The free form database program as a research tool Philip Burnard

Two types of database programes for the IBM compatible personal computer (PC) are described: the fixed form database and the free form database. The use of the latter in compiling bibliographic databases and in content analysis of interview transcripts is described. Other uses for the free form database program are also discussed. It is suggested that the free form database has advantages over some other custom-made analysis programs in terms of its simplicity and ease of use. It is also suggested that the free form database can be a useful tool for nurse educators and students.

Fixed form databases

INTRODUCTION

The Most nurse educators

and many students are required to carry out research either as a means of identifying and satisfying educational needs or as part of a programme of learning leading to a certificate, diploma or degree. Many, too, will be familiar with using IBM compatible computers as part of the research process for storing

data, working

the report

(Palmer

on analysis or for writing

8c Pope 1984;

Kowntree

1987).

In this paper,

database

program

is described

more familiar

compatible

PCs

database

is the

There

are numerous

from

dbase

expensive, Others

examples

(such as PC-File)

very extensive

available as shareware.

of.these,

ranging

are fairly simple to use, Shareware

marketing

that

1988;

computer

software.

the free

form

With shareware, the user pays a small fee to a company to cover the cost of the disk, the

as a tool which

appears

return

of a referenc-

ing system and as a tool for analysing for this type

qualitative

of program

apply

to nurse

Philip Burnard PhD MSc RMN DipN Cert Ed RNT, Director of Postgraduate Studies, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF4 4XN, Wales (Requests for offprints to PB) Manuscript accepted 12 July 1991

gets

program. before

a fully

She deciding

to

and

is a system of

Procter

copying of the program

to as they

database.

in their range of operations

can help in at least two aspects of the research

are also referred education.

for IBM

form

to Paradox to PC-File. Some are large and quite difficult to learn.

cycle: as part of the maintenance data. Other applications

program

fixed

be

unique

to

and the postage, and in

functioning

can then whether

copy

try out the or

not

of

the

program

to continue

using it. If she does decide to keep the program, then she is asked to pay a registration

fee to the

writer of the program. This registration fee is nearly always much less than can be paid for standard,

commercial

packages

(Hughes

1991).

The fixed form database requires that the user first makes some decisions about the type of data that is to be stored. For example,

the person who 51

52

NURSE EDUCATION

TODAY

chooses to store bibliographic references in such a database must first decide how many ‘fields’she will require. A field is part of the screen that will contain specific information. In this example, separate fields will be used to store the following sorts of information: author, year, title and publisher. Having decided on the sorts of fields that are required, the user must then decide how large each field will be. That is to say, that a decision must be made about the number of characters that will be typed into each of the fields. In the example here, there will be little trouble in deciding that only four characters will be needed for the ‘year’ field. Problems may arise in other fields. For example, how long is the longest title of a book or a journal article likely to be? It is often difficult, prior to using such a database, to decide on how much space to allocate to each field. The program usually has limits on the numbers of characters that can be placed in any given field. Usually this is quite a limitation: many programs only allow 250 characters to be entered into any field as a maximun. If the user wants to type in ‘notes’ or an ‘abstract’ at the bottom of each bibliographic reference, only 250 characters will be available for this purpose. Note, too, that ‘characters’ refers to single letters or spaces and should not be confused with ‘words’. Figure 1 illustrates an example entry screen from a fixed form database. The broken lines within each ‘field’ represent the number of characters that can be entered. Normally, the field labels (‘field 1’ etc.) would not be shown: they are used here to illustrate the notion of a field. Despite these limitations, the fixed form database has many advantages. It offers a systematic way of filing away information that can be easily retrieved from the computer. Searches can be run on a number of words or phrases. For example, it can be quite possible to search a bibliographic database of many thousands of entries for all of the journal articles written on counselling in psychiatric nursing, by British authors, between 1981 and 1983. The fixed form database also allows the operator to browse through the data in much the

Fig 1 Example of a screen from a fixed form database

same way as someone might browse through a drawer full of reference cards. Overall, the use of a computerised, fixed form database can do much to increase the efficiency of anyone who needs to keep a bibliographic database. That must include all nurse educators and most students.

