Frame the question
Define the phenomenon, analytic units, and the context in which connections are meaningful.
Epistemic Network Analysis
See how ideas connect.
ENA models how concepts connect in discourse and practice, making patterns of thinking visible and comparable.
ENA
Conceptual network model
Connections carry meaning.
Counts show what appears. Networks show what appears together, within a defined context, and how those relationships differ across units or groups.
A relational workflow
From coded data to a network model
ENA keeps theory, qualitative evidence, mathematical modeling, and visual interpretation connected throughout an analysis.
Code the evidence
Represent relevant ideas, actions, or practices with a transparent coding scheme.
Model co-occurrence
Accumulate connections among codes within the selected conversational or temporal window.
Compare structures
Interpret network patterns alongside the underlying qualitative evidence and research design.
Built for relational questions
ENA is useful when the structure among concepts matters as much as the frequency of each concept.
Learning and discourse
Examine how learners connect concepts, evidence, strategies, and reflection.
Teams and practice
Compare patterns in collaboration, professional reasoning, or coordinated action.
Documents and policy
Study how ideas are organized across texts, cases, periods, or stakeholder groups.
Mixed-method inquiry
Connect interpretable network models with close reading and contextual evidence.
Learn the method before reading the graph.
Start with the analytic choices that give each node, connection, and comparison its meaning.