A researcher's journey to the use of AI for qualitative data analysis: Findings from a test case with ChatGPT

Catherine Ferguson
Edith Cowan University, Australia

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has mostly focused on issues associated with teaching and assessment. In this paper I used AI to support the analysis of data which consisted of public comments on a newspaper article. This small, low risk research was chosen to demonstrate the potential use of AI and how it may support qualitative data analysis. I present my journey from a naïve user of AI to a position whereby I would consider using it as a support for future data analysis. My article touches on some of the ethical and accountability issues for the use of AI and provides recommendations that address ethical and accountability issues.
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Author: Dr Catherine Ferguson, a multidisciplinary and pragmatic researcher, is a Senior Research Fellow within the School of Education at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. Her current research interests are in adult education and adult literacy. She has supervised a number of PhD and Masters by Research students to completion. Over her career she has published research in psychology, criminology, and education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6204-7301 Email: c.ferguson@ecu.edu.au, cathferg7@gmail.com Please cite as: Ferguson, C. (2025). A researcher's journey to the use of AI for qualitative data analysis: Findings from a test case with ChatGPT. Issues in Educational Research, 35(1), 126-141. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/ferguson.pdf