Digital Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Arabic Textbooks

Abstract

Digital Humanities (DH) provide a broad spectrum of functionalities and tools that enable the enrichment of both quantitative and qualitative research methods in the humanities. It has been widely recognized that DH can help in curating and analysing large amounts of data. However, digital tools can also support research processes in the humanities that are interested in detailed analyses of how empirical sources are patterned. Following a methodological differentiation between close and distant reading with regard to textual analysis, this article describes the Edumeres Toolbox, a digital tool for textbook analysis. The Edumeres Toolbox is an outcome of the continuous interdisciplinary exchange between computer scientists and humanist researchers, whose expertise is crucial to convert information into knowledge by means of (critical) interpretation and contextualization. This paper presents a use case in order to describe the various functionalities of the Edumeres Toolbox and their use for the analysis of a collection of Arabic textbooks. Hereby, it shows how the interaction between humanist researchers and computer scientists in this digital process produces innovative research solutions and how the tool enables users to discover structural and linguistic patterns and develop innovative research questions. Finally, the paper describes challenges recognized by humanist researchers in using digital tools in their work, which still require in-depth research and practical efforts from both parties to improve the tool performance.