A Technique for Objective Analysis of Qualitative Evaluation Data

Abstract

Analysis of qualitative—usually verbal—information from interview transcripts, field notes, and other sources has required huge amounts of labor. Some critics, moreover, maintain that such analysis is less than reliable, objective and tabula rasa. A new computer program, however, allows precisely repeatable analysis without a priori frameworks and without tedious and subjective categorizing of passages. The program finds repetitive association of words or ideas that characterize the verbal research corpus which evaluators may display and interpret. This article explains the Walberg program and illustrates its use in an evaluation of a collaborative botanic education project sponsored by the National Science Foundation.