The free form database The fixed form database, as we have seen, imposes certain restrictions on the user. The free form database has few of these. Especially, the free form database allows the operator to enter data in any format from the keyboard and makes no restriction on the number or types of fields. In other words, one database entry may contain three lines of type: another may contain two pages. In fact there is no concept of ‘fields’ with the free form database. The operator merely types in data and decides when an entry is complete. Figure 2 illustrates a typical screen from a free form database entry, this time with the text already in place. It will be noted from Figure 2 that, because the free form database does not depend on field nor upon fields of particular length, the user is free to write references into it in the standard ‘Harvard’ referencing style (Kirkman & Turk 1989). With the free form database, it is possible to recall any entry merely by recalling one word or phrase of the text in that entry. Imagine, for example, that the operator has typed in a large entry about a book on midwifery training. She recalls that the entry makes reference to ‘didactic

NURSE EDUCATION

from its applications it is also useful documents,

in the ways described

for the building

here,

of hypertext

for storing addresses

numbers,

53

TODAY

and telephone

for use as an ‘ideas file’ and so forth.

A hypertext

feature

also allows the user to

read short sections of text and then to switch to other

pages

concept

for

(Beard

the following

more

details

1991).

of a particular

Consider,

for example,

passage:

Counselling in nursing

has been developed

variety of ways. Some writers describe

Fig 1 Example of a free form database screen

of the nurse-as-counsellor,

whilst other

discuss counselling skills. Both To recall

teaching’.

uses the program teaching’

the entry to the screen, to find the phrase

and this will be sufficient

entry. Alternatively,

through

If

she remembers

all else

fails,

‘didactic

to recall the the author

of the book: that, too, will be sufficient reference.

she

she

to find the

can

browse

all the entries until she finds the correct

one. is useful as a method

In a hypertext

document,

above

passage,

straight

press

a button

tion. The hypertext freedom

approach

form

database

to

be taken

allows for greater

development

of

system

such

range

process. The

allows

a system

the field of nurse education.

addresses,

and

and variety in the learning

different

from

user

words in the

to more details about the topic in ques-

considerable

Anything

the computer

could stop on any of the italicised

of storing items of data of varying lengths and of sorts.

writers

rlerbal and non-

verbal skills are involved in counselling.

free

The free form database

in a

the role

of possible

for

which

the

has

applications

a in

bibliographic references to quotes from essays can be filed away in this sort of database and readily

found

again.

Examples

of this type of

References

database are Memory Mate, Agenda, Info Select and Ask Sam (which may be best known as the

Perhaps

program

sort of database program

which

was used

to take

down

and

the most immediate

application

structure the information relating to the American Irangate trial). As with fixed form data-

bibliographic

references.

form

of the program,

bases, they range in price from around

occur regarding

much as f500

di30 to as

format

Thus,

away summaries,

The free form database in research Two applications

of the free form database

can

at a later

the

year, title and publisher. It becomes

possible

to

database

of

the hypertext

in this case was

or style of entry of

it is quite possible to store

a very useful and detailed

projects.

used

free

It is also a simple matter to add to a particular entry

develop

database

of the

no restrictions

quotes and notes alongside

details of the author,

be described. The applications described here have both been used by the author in research The

Because

the method

the references.

per program.

of this

is as a means of storing

references

date.

and notes.

Further,

function,

with the use of

it becomes

possible

to

Memory Mate (Fremont 1988), which is available for about 559 and also as shareware (when it is

link together all of the references on a particular topic or to link together various sorts of topics.

usually

An important feature of Memory Mate is that it is a ‘terminate and stay resident’ program.

called

Instant

Recall).

version is rather less complete the full cost program. The program is comprehensive

in

The

shareware

and versatile than

That very its

easy

to

documentation.

use,

very Apart

is to say that it can be called to the screen

‘over’ another

program,

removed

the screen.

from

worked Such

on and then programs

are

54

NURSE EDUCATION

TODAY

sometimes known as ‘pop-up’ programs because of their ability to pop up over the ‘regular’

no notion

program

for through

that is in use. This increases

gram’s

usefulness.

example, (using

It

becomes

whilst working

for

database.

