Caleb Trujillo

Jayrylle R. Jaylo, Mia Chastain, Alli Nemec et al.

Little is known about the representations used in qualitative research studies and why. A data-driven literature review was employed to explore the use of media in qualitative research reporting. A study by Verdinelli & Scagnoli (2013) was replicated and extended by conducting a content analysis of papers and figures published across three qualitative methods journals between 2020 and 2022. Figures were categorized by types (e.g., matrix-based, Venn diagrams, flowcharts) and documents were grouped by their epistemological stances (i.e., objectivist, subjectivist, or constructivist) before conducting a correspondence analysis and epistemic network analysis. Our findings suggest that (1) visual media have remained largely absent, (2) figure types have be come more diverse and (3) the use of figure types is likely independent of epistemological stance but provide opportunities for further exploration. These findings provide a foundation for impactful integration of data visualization tools to enhance communicati ve power of findings across disciplines.

Huyen N. Nguyen, Kathleen Bowe, Minh-Huyen Nguyen et al.

Data-driven learning analytics can surface trends across a student cohort over time, helping instructors improve the learning environment. WordStream, a visualization idiom for topic evolution, has been instantiated in two platforms toward this goal: the Journal Data Dashboard, for analyzing formative assessments, and WordStream Maker, for authoring custom visualizations. Where the prior work built these platforms for education (Vis4Ed), here we examine the reverse direction (Ed4Vis): what can qualitative education research tell us about building better visualization tools? We conducted a mixed-methods expert study (n=10) in which STEM education researchers with expertise in qualitative methods and classroom assessment used both platforms to analyze student journal responses from a data visualization course. Across two cycles of thematic analysis with confirmatory checking, we report themes spanning tool experience, disciplinary context of use, and, most importantly, a core epistemological dissensus. Some instructor-researchers regarded frequency-based visualization as a productive entry point to qualitative analysis; others cautioned it can obscure rare but critical responses. We synthesize these findings into design implications for future tools that better integrate quantitative technique with qualitative inquiry. All Supplementary Materials are available at https://osf.io/z2f8d.