Microanalysis Coding Grounded Theory Techniques Part I EDL

Microanalysis & Coding: Grounded Theory Techniques Part I EDL 714: 12/1/10

Coding • The analysis of text(s) • Texts can be written, spoken, observed, perceived and represented • Transcripts, notes, and pictures are the most common texts that are coded • There are many approaches to coding • Grounded Theory techniques are one • It is a HIGHLY idiosyncratic process

GT and open coding We are like children seeing a thing for the first time… • Instances – occurrences of that which attracts your attention • Properties – characteristics of a thing • Dimensions – variations of a property along a range • Categories – relate to concepts It is all quite Aristotelian in the end…

Hierarchy of coding strategies • 1 st Order Analysis – Categorical coding – Open coding – Axial coding • 2 nd Order Analysis – Microanalysis – Selective coding – Conceptual analysis – Interaction analysis

Getting started… • In groups of 3 -4, – Discuss your coding of the article “Educating African American Children: Credibility at a Crossroads” – What was your approach? – What were your results? – What questions do you have about the process?

Microanalysis & basic operations • Asking questions • Types of questions (p. 72) – Sensitizing – Theoretical – Practical and structural – Guiding • Making theoretical comparisons • Insight: Is it data?

Exercise: Microanalysis of data • Example 1: Excerpt from a field interview with a high school principal • Example 2: Excerpt from a field observation of a mathematics classroom • In groups of 2 -3 microanalyze the excerpts using the methods modeled by Corbin & Strauss (see Ch. 4 for more analytic tools)

Upon reflection… • What types of questions did you ask? • Did the data speak to you? • Did the nature of the data influence your microanalysis? • If you had more of this data to examine, what would you do next?

An essential question… “From a qualitative perspective, what are the key considerations in studying the data of activity versus self-reported data? ”

Exercise in open coding • Use your interview(s) from last summer • Select a meaty, but not too lengthy excerpt (if you do multiple transcripts, pick responses to the same question) • Conduct a microanalysis of the excerpt(s)

Upon reflection… • What did you see? • Why do you think you saw this? • Did your earlier microanalysis of part of this interview influence your further coding?

A word of warning… • Beware developing a false sense of precision • Qualitative hubris • Never take a conclusion for granted • This goes to the heart of how we view validity in qualitative analysis (see next week’s readings)

Protocols & instrumentation • Setting the stage for open coding • Instruments should anticipate and support the analytical process • Questions should be consistent with an “open” analytical approach • Instruments should allow for emergent findings • These tools are keys tools in bringing/imposing order on data