Coding

2022.01.27 NVivo in action: A research journal reflection

Now that I’ve completed the coding for two of the interviews, I need to reflect on what I have done and where I need to revisit and review what I’m doing. Since coding is a new skill and I’m learning as I do this, it’s good to go back to the research done on coding, the expert voices in the work of qualitative coding. As I’ve completed the using NVivo software for the first two interviews, it’s time to reflect on what I know and perhaps learn more about how to use this qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) technology.

I have returned to a key text I read earlier in the PhD program – The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers by Saldaña (2016). This reminds me that coding is more than making meaning from the texts, or labelling elements with a reference word. Saldana reminds me that coding is about linking and connecting through a cyclic process. This results in the emergence of identified patterns in similarities, differences, frequency, sequences, correspondence, and potential causes. Hierarchies and categories become evident when the codes are classified and compared. Saldana suggests coding everything so I will go back into NVivo and code the blog posts and word doc research notes that I have written as part of this research process.

Jackson and Bazeley (2019), in their book Qualitative Data Analysis with NVivo, suggest goals for the early stages of working with data, including excitement, changing your mind, frustration, adjusting your gaze, building ideas, challenge your inclination to jump to conclusions, and observe constellations of codes in this early data collection. One approach to coding that I need to pay attention to is what Jackson and Bazeley term ‘splitters’ and ‘lumpers’ (p. 68).

• “splitters” are “those who maximize differences between text passages, looking for fine grained themes”
• “lumpers” are “those who minimize them, looking for overarching themes” (p. 68).

The authors recognize that these may not be practiced in isolation of each other and that splitting an lumping may be done by the same researcher on the same day.

Another interesting note, as mentioned by Jackson and Bazeley, is something I had not considered – analyzing narrative structure and mechanisms, while taking into account “how things were said as well as what was said”. I think I need to go back to the stored video of the interviews and pull this information out of the video. This is something I had not considered and have not done, so I will make sure I code the ‘how’ as well as the ‘what’ in order to accomplish this work.

Jackson and Bazeley share insights on advanced coding and how to build coding structures. Benefits of creating a well-organized structure of codes include: conceptual clarity, thoroughness and prompts to code ‘richly’, and identifying patterns of association (p. 105). There is a suggested listing of attribute values for codes:

• Actions – things done at one point in time e.g. listen, laugh, cheer, argue)
• Activities – ongoing actions
• Beliefs – ideological positions evident in discourses e.g. independence,
• Culture – social behaviours and norms
• Emotions – expressed feelings
• Events – structured actions or rituals e.g conferences, workshops, classes
• Issues – matters raised about which there may be some debate e.g control, ownership, privacy, transparency
• Narrative – features such as contradictions, omissions, pronouns, repairs
• People – specifically named or general categories e.g. GO-GN
• Valences (sentiments or attitudes) – implicit or explicitly stated responses to topics e.g. conflicted, negative, positive, uncertain, barrier, faciliator to success
• Strategies – purposeful activity to achieve a goal or deal with an issue e.g negotiating, planning)

Some additional codes that are suggested

• good quotes – in order to identify compelling or poignant references pertaining to concepts or themes
• suggestions – capture recommendations by participants
• retired – place to store defunct items or themes without totally deleting them

This leads me to the difference between viral and vista coding structures – something to be aware of as I manage the coding of multiple and multimedia elements. Taking a step back from the coding and looking at the stories of the lived experiences of the participants at the ‘bird’s eye view level’ will be helpful, and matches the post-intentional phenomenological research strategies, as I’ve written in the research proposal :

“Research data are iteratively analyzed through wholistic, selective and detailed readings (van Manen, 2014) that can shape and crystallize the facets found within whole, parts, meanings, particularities, and unique assemblages” (see Research Proposal 2.1.5 Phenomenology).

One point I found interesting in the Jackson and Bazeley (2019) book was the length of time it will take to do the coding and analysis – up to 3 hours per hour of transcription – something that I’ll need to consider as I go into further coding and analysis work. The other consideration is when to stop coding work – first, to take a purposeful break to time to regroup and rethink and return to the work with more focus, and potentially to take notes or write memos. The second, is judging when it’s time to stop coding work on the whole project by considering if any new themes or ideas are no longer emerging.

Running a word frequency query leads to this discovery:

While word frequencies can limit and narrow my gaze into the lived experiences of the participants, it provides an interesting screen through which to view the stories being shared. The words on the top of this frequency chart are not surprising, knowing the topics and contexts for this research. This may be a confirmation that the conversations I’ve had at this early stage of the research are focusing in the areas I hope to explore more deeply.

References

Jackson, K., & Bazeley, P. (2019). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo (2nd ed.). Sage Publications Inc.

Saldaña, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.

van Manen, M. (2014). Phenomenology of practice. Routledge.