STARTING
First, click on the "Install PROANA" button and save the file "BWCC.DLL" to your desktop as illustrated below. PROANA will not run unless the file is on your desktop rather than in another folder.
Next, click on the "Run PROANA" button and choose the "open" and not the "save" option to open the program's dialog box.
RUNNING THE PROGRAM
The first screen that you will is a blank screen with a vertical scroll bar. This is where you type any types of notes pertaining to the group that is analyzed. This is also the place that the program will display your data from first in to last out. This means that the data can be manipulated and the newest results will be printed at the top of the screen.
Click on "File", then "New" to create a new file for analyzing your coded data.
ENTERING DATA
Under the "Generate" pull-down menu, the "Input" option will now be enabled. Click on "Input" to begin entering your data. You will also notice the red PROANA Input diagram is now enabled. That may also be selected to input your data.
The Input Screen (below) will allow you to enter the group members names and the number of interactions per person.
In the "Enter Group Member Name" box enter the names of the group members, pressing "ADD NAME" after each name. Each name will then be loaded into the drop down list boxes below. After you have entered all the names of the group members you will be able to select the group member's name and assign the number of interaction between the first list box and the second. You will notice that the second list box is identical to the first.
The numbers along the left side of the screen under the "Time Period" represent the three times periods that PROANA uses. During your analyses of a group the interactions will be broken down into three equal time periods. This allows PROANA to determine specific variables as they occur over time.
When assigning a value to a person (i.e. the number of non-interactive communication number) or the number of times that a line of communication is used, you will press the O.K. button. This will update the database with the new value. After completing the input for the last line of communication or non-interactive period you must press the O.K. button then the done button. Failure to do so will result in the last person's data not updated to the data-base.
After you have entered in the groups data and selected the done, you will be returned to the main window. If you select the Generate drop down menu or the icon with the abacus the computer will calculate the data and display it on the screen. You can return to the input menu and change data and rerun the calculate to determine the differences that the update had on the group.
PRINTING AND SAVING DATA AND TEXT FILES
When you have finished, view the data on the screen you may choose to print the data to the printer, press the printer button and answer the questions that are displayed on the dialog box.
If you end a session PROANA will ask if you want to save the data. If you choose yes, the output that you have just received will be saved to your text file. This is convenient if you would like a record kept of that run, but the data that you ran last will be recorded to the data file. If, for example, you entered a group's interaction, ran the report, went back to the input dialog screen, and changed some values and reran the report, only the data that is displayed at the top of the screen will be saved in the data file. The previous run (run number 1) will not be saved, unless you save the results to the comment file. Saving of interaction input data occurs automatically.
ADDING COMMENTS
You may add comments to the text file at any time. Observations that are made and recorded on the coding form during the discussion should be placed at the end of the file. This would include any additional feedback that you may want to provide to the group including any explanations of the output based upon what you saw during the discussion.
