Mini-Project: Hand Coding Data WK 8 disc Three parag

Mini-Project: Hand Coding Data

Coding is a way of organizing your data so that it is easier to analyze and recognize trends. For this Discussion, you will work in pairs to hand code data gathered from the interviews you conducted last week. For the purposes of comparison, both partners will code the same data. You will then be able to share your results with your partner and compare strategies and discuss challenges posed by the activity.

To prepare for this Discussion (below is a suggested time frame):
  Day 1 this week:
  Review the reading in and Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods.

Complete Interactive Exercise A-Amanda at http://onlineqda.hud.ac.uk/Intro_QDA/how_what_to_code.php . In this exercise, you can practice coding lines of text and compare your answers to those of an “expert researcher.” You may also wish to explore Interactive Exercise B-Karen, in which you are asked to develop your own codes for lines of text.

Your instructor will place you into pairs for this Discussion and post that information as an announcement by Day 1 of this week.

Gather the live data you collected for the interview assignment last week. With your partner, decide whose data to use for this activity. Send the data to the partner who needs it.

Day 2 this week:
  Apply principles of coding to hand coding data. Each partner should hand code the selected data independently. What codes would you use? What text should go with those codes? How did you decide? Send your coding results to your partner.

Compare your coding results to those of your partner (consider using the chat function within the classroom to “converse” with your partner). What coding structure and strategies did you and your partner use? How are they similar and different?

Reflect on what issues of quality arise with hand coding data.
  Determine which person will post for the team by Day 3.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 3 as a team, a total of three paragraphs (one posting for each team):
Two paragraphs in which you compare your and your partner’s coding structure and strategies.

One paragraph in which you analyze and discuss the experience of hand coding and issues of quality.

When appropriate, be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the reading(s) and/or video program(s) and use APA format.