CONDUCTING MANUAL QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

USING WORD DOCUMENT

Seven Basic Steps of Conducting Manual Coding

Philip Adu, Ph.D.Methodology Expert National Center for Academic & Dissertation Excellence (NCADE)The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Seven Basic Steps of Conducting Manual Coding

Step 1 • Assign labels to your research questions

Step 2 • Using specific coding method(s), code relevant statements and put them under their respective anchor codes

Step 3 • Compile a list of initial codes

Step 4 • Arrange them alphabetically and group codes into their respective anchor codes

Step 5 • Group codes and tally frequency

Step 6 • Generate categories/themes to address the research questions

Step 7 • Visualize codes, categories and themes generated

STEP 1: Assign labels to your research questions: Anchor codes

An anchor code is a label assigned to a research question.

The essence

To help in organizing codes under their respective research question

Example:

1. What were the children’s initial needs? Initial needs

2. What were specific activities in the club that may have contributed

to the abilities and benefits gained? Activities

STEP 2: Using specific coding method(s), code relevant statements and put them under their respective anchor codes

1. Identify and use coding methods that best fit the type of research questions

you have

Examples : Structure coding , magnitude coding, evaluation coding, emotion

coding, In Vivo coding, process coding

2. On a word document, click on the ‘review’ tab (and use ‘New comment’

option)

3. Identify significant information in the data, assign labels to them, and group

them under their respective anchor codes

For more information about coding methods, go to:

https://www.slideshare.net/kontorphilip/qualitative-analysis-coding-and-categorizingSee slides 16 and 17

STEP 2: Using specific coding method(s), code relevant statements and put them under their respective anchor codes

How to code after identifying

significant information:

1. Select the relevant information

you plan to code

2. Click on ‘New comment’

3. First, type the anchor code which

align with the selected

information and then a colon sign

(in bold plus italic )

4. Type the label you want to use to

represent the selected

information

Example: Initial need: Sense of loneliness,

isolation and hopelessness

STEP 3: Compile a list of initial codes

To compile the initial codes:*

1. Click on the first comment on the

document

2. Press and hold the ‘Shift’ key

3. Then click on down arrow several

times to select the comments

4. Continue to click on the down

arrow until you get to the last

comment

5. Right-click on the selected

comments to copy

6. Paste the comments on the

document

*for PC computers

STEP 4: Arrange them alphabetically and group codes into their respective anchor codes

STEP 5: Group codes and tally frequency

STEP 6: Generate categories/themes to address the research questions

Looking for:

Relationship among codes

Frequency of the codes

Underlying concepts based on combination of codes

DO THE CATEGORIES/THEME

S GENERATED REPRESENT THE

DATA AND ADDRESS THE RESEARCH QUESTION?

For more information about coding methods, go to:

https://www.slideshare.net/kontorphilip/qualitative-analysis-coding-and-categorizingSee slide 18

STEP 6: Generate categories to address the research questions

STEP 7: Visualize codes, categories and themes generated

Creating ‘Word Cloud’ using an online software

called wordle (http://www.wordle.net/create)

• Displaying word frequencies – the bigger

the font the higher the frequency.

STEP 7: Visualize codes, categories and themes generated

Creating ‘Concept Map’ using an

software called cmap

(http://cmap.ihmc.us/products/)

• Displaying relationship between

categories and themes

STEP 7: Visualize codes, categories and themes generated

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Philip Adu, Ph.D.Methodology Expert National Center for Academic & Dissertation Excellence (NCADE)The Chicago School of Professional PsychologyNcade.me@thechicagoschool.eduYou could reach me at padu@thechicagoschool.eduand @drphilipadu on twitter.