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Computer
programmes for the analysis of Repertory
Grids
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Essential reading
When using the Repertory Grid Technique, it
is advised to read the fundamentals:
- Fransella
F, Bell, R, Bannister D (2003). A manual for repertory grid technique.
2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley.
- Jankowicz,
A D (2003) The Easy Guide to
Repertory Grids.
Chichester: Wiley.
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Repertory Grids can be analysed using
procedures that
are parts of standard statistical packages such as SPSS. Richard Bell
(Melbourne) in an unpublished paper titled 'The
Analysis of Repertory Grid Data using SPSS' gives recommendations. It is obtainable for
free from
him at this
site.
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Specific programmes |
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There are a
number of computer programmes developed
specially for the analysis of repertory grids available that run on
PCs. Some are relatively expensive (around 500 US $), some are
available on a shareware type basis (or free), some are on-line
accessible through the Web.
Most of them
offer one or more of the following procedures:
- a number of
indices characterising grids
- properties of
single constructs or elements
- relationships
between single constructs (e.g. as
correlations) or elements (e.g. as distances)
- structural
relationships between constructs or elements
(factor analysis, principal component analysis or correspondence
analysis, cluster analysis, formal concept analysis)
- structural
relationships between constructs and
elements (e.g. single value decomposition after Eckart and Young)
The
pioneering work has been done by the late Patrick Slater in the
Sixties. It worked on mainframe computers and was DOS-based. It
consisted of:
INGRID:
"Principal Components Analysis", essentially an Eckart &
Young decomposition, construct intercorrelations, inter-element
distances.
COIN,
PREFAN, DELTA: various extensions, e. g. comparison of two grids,
joint analysis of several grids etc.
There was no
graphical output. |
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Some DOS based programmes are probably no more in
use as WINDOWS has become the dominating operating system:
- FLEXIGRID,
by Finn
Tschudi
- OMNIGRID, by Jack
Adams-Webber and Kenneth Sewell .
- CIRCUMGRIDS,
by William Chambers
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The only
attractive package still in DOS is by Richard Bell: |
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GRIDSTAT and
GRIDSCAL (with GRIDSTAT
replacing the older G-Pack).
The
programmes are written in DOS which makes the output "amazingly
primitive" as Richard writes (I would prefer "charmingly
old-fashioned"). The
packages offer several options for every
procedure (like factor analysis and cluster analysis) which is
attractive for the expert (who then knows what s/he is doing) but may
be a bit confusing for the low-profile grid user who is happy to use
some kind of standard procedure. GRIDSCAL
allows simultaneous processing of several grids.
Another
advantage: GRIDSTAT and GRIDSCAL are available for free from his site.
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WINDOWS
based programmes
Programmes
vary as to the degree the underlying maths is made explicit;
some appeal to users who are not interested in the specifics.
Some
have special prices for use on more than one computer; some
offer
licences for one year or more. Some have free online versions. Some
offer free demo versions with limited capacity. Details are available
on the web sites. |
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Version |
Costs |
REP 5
Mildred
Shaw &
Brian Gaines |
Info |
Research version |
CDN $ 600 |
Rep
IV
Mildred
Shaw &
Brian Gaines |
Info |
limited capacity
students' use |
free |
WebGrid
5
Mildred
Shaw &
Brian Gaines |
Info |
Online version |
free |
ENQUIRE
WITHIN
John Mayes |
Info |
Version II |
$ 19 |
GRIDSUITE
Martin Fromm & Andreas Bacher |
Info |
Version 4.0+ |
€ 580 |
GRIDCOR
Guillem Feixas & Josi Manuel Cornejo |
Info |
Correspondence Analysis
Version 4.0 |
€
150 |
IDIOGRID
James Grice |
Info |
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free
$ 105 welcome |
Sci:vesco
Matthias Rosenberger & Janko Buve |
Info |
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price list on request |
Sci:vesco.grid
Matthias Rosenberger & Janko Buve |
Info |
Online version beta 2.0 |
free |
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