IQRN Webinar Series - Engaging in ‘technological reflexivity’ through ATLAS.ti

How can qualitative researchers engage in ‘technological reflexivity’ when creating a digital workflow? While reflexivity is a well-known concept to qualitative researchers, little of the writing on reflexivity has focused on technological choices and the impact on the inquiry process. The presenters will illustrate how their recently published framework (Paulus & Lester, 2023) can be used to articulate the consequences of using ATLAS.ti as part of a research workflow. They will briefly define technological reflexivity and why this should matter to qualitative researchers. They will then illustrate how researchers can consider four categories of consequences when using ATLAS.ti, including: 1) ways in which the software impacts how the methodology is implemented; 2) ways in which the software itself may need to be adapted; 3) the experiences of the researchers and the participants; and, 4) what kind of knowledge outcomes are possible. By intentionally engaging with these four consequence categories, researchers can be more thoughtful in their study designs by understanding who is being included and excluded and how method and tool choices impact the types of knowledge that can be produced.