Descriptors Overview
This guide introduces Descriptors and how they can help maximize your analysis. Topics include:
- Definition and Purpose
- Descriptors Workspace Orientation
- Example of the Descriptors Workspace with a Qualitative Project
Descriptors Definition
Descriptors are any categorical, demographic, or quantitative data associated with a piece of media in your project. Often, descriptors are derived from what variables or demographics you are interested in about each unit of analysis or participant in a project. In other words, a descriptor is a piece of information that describes components of interest in your data source at a particular level of analysis (e.g., participant demographics, research site, time, Likert scale responses, etc.).
Utility and Purpose
Descriptors are a powerful tool that allow you to do relational or comparative analysis between descriptor categories, as well as visualize your coding in relation to your descriptors. For example, descriptors allow you to quickly analyze if participant experiences differed by race, gender, age, location, or any other descriptor in your study. If you have quantitative data attached to your media (e.g., Likert scale survey responses), descriptors allow you to see the qualitative data in relation to the quantitative data.
Tip: Descriptors are also a powerful tool for project management. For example, if you want to assign specific team members to code designated pieces of media, you can attach a descriptor to do so.
Descriptors Workspace Orientation
Below are descriptions of each area in the descriptors workspace, along with an example from a qualitative study.
Descriptor Sets: Container(s) for organizing your Descriptor Fields
Descriptor Field: Descriptor categories
Field Options/Values: The list of variables or values associated with each descriptor field category. Descriptor fields can be one of four types:
- Text (or string)—a set of alphanumeric characters
- Number
- Date/Time
- Option List (or categorical)—a custom list of values defined by you
Tip: Option List descriptor fields have a special role in Dedoose. As you will learn in the sections on data analysis, one of Dedoose’s most powerful analytic and presentation features is the charting engine. These visuals help you discover and explore patterns in your data and then allow you to drill beneath the pattern to explore the underlying meanings in the qualitative data. Thus, while the Dedoose auto-grouper will create classes for charting based on of number and date/time, controlling these groupings based on your understanding of your data gives you maximum control over the nature of the distinctions between groups represented in the visuals.
Descriptors in Set: Current Descriptor profiles in your project
Qualitative Example: Descriptors Workspace
The example below shows each descriptor area for a qualitative study about college athlete experiences. If you are interested in how this study used Dedoose, you can refer to the open-access dissertation here.
Descriptor Sets: The default set that Dedoose provides; no additional sets were needed
Descriptor Field: Gender, Race, Career Status, Sport, Divisional Classification
Field Values: Gender – Woman, Man; Race – white, Black, Latino, Multiracial (white and Latina); Career Status – Former athlete, Current athlete; Sport – women’s basketball, men’s basketball, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, track and field, swimming, softball; Divisional Classification – DI, DI no football
Descriptors in Set: Each row refers to a participant’s profile and their associated descriptor information
Other guides in Learning Center demonstrate how to: