scholarly journals Thinking about the Coding Process in Qualitative Data Analysis

Author(s):  
Victoria Elliott

Coding is a ubiquitous part of the qualitative research process, but it is often under-considered in research methods training and literature. This article explores a number of questions about the coding process which are often raised by beginning researchers, in the light of the recommendations of methods textbooks and the factors which contribute to an answer to these questions. I argue for a conceptualisation of coding as a decision-making process, in which decisions about aspects of coding such as density, frequency, size of data pieces to be coded, are all made by individual researchers in line with their methodological background, their research design and research questions, and the practicalities of their study. This has implications for the way that coding is carried out by researchers at all stages of their careers, as it requires that coding decisions should be made in the context of an individual study, not once and for all.

This chapter illustrates how to do qualitative data analysis. The principles of grounded theory methodology are taken as the main reference for developing a rigorous analysis of the data. Several examples and case studies are discussed to show the practicalities of qualitative data analysis. While explaining the mechanisms of qualitative data analysis, this chapter frames data analysis as part of the overall research process. Methods used in qualitative research give access to people's stories and experiences through language and captures the complexities of social processes. Grounded theory methodology is used to illustrate an approach to coding. Coding is about finding key themes in qualitative data in the form of a text and developing explanations of the research questions. Several approaches to coding—from open and axial coding to selective coding—are systematically presented. Issues of validity and reliability of qualitative data are also addressed within the overall process of research and data analysis leading to the writing-up.


Author(s):  
Amber Sechelski ◽  
Anthony Onwuegbuzie

The analysis of data represents the most important and difficult step in the qualitative research process. Thus, recently, a few authors have written methodological works that contain discussion of an array of qualitative data analysis approaches. Yet, despite the call of Leech and Onwuegbuzie (2007) a decade ago for qualitative researchers to analyze a given set of qualitative data in multiple ways, this practice has been largely ignored. Thus, in this article, we bolster the argument for conducting multiple data analyses. In particular, we use data stemming from an interview to demonstrate how using five qualitative data analysis approaches (e.g., constant comparison analysis, discourse analysis) helped to enhance what we refer to as analysis saturation, thereby increasing verstehen (i.e., understanding).


Author(s):  
Agata Mardosz-Grabowska

Organizations are expected to act rationally; however, mythical thinking is often present among their members. It refers also to myths related to technology. New inventions and technologies are often mythologized in organizations. People do not understand how new technologies work and usually overestimate their possibilities. Also, myths are useful in dealing with ambivalent feelings, such as fears and hopes. The text focuses on the so-called “big data myth” and its impact on the decision-making process in modern marketing management. Mythical thinking related to big data in organizations has been observed both by scholars and practitioners. The aim of the chapter is to discuss the foundation of the myth, its components, and its impact on the decision-making process. Among others, a presence of a “big data myth” may be manifested by over-reliance on data, neglecting biases in the process of data analysis, and undermining the role of other factors, including intuition and individual experience of marketing professionals or qualitative data.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 160940692096870
Author(s):  
Lindsay Giesen ◽  
Allison Roeser

Improvements to qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) have both facilitated and complicated the qualitative research process. This technology allows us to work with a greater volume of data than ever before, but the increased volume of data frequently requires a large team to process and code. This paper presents insights on how to successfully structure and manage a team of staff in coding qualitative data. We draw on our experience in team-based coding of 154 interview transcripts for a study of school meal programs. The team consisted of four coders, three senior reviewers, and a lead analyst and external qualitative methodologist who shepherded the coding process together. Lessons learned from this study include: 1) establish a strong and supportive management structure; 2) build skills gradually by breaking training and coding into “bite-sized” pieces; and 3) develop detailed reference materials to guide your coding team.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 1817-1838
Author(s):  
Sarah Forbes ◽  
Mark Avis

Purpose Construct Creation (CC) is a methodological problem occurring when a research process, instead of measuring an extant construct in the participant’s mind, creates the construct. The purpose of this paper is to argue that CC derives from problems around ecologically invalid research and attitudinal responses developed on the spot, both resulting from self-generated validity. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects design was used to explore whether the personification prime (PP), a component of brand personality (BP) methodology, influenced the CC of BP for rocks. Analysis of qualitative data on how participants made their BP ratings in the absence of a PP was also completed. Findings Findings revealed that a methodology can enable CC in the participant’s mind, despite the construct being ecologically invalid prior to them participating in the study. Analysis also revealed that participants will use varied, and sometimes elaborate, strategies to enable CC and provide researchers with the answers to their questions. Research limitations/implications Previous research has drawn attention to CC as a problem but the implications of prior research have so far been “sidestepped”. Consequently, this paper demonstrates CC and why it is a problem, while rebutting some arguments made in prior research for sidestepping CC. Practical implications CC is a potentially serious methodological problem that can result in invalid findings informing or misdirecting theory used by practitioners. As such, this paper proposes methods to ameliorate CC and improve ecological validity of future research. Originality/value This study will contribute to methodological literature by refocusing attention to the currently neglected problem of CC and by proposing a model of CC by participants.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin G Oswald

