Figure 1
Research Process Flowchart. This flowchart depicts a general representation of the research process. The research stages inside the box (yellow) correspond to the iterative process between interpretative stages for meaning construction and exploratory computation tasks. The gray boxes correspond to analytical stages for experimental and evidence-based approaches.
Table 1
Common Exploratory Tasks, Functions, and Relevant Methodologies (non-exhaustive). This table organizes the relationship between common tasks in exploratory computation, their different functions for data manipulation, and their relevant computational methodologies. Most of these methodologies process data quantitatively; however, they can be triangulated with other qualitative methodologies (e.g., thematic analysis, discourse analysis, visual analysis).
| EXPLORATORY TASK | FUNCTION | RELEVANT METHODOLOGIES |
|---|---|---|
| Investigating Corpus Structure | Understanding the variable types, labels, and missing data |
|
| Thematic Patterns | Exploring text or visual corpus for patterns, features, and style |
|
| Exploratory Data Visualization | Mapping visualizations that invite contextualized exploration of data and relationships |
|
Figure 2
Qualitative Evaluation Framework for Exploratory Computation. This figure depicts the evaluative process for exploratory computation and its three interrelated principles. These principles mutually shape one another, and each principle is organized into actionable practices to inform interpretative work in the use of computational methodologies.
Figure 3
Assessment Form for Positionality Questions. These positionality questions render legible the research team intention and research design.
Figure 4
Assessment Form for Positionality Questions – Continued. These positionality questions focus on who will evaluate the computational methodology.
Figure 5
Assessment Form for Task Evaluation Questions. These task evaluation questions assess the validity and alignment of the methodology towards the research question.
Figure 6
Assessment Form for Task Evaluation Questions – Continued. These task evaluation questions consider how the research questions could be iterated or broken down for further evaluation.
Figure 7
Assessment Form for Retrospection Questions. These retrospection questions communicate use cases and limitations of the methodology within the research project domain.
Figure 8
Assessment Form for Retrospection Questions – Continued. These retrospection questions evaluate project workflow, including infrastructure costs, technical stack, project management, and transparently communicate challenges, barriers, and successes based on research team goals.