This

exhaustive

program)

This cannot

whilst writing

the

to check

paper

(from

which to search for

a the

will be searched

the whole of each data entry in the

on an essay or paper

a wordprocessing

reference

the pro-

possible,

of fields through

items. Any item that is requested ensures

that any search

of the whole content

run is

of the database.

so readily be achieved

with a fixed

form database.

pop- up database). It is &so possible to ‘cut and paste’ references from

the pop-up

gram.

Thus,

compiled

database

when

into the main

a reference

list is being

at the end of the paper,

references

can be pulled

database

and placed

pro-

straight

all of the out

of the

Data anlaysis The second application analysis 1982).

at the end of the paper.

of interview

entered

are likely to occur. Plus, of course, a considerable

item

amount

manageable

Finally, the cut and paste feature in reverse. can

As a reference

be pasted

further use information wordprocessor

directly

into

the

at a later date. from documents

has other

useful to anyone who is carrying

it to a form

of content

identify

sorts

of

prepared

of

identifying

a

analysis,

in order

that

have

to

been 1984).

to the database researcher

identifies

For example,

can be readily files.

are in the database, her categories

the person

the

of search.

researching

attitudes

towards

dying and who has used the interview

method,

may want to search through

program

of reference

searches

identified

the data for

to Kubler-Ross’s In

this

case,

through

work

the

as a keyword

name

and

the

all of the data and

both all of the occurrences

two words as well as the number

of those

of times the

words were used. Also, and most importantly, the program

allows the researcher

of the name Kubler-Ross interview

to identify

though,

in particular

up into

and transferred

in the form of ASCII

Once the transcripts

Thus it becomes possible, when doing a metaanalysis of the counselling literature in nursing, of papers

and

to the limitations

transcripts

is used

topic (Rosenthal

the numbers

The

in any wordprocessor

‘Kubler-Ross’

and then subjecting

papers

on a particular

of the program.

out a meta-anaThe

Carney

be divided

according

1969).

domain.

1989;

are transcribed

it can

chunks,

(Kubler-Ross

method

range of literature

to

is too large,

uses. First, it is

meta-analysis

the

in this

is the

into the database as single ‘items’. If any

examples

in a particular

written

of the

the free form approach

storage

is a

for

Paragraphs used in

lysis of the literature detailed

database

can also be transferred

way. For the researcher, bibliographic

can be used

is used in an essay, it

data (Berg

Here, the interviews

Thus less typing is involved and fewer mistakes of time is saved.

for the researcher

use of the free form database as a tool for content

transcript

to see the use

in context,

itself.

within the

It should

that the words Kubler-Ross

be noted, must con-

years, the ones that were written about psychia-

tain the hyphen if they are to be found. As ever,

tric nursing,

computers

the one that describe

counselling

are only logical and concrete

cannot

identifies

the ability for computers to guess in this way is being undertaken at the present time but not yet

year,

the categories

theories

etc,)

and

of the analysis then

runs

(skills,

searches

through the database using those categories as key&rds. The program will not only identify each occurrence of each keyword but will also identify the number of occurrences. Very quickly, a list of frequencies of occurrences of certain items can be drawn up. As we noted above, the free form database has

required.

anticipate The

widely available.

mistakes

- they

skills and so on. The free form database is particularly useful here. The researcher merely

development

The

GIG0

or ‘guess’ at what is of ‘fuzzy logic’ or

(‘garbage

in: gar-

bage out’) principle still applies (Gosling 1982). The searchers for keywords in interview transcripts are not restricted to one or two words. Strings of words can be searched for. For examples, the researcher may want to find out how often and in what context, the expression

NURSE EDU(:AI‘ION

‘unconditional

positive

regard’

was used by respondents. sort pose no problem. course,

The

1967)

only restriction,

is that the program

matches

(Rogers

Strings of words of this

for the phrase.

of

will only find exact

Thus,

free

form

to become

‘non-conditional

database

can

quickly

allow

to content

the free form database programs.

references

it in alphabetical

original

transcript

make

validity

possible

(Burnard

& Morrison

checks 1990;

more

analysis involves breaking in interview

transcripts

these into the database easily

done

example

version

as separate

further

word

advantages

that

or

each

phrase

over

is

seems to have the fixed

educators,

thought

large (lnnes

computer.

author.

of the

title, publisher

or

research

and writing work, I use

to a number

of projects.

