Introduction

The incorporation of generative-ai capabilities into ATLAS.ti provides many new opportunities for qualitative researchers, and I'm excited to see how these tools will impact the field. But its not only the tools and how they're being used that interests me. As a teacher of qualitative methods I've also been thinking about how the availability of these tools affect the way we go about incorporating them into methods teaching and learning. And that's brought me to reflect on my own pedagogic practice once again.

A bit of background

I've been interested in qualitative software like ATLAS.ti since I did my Masters at the University of Surrey in 1997, and a year later began teaching these tools when I joined the CAQDAS Networking Project (CNP), which I now direct. The CNP was founded in 1994 to raise awareness about, and build capacity in the use of software for qualitative analysis, and as one of the pioneer programs, I've been using and experimenting with ATLAS.ti for more than 25 years now. During that time one thing I've been most interested in, is how students and new users engage with tools when they first learn about them, and adopt them into their analytic practice.

The Five-Level QDA method

Many years of observing learners, and several research projects into CAQDAS adoption led me to work with Nick Woolf on developing our pedagogy, the Five-Level QDA method, which resulted in our ATLAS.ti textbook. The development of the Five-Level QDA method, and description of its principles can be found in our Sage Foundations entry as well as the textbook, and its central message is that analytic strategies - what we plan to do - drive software tactics - how we do the analysis. As the years have gone by, the number and diversity of tools provided within ATLAS.ti have expanded and become increasingly powerful. That's great for methodological advancement and creativity in analytic practice. But just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's the most appropriate thing to do. Let me give you an analogy.