.e., not speakerphone)? 

 

Thanks,

Lara Mengak