This

means that I can have almost instant access to a range

of information

ideas, to excerpts references.

ranging from fragments

of‘

from papers, to c ontemporar!

I also find it useful for jotting

down

‘Post-it’ stickers.

as reminders

of various sorts.

and quick

Apart purpose

when datasets

Whilst content

are

analysis and

of analysis can be carried

hand, it seems reasonable technology

Data process-

is an issue that needs

- especially

1984).

similar forms

out by

to use the appropriate

CONCLUSION

from these programs, there is also built software for analysing research ranging

from SPSS/PC,

gram which allows detailed numerical

a pro-

statistical analysis of

data (which can, of course, be derived

from coded interview data), to The Ethnograph, a large

scale

‘cut and

paste’

program

theory type projects

the former

is clearly

research

more researchers

develops,

and as more and

become computer

literate, it is

essential that we all look for new ways to harness this technology.Just constant

as research,

itself, involves a

search for finding new ways of explorand things,

so can ‘lateral thinking’

(de Bono

1970) be applied to the ways in which

computer

software is used. It is easy- to use overly

complicated

software

applications

- the widespread

PC program example

for fairly straightforward use of the SPSSI

for simple frequemv

counts is an

here.

The use of the free form database is one wav in

which

allows for the collation of items within pre-specified categories. Whilst the latter is useful in grounded

As nursing

ing people

when it is available.

data in nursing,

which an elegant program can be used to aid ‘the storage and recall of bibliographical references

(Glaser & Strauss

and in the analysis of qualitative data. The indications are that nursing is going to continue

not so useful

to embrace

in

analysing qualitative data. Also, both of these programs need to be learned before they can be used. One of the advantages of the free form D

keywords:

and it.ems can

or more

an almost essential one for anyone who

uses a IBM compatible

NET

in order to put

form

student

Easy data entry in any format,

ing for any researcher

1967).

for on any one

and notes relating

each of

of all of the items makes this type of

program

following

re-indexed

order, by author.

notes in much the same way as one might use

for the nurse

searching

be searched

now

of different

the free form data base which holds references

items. This is

ensures

the free form database

researcher.

sorts. It is frequently

card. This

references

of

down each paragraph and importing

a particular

specihc

careful

method

1000

keyword.

effectively.

Overall, some

and

of

counted

nearly

For current and even tighter,

I add

&

Field

Morse 1985). An alternative,

as a cumula-

database.

to it in the same way that a person

and easily accessed.

and are viewed as part of the

reference

may write out a new reference contains

The fact that all of the items

I find it useful

a fixed form database

Words, phrases, dates, frequencies, repetitions and many more ‘items’ can be quickly

analysis.

to.

It is quite possible to use both fixed form and

tive bibliographic

access to a wide range of approaches

remain in context

is that it is both easy to use and

accustomed

to maintain

regard’ would be missed. The

database program

55

TODAY

the use of computer

technology

(Ball

et al 1988; Koch & Rankin 1987). The examples here suggest other ways in which computing can aid in the process of nurse educ;ltion.

56

NURSE EDUCATION TODAY

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Hughes K 1991 What is shareware? PC Shareware Magazine 1, 3: 7 lnnes A E 1984 Data processing for business studies, 2nd ed. Macdonald and Evans, Plymouth Kirkman C, Turk J 1989 Effective writing: improving scientific, technical and business communication. Spon, London Koch R. Rankin T teds) 1987 Corntouters and their application in nursing. Harper and Row, London Kubler-Ross E 1969 on death and dying. Tavistock, London Palmer R, Pope C 1984 Brain train: studying for success. Spon, London Procter P 1988 Nurses and computers. Croom Helm, London Rogers C R 1967 On becoming a person. Constable, London Rosenthal R 1984 Meta-analytic procedures for social research: applied social research methods series Volume 6. Sage, Beverly Hills Rowntree G (ed) 1987 Fundamentals of computing. NCC Publications, Manchester. I

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