Microanalysis

1
Microanalysis CodingGrounded Theory
Techniques Part I

• EDL 714 12/1/10

2
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

3
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

4
Hierarchy of coding strategies

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

5
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?

6
Microanalysis basic operations

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

7
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)

8
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?

9
An essential question

• From a qualitative perspective, what are the
  key considerations in studying the data of
  activity versus self-reported data?

10
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)

11
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?

12
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 weeks readings)

13
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