Transcript Qualitative Content Coding

Qualitative Research
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1. Coding
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2. Analyzing
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3. Writing
1. Coding Qualitative Data
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1st Read through the data(transcript, speech, field notes)
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2nd Build a code list, code book or rubric
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Need an organized listing of your categories
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Need a detailed description of each code/category
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Take notes of what you think the data tell you
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Define what would be included
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Explain what would be excluded
Refine code list as you go
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Move some things to subthemes
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Combine some themes
3rd Connect actual data to each code
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Quotes, lines, portions of text
More on step 2 of coding:
Building the coding list
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Thematic analysis – select categories based
on data, objectives, sensitizing concept
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Name some sensitizing concepts you have in
your studies
Some sensitizing concepts to
consider
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Frame analysis: sort your data by the
interpretive frames within which people
construct meaning and understanding
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Example: could sort interview responses into
the various frames you see respondents using
to describe the roles they play (e.g. parent, wife,
professor)
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Example: how people talk about illness (pain,
cost, loss of lifestyle activities)
Some sensitizing concepts to
consider
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Social network analysis: sort your data by the
relationships involved in the group
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Example: if studying family communication
might look at family subsystems
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Husband-wife communication
Wife-children communication
Husband-children communication
Sibling communication
Some sensitizing concepts to
consider
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Event analysis: sort your data by the
perspectives represented in the interview
account
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Example: person 1's point-of-view, person 2's
pov, etc
Some sensitizing concepts to
consider
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Schema analysis: trying to get a window into the
mental architecture that underlie talk
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Close reading of the text; try to discern why the
speaker(s) says what s/he says
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Close attention to patterns of speech, key words, use
of metaphors, repetition of ideas
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What ideas are repeatedly associated
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What assumptions or meanings can you discern
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e.g. What does “Bush a wimp” say about our
assumptions about qualifications for governance?
Some sensitizing concepts to
consider
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Interpretive thematic analysis: code with your analysis in
mind; See themes as you read the data; group for similarity
(keep RQ and audience in mind);
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Look for emerging topics within groupings
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Compare and contrast each topic with other topics in a
cluster
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Look for overlapping, distinctions, topics that should
be moved to a different cluster and topics that can be
eliminated
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Adjust topics and clusters as you identify linkages and
themes – themes then guide your analysis
2. Analyzing Qualitative Data
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Process of labeling your raw data and finding patterns
After coding, before writing, need to think analytically about your
research
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Remember RQ and objectives
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Use your data AND your coding of the data
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What do your themes mean in terms of your RQ?
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First order explanations – what YOU think is going on
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Second order explanations – what research participants think is
going on
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Consider patterns within and between categories
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Compare emerging findings with existing theory
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Agree?
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Expand?
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Change?
3. Writing Qualitative Findings
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Specifically address your RQ
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Include rich examples to support each finding
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Explain how themes relate to each other
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Present in a well organized manner
Parts of a qualitative write up
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Title page (1 page)
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Abstract (1 page, 100-200 words)
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Introduction (may include literature review or lit rev may be a
separate section) (6-7 pages)
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Research questions (1 paragraph)
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Methods (5-6 pages)
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Results (6-7 pages)
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Discussions (5-6 pages)
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Limitations and suggestions for future research (½ page)
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References (3 pages)
Intro Ideas
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Introduce topic, describe nature of situation,
provide overview
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Justify topic
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Preview paper
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Tell how project furthers scholarly
understanding of communication and/or
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Tell how project helps society at large
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Segue to literature review
Lit Review Ideas
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Justify topic
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Introduce relevant theory
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Summarize previous research in the area that
leads to your specific research questions
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Conclude with explanation of why this certain
type of research on this topic is needed –
include your specific RQs
Method Section Ideas
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Describe in detail what methodology you used (past tense)
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Cite research to justify why you chose the method you chose
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It should be clear how your method addresses your RQ
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Define and describe your population and sample
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Explain your sampling design (Who did you talk to, how many,
how, where, what, and when did you observe)
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If you had IRB approval for human subjects, say so.
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What were your variables and how did you define them
conceptually and operationally?
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What sensitizing concepts did you use?
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How did you code and analyze results?
Results & Discussion Ideas
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Sometimes these are combined
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Results explains and describes themes with
supporting quotes as evidence for each one
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Discussion gives your big picture analytical
opinion of what this all means
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how the research answers your RQ
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how the research benefits society at large
Limits & Future Research Ideas
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Limitations acknowledge restrictions on
applying research findings to all populations
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Suggestions for future study should be based
not on limits but on your findings – Given what
you found in the study, what additional future
studies do you recommend to extend your
work?