Overview

This lab introduces participants to qualitative analysis supported by Generative AI. Using real Malaysian public opinion data, participants will identify themes, interpret sentiment, and generate summaries automatically. The lab progresses from beginner to expert level across Lab 1.1 to Lab 1.4.

Tools: ChatGPT GPT 4 or GPT 5, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot etc.

Duration: 3 to 6 hours divided into four sessions

What Participants Will Experience

1. Unpredictable input – emotional language, sarcasm, misinformation, and bias.
2. Cross-source variation – comparing citizens, news agencies, influencers, and officials.
3. Temporal change – tracking sentiment across dates or events.
4. Realistic communication pressure – interpreting tone while staying objective.

LAB 1.1 – Introduction to Qualitative Analysis with AI Beginner

Dataset:

malaysia_public_opinions_with_social.xlsx

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the purpose of qualitative analysis and coding
2. Recognise how Generative AI identifies patterns and tone in text
3. Practise uploading and exploring data in AI tools

Theoretical Background

Qualitative analysis focuses on meaning rather than measurement. Traditionally researchers read and code text to find patterns. Generative AI can perform early stage coding, grouping and summarising text. Human judgement remains essential to interpret and validate the output.