An Introduction to Codes and Coding Chapter Summary Purposes of the Manual What Is a Code? Codifying and Categorizing What Gets Coded? The Mechanics of Coding The Numbers of Codes Manual and CAQDAS Coding Solo and Team Coding Necessary Personal Attributes for Coding On Method Writing Analytic Memos Chapter Summary The Purposes of Analytic Memo-Writing What Is an Analytic Memo? Examples of Analytic Memos Coding and Categorizing Analytic Memos Grounded Theory and Its Coding Canon Analytic Memos on Visual Data First-Cycle Coding Methods Chapter Summary The Coding Cycles Selecting the Appropriate Coding Method(s) Overview of First-Cycle Coding Methods The Coding Methods Profiles Grammatical Methods Elemental Methods Affective Methods Literary and Language Methods Exploratory Methods Forms for Additional First-Cycle Coding Methods Theming the Data Procedural Methods After First-Cycle Coding Chapter Summary Post-Coding Transitions Eclectic Coding Code Mapping and Landscaping Operational Model Diagramming Additional Transition Methods Transitioning to Second-Cycle Coding Methods Second-Cycle Coding Methods Chapter Summary The Goals of Second-Cycle Methods Overview of Second-Cycle Coding Methods Second-Cycle Coding Methods Forms for Additional Second-Cycle Coding Methods After Second-Cycle Coding Chapter Summary Post-Coding and Pre-Writing Transitions Focusing Strategies From Coding to Theorizing Formatting Matters Writing about Coding Ordering and Re-Ordering Assistance from Others Closure Appendix A: A Glossary of Coding Methods Appendix B: A Glossary of Analytic Recommendations Appendix C: Field Note, Interview Transcript and Document Samples for Coding Appendix D: Exercises and Activities for Coding and Qualitative Data Analytic Skill Development References Index

The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers

Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques

Saturation has attained widespread acceptance as a methodological principle in qualitative research. It is commonly taken to indicate that, on the basis of the data that have been collected or analysed hitherto, further data collection and/or analysis are unnecessary. However, there appears to be uncertainty as to how saturation should be conceptualized, and inconsistencies in its use. In this paper, we look to clarify the nature, purposes and uses of saturation, and in doing so add to theoretical debate on the role of saturation across different methodologies. We identify four distinct approaches to saturation, which differ in terms of the extent to which an inductive or a deductive logic is adopted, and the relative emphasis on data collection, data analysis, and theorizing. We explore the purposes saturation might serve in relation to these different approaches, and the implications for how and when saturation will be sought. In examining these issues, we highlight the uncertain logic underlying saturation—as essentially a predictive statement about the unobserved based on the observed, a judgement that, we argue, results in equivocation, and may in part explain the confusion surrounding its use. We conclude that saturation should be operationalized in a way that is consistent with the research question(s), and the theoretical position and analytic framework adopted, but also that there should be some limit to its scope, so as not to risk saturation losing its coherence and potency if its conceptualization and uses are stretched too widely.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11135-017-0574-8.pdf

Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization

Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data

Sufficient knowledge is available about the definition, details and differences of qualitative content and thematic analysis as two approaches of qualitative descriptive research. However, identifying the main features of theme as the data analysis product and the method of its development remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to describe the meaning of theme and offer a method on theme construction that can be used by qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis researchers in line with the underpinning specific approach to data analysis. This methodological paper comprises an analytical overview of qualitative descriptive research products and the meaning of theme. Also, our practical experiences of qualitative analysis supported by relevant published literature informed the generation of a stage like model of theme construction for qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. This paper comprises: (i) analytical importance of theme, (ii) meaning of theme, (iii) meaning of category, (iv) theme and category in terms of level of content, and (v) theme development. This paper offers a conceptual clarification and a pragmatic step by step method of theme development that has the capacity of assisting nurse researchers understand how theme is developed. As nursing is a pragmatic discipline, nurse researchers have tried to develop practical findings and devise some way to “do something” with findings to enhance the action and impact of nursing. The application of a precise method of theme development for qualitative descriptive data analysis suggested in this paper helps yield meaningful, credible and practical results for nursing.

/pdf/theme-development-in-qualitative-content-analysis-and-2q4az4zl8f.pdf

Theme development in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis

Grounded theory has the potential to inform nursing knowledge, education and practice through an interpretive rendering of theory that facilitates an understanding of phenomena in the context in which it exists. In order to harness this potential to fullest effect, nurse researchers are challenged to possess significant undersanding of grounded theory, enabling them to contribute to its continued development as a methodology of consequence for knowledge generation in and of nursing practice. In part one of this series, the origins and evolution of grounded theory were discussed from Glaserian, Strassian and Constructivists perspectives. This second article maps the methodological principles and procedures that characterise grounded theory within the confines of these evolutionary influences.

Moving grounded theory into the 21st century: part 2 - mapping the footprints

Background: Aged care services and nursing roles are evolving in response to policy reform and increasing consumer expectations, however the nursing workforce is declining in numbers. Aims: To examine registered nurses’ perceptions and experiences of working in aged care. Methods: Descriptive, exploratory study involving thematic analysis of individual interviews. Results: Key issues related to: professional role strain; workforce challenges; managing expectations, relationships and communication; balancing rights and risk in decision-making; changing models of care and impacts of policy and regulation. Conclusion: Expectations and perceptions of aged care nursing are unclear and conflicted. Nurses face significant challenges in meeting consumer, profession, organisational, and policy expectations amidst workforce instability and resource constraints. Structural barriers and aged care policy environments represent significant threats to sustaining nursing in aged care.

The rhetoric and reality of nursing in aged care: views from the inside.

Academic misconduct is a problem of growing concern across the tertiary education sector. While plagiarism has been the most common form of academic misconduct, the advent of software programs to detect plagiarism has seen the problem of misconduct simply mutate. As universities attempt to function in an increasingly complex environment, the factors that contribute to academic misconduct are unlikely to be easily mitigated. A multiple case study approach examined how academic misconduct is perceived in universities in in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom via interviews with academics and administrators. The findings show that academic misconduct is a systemic problem that manifests in various ways and requires similarly diverse approaches to management. Greater consistency in policies and procedures, including a focus on preventative education for both staff and students, is key to managing the mutations of academic misconduct that continue to plague the higher education sector globally.

/pdf/managing-the-mutations-academic-misconduct-australia-new-5fb7ec8w94.pdf

Managing the mutations: academic misconduct Australia, New Zealand, and the UK

Grounded theory methodology offers a practical approach to researching problems of significance to nursing practice. In the years since its introduction, grounded theory has transformed social science research and in the process has undergone its own evolution. The manifestations of this evolution have been the subject of much contention and debate, that could result in some confusion for the novice researcher and continued disputation over what constitutes grounded theory research. In a series of two articles, insights are offered into these evolutionary processes, untangling the complexities, making grounded theory user-friendly rather than convoluted. In part one, the authors present a discussion of the theoretical and philosophical foundations of grounded theory in the context of the evolutionary forces that have shaped its development. Glaserian, Straussian and Contructivist traditions are discussed and debated. In part two of this series, the methodological principles and procedures that characterise grounded theory are examined within each of these evolutionary perspectives.

Melanie Birks

Papers

Moving grounded theory into the 21st century: part 2 - mapping the footprints

The rhetoric and reality of nursing in aged care: views from the inside.

Managing the mutations: academic misconduct Australia, New Zealand, and the UK

Moving grounded theory into the 21st century: Part 1 - An evolutionary tale

An assessment continuum: how healthcare professionals define and determine practice readiness of newly graduated registered nurses