Ethnograph (Software)

Developed by U.S. sociologist John Seidel and first launched in 1985 by Qualis Research Associates, Ethnograph was among the first wave of computer software packages that facilitated the electronic management of qualitative data (transcribed words). Like the majority of these types of packages, it can be used for storing, searching, retrieving, reorganizing, and selectively viewing qualitative data input into text files. Ethnograph frees researchers from the time and effort involved with needing to manually perform these tasks—often formerly done by physical cutting and pasting of hard copy—and consequently gives them more time to focus on understanding their data and theory development. Other potential strengths include making data more accessible, more secure, and less likely to be lost or confused. Ethnograph has a good reputation as being reliable and user friendly, with a good network for assistance and training. It can be obtained through individual private purchase or accessed through institutions that hold an appropriate license. The latest version of Ethnograph introduced in 2007 (Version 6) includes a range of improvements related to functioning and ease of use (Figure 1).

Beyond performance comparisons with rival packages, no serious criticisms have been leveled specifically at Ethnograph. All software management packages, however, have been collectively subject to the same general criticisms. Some academics have noted that they are based on, and thus are far more suited to, the analytic process used in grounded theory. Others have noted that they reduce traditional manual approaches to inferior status—when in fact there is no evidence to suggest that they are inferior. In turn, it is thought that their use can be motivated by the perceived need to legitimize the analytic process within publications. Other critics have claimed that they make qualitative data analysis far too procedural and routinized, which can have two negative outcomes. One is [Page 286]“coding fetishism,” whereby a software management package's structural emphasis on coding makes coding become an obsessive end unto itself. A second negative outcome is that this encourages researchers to look for patterns in their data, rather than their meaning, potentially distancing researchers from “understanding” their data well. Overall, however, strong sales of Ethnograph and similar packages over two decades suggest that researchers find them to be of great use.

Figure 1 Ethnograph: The Coding Module in Ethnograph (Version 6)

Source: Used by permission of Qualis Research.