Facilitate by Dr. Katie Smith
Qualitative research frequently draws on data sources such as transcripts from interviews and focus groups or documents. To analyze these data, researchers typically employ a coding scheme in which a word or phrase is attached to a piece of qualitative data to capture or summarize its meaning, which then allows the researcher to identify the most prevalent themes and characteristics of the data as well as examine patterns across it. Coding schemes can be deductive, meaning that they are developed independent of the content of the qualitative data, or inductive, meaning that they are developed based on the content of the data. This seminar focuses on how to develop a deductive coding scheme, paying particular attention to the role of theory and/or a conceptual framework in doing so.