The international MAXQDA user conference, the MQIC 2017, took place in Berlin on March 1-3 this spring. More than 140 researchers travelled to Germany’s capital for this vibrant event that consisted of three days of workshops and expert breakout sessions, best practice roundtables, keynotes, a poster session and plenty of time to discuss and reflect on the use of MAXQDA in many fields and methodological frameworks. The conference is the biggest MAXQDA event of the year! Hosted by the Haus der Wirtschaft in the heart of West Berlin, we think this year’s edition was truly one to be remembered.
Save the date MQIC 2018: We would love to welcome you at the next MAXQDA user conference. The MQIC 2018 will take place in Berlin from 28 February to 2 March, 2018..
Workshops
The workshops on research methods and MAXQDA formed the backbone of the MQIC conference. The program offered full-day and half-day workshops – for beginners as well as advanced MAXQDA users and in both English and German. Somebody just starting out on their research journey could visit a Starter Complete workshop or a session on Qualitative Text Analysis or visualization tools in MAXQDA. Advanced users were able to choose from a selection of workshops on Mixed Methods, Focus Group Analysis or working in teams with MAXQDA.
Method Keynote: Prof. Dr. Zhiyong Zhu – “Qualitative Research Methods Development in academic development in China”
We were delighted to open the MQIC with a perspective from China. Prof. Dr. Zhiyong Zhu from the renowned Beijing Normal University addressed the development of qualitative research in China, giving a sweeping account of China’s social and educational trajectory over the past 40 years using his personal experience in the field as a “case study”.
Prof. Dr. Zhiyong Zhu is an Associate Professor in the College of Educational Administration at Beijing Normal University. He specializes in sociology of education in ethnic minority education, rural education, school management and social development.
Developer Keynote: Prof. Udo Kuckartz / Dr. Stefan Rädiker – “Expanding Traditional Methods for Analyzing Qualitative Data”
Our second keynote was held by Prof. Udo Kuckartz of the Philipps-University Marburg and Dr. Stefan Rädiker, who focused on new developments within MAXQDA that have expanded traditional forms of qualitative data analysis. New data collection methods (e.g. online data from surveys, webpages or Twitter) have led to new possibilities for literature reviews, analyzing text using visual and word based techniques, as well as the integration of standardized data and qualitative data (Mixed Methods). Their shared insights into new trends and how they will affect the future development of MAXQDA were met with numerous questions by the participants.
Expert Breakout Sessions
This year our conference offered a selection of Expert Breakout Sessions – a new teaching format with multiple brief 30 minute demonstrations that offered compact insights into topics related to using MAXQDA for research. Participants could attend as many breakout sessions as they liked to learn something new or build on existing skills, e.g. Creative Coding, Transcription, Surveys, Statistical Analysis in MAXQDA, Literature Reviews, and much more.
MAXQDA Best Practice Roundtables
On Thursday afternoon our Best Practice Roundtables offered a chance to meet other users of qualitative data analysis software and talk about its varied uses. The lecture hall was set up with six thematic tables, each table moderated by an expert on the topic. Conference participants moved freely between tables to engage in discussions with MAXQDA trainers, developers and other researchers. Each table discussed practical questions, hurdles and solutions for different uses of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis. It was a great opportunity to network, exchange ideas and learn from each other.
The Roundtables covered topics such as implementing research methods with MAXQDA, using visualizations, teaching others how to use MAXQDA, working in teams and using audio, video and image data.
Poster Session
The Roundtables were immediately followed by the Poster Award Ceremony. 17 posters were submitted to the MQIC 2017, presenting different aspects regarding computer-assisted analysis of qualitative data with MAXQDA. You can view all of the poster submissions on the conference webpage.
Congratulations to the three winners of the poster prizes!
Developing Business Diversification Strategy: Analysing, Market, Economioc and Legal Business Environment with MAXQDA 12
Dr. Mahmud Syaltout, Muhammad Zulkarnain, Alfon Satria Harbi, ANP-INSIGHT, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Variable Nature of Reality
Hüseyin Emre Coşkun, Izmir Graduate School of Social Sciences, Izmir Katip Çelebi University, Turkey.
The Magic of Data Analysis – Analysing documents of witchcraft-trials with MAXQDA
Andreas Müller, Economic and Social History, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Wine, cheese and other delights
The conference ended with a get together with wine & cheese and plenty of opportunities to mingle with fellow researchers and make new connections across disciplines and contexts. We were delighted to see so many MAXQDA users – many of whom travelled halfway around the world for the event – come together to share best practice advice, discuss methodological advances and learn new MAXQDA skills during the workshops, breakout sessions and roundtables.
If you attended the conference: it was an absolute pleasure meeting you. And if you couldn’t make it to the MQIC this year: we hope to welcome you here in Berlin next year! The MQIC 2017 will take place from 28 February to 2 March, 2018.
Dr. Mahmud Syaltout sent us some of his heartwarming pictures in a folder called “MAXQDA Friendship” – thanks for sharing them with us!
