Qualrus (Software)

Qualrus is a computer-assisted data analysis software program that was developed by Idea Works with some advice from Howard Becker. It is flexible and adaptable for different theoretical approaches. Qualrus uses advanced artificial intelligence to facilitate coding and analysis, but the user interface is less convenient than some of the alternatives available. Qualrus handles many different forms of data including video, html, graphics, and audio files.

The coding process in Qualrus is relatively involved. The coder selects a segment to code and then opens the Coding Form. Several codes can be selected at one time by holding down the control key, but two further clicks are required to code the segment. To code the next segment, the Coding Form has to be reopened. There are no coding shortcuts, codes cannot be dragged and dropped, and in-vivo coding is not possible.

A key feature of Qualrus is the suggestion of appropriate codes. Suggested codes are based on rules such as user-defined synonyms, a previous correlation between codes, or a code used in the preceding segment. Codes are suggested only; the analyst can choose to select or ignore the suggested codes and can change some of the suggestion criteria. This feature can be very helpful; the software may suggest relevant codes and identify relationships between codes that the coder has overlooked.

Codes are displayed in the margin with overlapping codes shown in different colors. The colors are controlled [Page 713]by the program rather than by the user. It is not possible to print out the coded transcript. From the Code Editor, code details and all segments for a particular code can be quickly retrieved or printed. Clicking on any segment takes one back to the Qualrus Viewer, but the need to move between these two screens increases the distance between the analyst and the data. A useful feature of Qualrus is the network interface, which can be viewed from the Code Editor. The nodes on networks are clickable so that the researcher can quickly trace the connections between codes.

Qualrus has many sophisticated analytical tools including a statistical tool that displays individual and coincidental code usage; a coincidental code explorer, which enables quick inspection of all segments where co-occurrence does or does not occur; a tool for categorizing codes; a hypothesis testing tool; and a tool that reveals the extent to which the coding of each coder coincides with the program's advice. Qualrus also allows the researcher to write coding scripts using a special scripting language. These give the technically minded analyst unparalleled flexibility and can be used for auto coding, but this feature is less user friendly than the auto coding in some alternative programs.