Walking through the coding process

1. Walking through the coding process

2. Qualitative data Qualitative data can take many forms • Transcripts of discussions or focus groups • Transcripts from school lessons or any real life setting • Field notes • Observation records • Video data/audio data • Photographs • Children’s drawings • Children’s written texts • Interview transcripts – this walkthrough is a step by step guide to coding an interview

3. Coding • Read the extract from interview 1 creating codes as you go • If you think a theme is important either • underline it in a particular colour – a different colour for each new theme • or use the comments box in word to label codes • If you have some thoughts about what the data might mean make a note to yourself (a memo) • Some codes might be linked for example • A code on teacher beliefs might have several different codes linked to it • Beliefs about behavilour management • Beliefs about classroom culture • Beliefs about the role of parents • Once you have completed the interview write a summary of the key characteristics of this participants perspective

4. Coding After coding interview 1 you should have • A list of codes – write definitions for what each code captures • Some groups clustered together because they have a linking theme • A few memos capturing your thoughts about what the data might mean • A summary of the interview • You might want to look at the example of the coded interview and consider similarities and differences with your own codes

5. The next step Read interview 2 and repeat the process as for interview 1 • How well do existing codes capture interview 2? • You may have to: redefine codes, create new codes, merge codes or split codes to account for new ideas in the second interview • In the light of these changes revisit interview 1 • Check codes and coding structure are faithful to both interviews • Repeat process for subsequent interviews – redefining, creating, changing and altering as you go • Keep revisiting previously analysed interviews to check the codes and the emerging coding frame still captures their meanings

6. The coding process • A point is reached where every new interview is captured within the existing codes and coding frame (saturation) • Themes reflected across the interviews (horizontal coding) • Summaries that account for individual perspectives (vertical coding) • Definitions for every code and every cluster of codes • Identify and describe links and relationships between codes • Finally consider all of this in the light of existing literature • Remember - coding frames emerge from hours of analysis. • In the early stages of analysis these codes are fluid, changing and emerging

7. Writing up your analysis • Determine the key codes or clusters • Describe them using the definitions • Be faithful to the spread of opinion: the untypical as well as the typical • Talk about the differences between interviewees using the vertical analysis • Explain how you understand or have theorised the relationship between codes or clusters • Discuss in the light of existing theory and literature • Use models and tables to represent relationships between codes • Use quotes from your data to illustrate your arguments

8. An example of writing up findings A finding: There is a perception that schools don’t suit boys Evidence from the analysis: The language relating to girls’ behaviour is passive and concerned with compliance, they are ‘wanting to please’ and ‘willing’. The language relating to boys’ behaviour is active: they are ‘outgoing’, ‘can’t sit still’ or are ‘disruptive’. Girls are pictured as fitting into the classroom environment; girls choose to ‘play the classroom game’, while boys are pictured as constrained by the classroom environment. Teacher M comments looking at little boys in school, you feel as though they're in prison, they should be out there’. Teacher L, remarks that even amongst younger boys there is a boy culture that Is anti school. ’I guess it’s this sort of sub-culture isn’t it, that there is this thing That boys don’t like writing .....it’s like I’ll just write this down, get it finished but I won’t take on the whole ethos of the school! (Codes highlighted and quotes in italics)