Now more than ever, qualitative social work researchers are being called upon to conduct increasingly complex, multifaceted, and intersectional research. Given the heightened complexity of social work research, it is necessary that scholars learn strategies to streamline the research process and digital tools for qualitative research are a mechanism to do so. In this paper, I share insights gleaned from personal experience working with Qualitative Data Analysis Software, specifically MAXQDA 12, to support a larger study that explored the social lives of older gay men. This paper highlights the various functions of MAXQDA 12 and how qualitative social work researchers can use the program to improve the research process and outcomes. Despite the rapid growth in production of digital tools for qualitative research there remains a dearth in studies that explicitly address how digital tools are used in the extant literature on qualitative research. This paper sheds light on this noted gap in the literature by exploring the functionality of MAXQDA 12 and how it can be applied to improve qualitative social work research.


Author(s):  
Su Li Chong

This paper illustrates how the Analytic Guiding Frame (AGF) and the Overall Guiding Frame (OGF) are applied when analytic shifts occur in qualitative data analysis. Analytic shifts mainly occur when a proposed analytical method is found to be not fully amenable for analysis because of the contextually-bound nature of qualitative data. In this paper, the illustration located in the field of literacy education revolves around how a methodological and analytical problem was confronted during the fieldwork/analysis stage of research and how analytic negotiations were made with the help of the AGF/OGF framework. From here, it is proposed that much more consideration on matters of epistemology, methodology, research objective and research questions in qualitative research must be made when the iterative process of qualitative data analysis takes place.


2022 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 0-0

This paper investigates consumers' response to conditional promotions (CP) offered in an offline retail store. Using qualitative research inquiry, we decipher the consumer decision-making process by finding the linkages between 'pre-cart' and the 'post-cart' add-on purchases. Thematic analysis of qualitative data (focus groups and personal interviews) resulted in four themes, i.e. 'Criticality of Product Utility,' 'Mode of Payments,' 'Loss Aversion by Consumers,' and 'Inability to Think Out-of-Box by the Consumers.' We add value to the existing marketing literature by finding the relationship between products purchased in 'pre-cart', i.e., without the knowledge of CP and 'post-cart', defined as add-on products added to the cart to avail the CP offer while purchasing in an offline retail store. Further, we find that consumers' willingness to avail CP varies with different relative distances from the target purchase cart value (high vs. low) and mode of payments (cash vs. digital). We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of the research.


Author(s):  
Lilian Cibils

In this paper, I propose redefining transcription as a significant process within qualitative research, and as more deserving of attention and of transparency in reporting. Although interviewing has become one of the most frequently used methods of qualitative data collection, when summarizing the methodology adopted in their studies, researchers are still not likely to describe either the transcription process itself or the decision-making process that led up to it. One of the problems with transcription is that it is frequently addressed separately from the broader philosophical, ideological or epistemological contexts of a study, and dealt with as a minor independent logistics issue, and its resolution reduced to its mechanics or its physical completion. In this article, I highlight the significance of decisions made about transcription as illustrated by an account of two contrasting experiences. I explore the choices made related to who undertakes the process and how it is completed as based on theoretical underpinnings. These decisions, as illustrated in the examples, reflect views on what is to be known and what is considered to be the data, and will, ultimately, determine the limitations or the possibilities for analysis and interpretation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sin Wang Chong ◽  
Hayo Reinders

CALL research, like other sub-fields in applied linguistics, has been dominated by explanatory, quantitative studies which aim to understand the effectiveness of technological innovations. Qualitative research in CALL, on the other hand, has received more attention in recent years, most evidently from the publications of two special issues on qualitative research in CALL by CALICO Journal (2015) and Language Learning & Technology (2018). The inherente strength of qualitative studies in CALL is that they celebrate depth of interpretation by focusing on specific contexts and a small number of participants. Yet this strength can sometimes be perceived as a limitation when transferability and applicability of findings are considered. However, this potential shortcoming can be overcome when findings of multiple studies are meaningfully synthesised, for example, in a qualitative research synthesis (QRS). QRS is a relatively new form of research synthesis in CALL which systematically summarises qualitative findings guided by research questions and a predetermined research protocol. To report current methodological practices and identify areas of strengths and weaknesses, this methodological review analyses the methodological sections of 16 QRS in CALL using a most recent, CALL-based QRS methodological framework comprising seven stages (Chong & Plonsky, 2021). Findings reported include length of methodological sections, implementation of the seven methodological stages, and convergent and divergent methodological practices. Suggestions, especially about qualitative data extraction and synthesis, are made in light of the findings.


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