Using Wordle as a Supplementary Research Tool

Authors

Carmel McNaught, The Chinese University of Hong KongFollow
Paul Lam, The Chinese University of Hong KongFollow

Abstract

A word cloud is a special visualization of text in which the more frequently used words are effectively highlighted by occupying more prominence in the representation. We have used Wordle to produce word-cloud analyses of the spoken and written responses of informants in two research projects. The product demonstrates a fast and visually rich way to enable researchers to have some basic understanding of the data at hand. Word clouds can be a useful tool for preliminary analysis and for validation of previous findings. However, Wordle is an adjunct tool and we do not recommend that this method be used as a stand-alone research tool comparable to traditional content analysis methods.

Keywords

This study focuses on what aspects of attributes of spirituality as defined by Martsolf and Mickley (1998) are most salient for female and male survivors of sexual violence. Content analysis of secondary narrative data, provided by 50 participants in a study of women's and men's responses to sexual violence, was coded to the five attributes of spirituality as defined by Martsolf and Mickley. The attribute aspects of connecting with others in spiritual ways and with God/higher power were particularly significant. The attribute of transcendence was found less important, and the attributes of value, becoming, and meaning were not found important. The Martsolf and Mickley framework helped organize narrative data for a content analysis of spirituality in survivors of sexual violence.

Acknowledgements

Funding support from the University Grants Committee in Hong Kong and from the Quality Education Fund of the Hong Kong Education Bureau is gratefully acknowledged.

Publication Date

5-1-2010

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1167

Recommended APA Citation

McNaught, C., & Lam, P. (2010). Using Wordle as a Supplementary Research Tool. The Qualitative Report, 15(3), 630-643. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1167