Tre percorsi, una ricerca: la codifica qualitativa tra manualità, CAQDAS e AI
Un confronto esplorativo su interviste al sistema di accoglienza dei migranti in Italia e Spagna
Keywords:
qualitative methods, NVivo, qualitative software, artificial intelligenceAbstract
L’uso crescente degli strumenti digitali nella ricerca qualitativa è diventato un tema centrale nei dibattiti metodologici contemporanei, sollevando interrogativi su come le tecnologie possano effettivamente supportare il lavoro interpretativo dei ricercatori. Questo articolo riprende uno studio qualitativo sulla ricezione dei migranti nell’Europa meridionale, condotto nelle province di Salerno (Italia) e Cádiz (Spagna), ed esplora il processo analitico attraverso tre modalità: (a) codifica manuale tradizionale, (b) analisi qualitativa assistita da computer con NVivo 15, e (c) codifica automatica utilizzando le nuove funzioni Auto Code e Lumivero AI Assistant di NVivo. Lo studio confronta questi percorsi analitici per identificare convergenze e divergenze in termini di profondità interpretativa, coerenza epistemologica e tempi di elaborazione.I risultati mostrano che l’automazione accelera le fasi di pre-codifica e mappatura lessicale, ma produce una codifica altamente descrittiva che richiede una revisione critica da parte del ricercatore. Al di là del confronto procedurale, lo studio contribuisce al dibattito metodologico delineando un modello riflessivo per integrare il giudizio umano e l’assistenza automatica nell’analisi qualitativa. Si sostiene che, sebbene i software CAQDAS e l’intelligenza artificiale possano supportare efficacemente i compiti ripetitivi ed esplorativi, la produzione di conoscenza densa e sensibile al contesto dipende in ultima analisi dalla pratica riflessiva del ricercatore.
The increasing use of digital tools in qualitative research has become a central topic in contemporary methodological debates, raising questions about how technologies effectively support researchers’ interpretive work. This article revisits a qualitative study on the reception of migrants in Southern Europe conducted in the provinces of Salerno (Italy) and Cádiz (Spain) and explores the analytical process through three modes: (a) traditional manual coding, (b) computer-assisted qualitative data analysis with NVivo 15, and (c) automated coding using the new NVivo functions Auto Code and Lumivero AI Assistant. The study compares these analytical paths to identify convergences and divergences in interpretive depth, epistemological coherence, and processing time.
Findings show that automation accelerates pre-coding and lexical mapping but produces highly descriptive coding that requires critical review by the researcher. Beyond procedural comparison, the study contributes to the methodological debate by outlining a reflexive model for integrating human judgment and machine assistance in qualitative analysis. It argues that while CAQDAS and AI can effectively support repetitive and exploratory tasks, the production of dense, context-sensitive knowledge ultimately depends on the researcher’s reflexive practice.
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