News and Events
EASTERN UNIVERSITY FIRST U.S. WINNER OF NVIVO 8 GRANT
Research Software Used by Dr. Chang, Dr. Ngunjiri and Students
St. Davids, PA, August 20, 2009: Eastern University has been awarded an inaugural NVivo 8 Teaching Grant worth $10,000, allowing its doctoral students to benefit from the latest qualitative data analysis technology this fall. Dr. Heewon Chang, Chair of Graduate Education and Professor of Education and Organizational Leadership, and colleague Dr. Faith Wambura Ngunjiri, Assistant Professor and Director of Research, are the first academics in the United States to receive the grant. They were chosen from a large field of applicants from across the U.S. and Canada.
QSR International awarded the grant. Its CEO John Owen said, "Learning how to use and apply NVivo 8 in the classroom will give Eastern University's students a significant advantage. They'll be exposed to new tools, the latest analysis techniques, and will benefit from using the software on their own research projects."
Dr. Chang, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of the online International Journal of Multicultural Education (http://ijme-journal.org/index.php/ijme) already uses NVivo 8 in her research on gender, culture and leadership. She said, "From literature reviews to portfolio development, visual model-making to qualitative data management and analysis, NVivo 8 will assist doctoral students in a variety of ways and make a profound impact on their studies. The early introduction of the software and its integration into the curriculum will help students make comprehensive and effective use of this powerful tool. We are grateful for this opportunity."
Drs. Chang and Ngunjiri will incorporate NVivo 8 into three research courses: Introduction to Research Methods (Cohort 3), Qualitative Research Methods (Cohort 2), and Doctoral Proposal Seminar (Cohort 1).
QSR's NVivo 8 software allows users to import and analyze video, audio, images and text side by side. Its powerful analysis tools help users to interrogate their data - testing out theories, identifying trends and cross-examining information. "NVivo is used by academic, commercial and government organizations in more than 150 countries on some of the world's most pressing issues, including climate change, terrorism and poverty," said Mr. Owen. "The grants were awarded to Eastern University and Canada's University of Guelph as part of a pilot program designed to make qualitative data analysis software more accessible for students. From New York to California, and British Columbia to Ontario, our independent review panel was overwhelmed by the number and caliber of applications we received."
Independent judge Judith Davidson, Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, said the NVivo 8 Teaching Grants Program helped to fill a gap in the curriculum for qualitative research. "Qualitative data analysis software is becoming increasingly important for researchers, marketers and other decision makers," she said.
"But the reality is that academics traditionally struggle for funds, particularly for the application of new technology in the classroom. This type of program raises awareness of not only the new tools and ways of working that are available, but the collective commitment in academia to ensuring our students have the skills and practical experience in these areas before they leave us."
More About Dr. Chang and Dr. Ngunjiri
Dr. Heewon Chang's research interests include multicultural education, leadership, and autoethnography, and she recently published the book Autoethnography as Method.
Dr. Faith Wambura Ngunjiri is currently researching leadership praxis in peace building and conflict transformation in Kenya and African women's leadership experiences. Her book on women's spiritual leadership in Africa (SUNY Press) is scheduled to be published in Spring 2010.
More About Graduate and Doctoral Studies at Eastern University
For information about the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, visit: http://eastern.edu/academic/ccgps/oip/index.html
For information about Graduate programs, visit: http://www.eastern.edu/academic/grad/index.html
More About QSR International and NVivo 8
QSR International is the world's largest qualitative research software developer and has offices in Europe, North America and Australia. Its flagship product - NVivo 8 - allows users to test theories, identify trends and cross-examine information in a multitude of ways by classifying, sorting and arranging thousands of pieces of information. Professional models and charts can be created, and NVivo project files and results can be shared via mini-Websites - even with those who don't have NVivo. The software can also identify the work of individual team members even after separate projects are merged. Visit: www.qsrinternational.com.
