Qualitative Coding

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Coding Steps for QualCoder 3.7

Initial Project Setup

  1. Create new project (Project menu → New Project)
  2. Complete project memo with research questions and methodology (helps with AI analysis if used)
  3. Back up project regularly before major changes

Import and Organize Data

Import Surveys

  1. Manage → Import Survey
  2. Use Excel format (works better than CSV)
  3. Right-click free text columns → change to "qualitative" before importing
  4. QualCoder automatically creates:
    • One case per respondent (using first column as identifier)
    • One file per free text question
    • Codes matching survey questions (you may want to delete/reorganize these)

Import Focus Group Transcripts

  1. Manage → Manage Files → Import
  2. Import focus group transcripts as text files
  3. Consider creating separate files for each focus group session

Create Coding Structure

Create Categories

  • Coding → Code Organizer
  • Add categories using the "Create category" buttons
    • "Department" (parent category) with individual department names underneath
    • "Facilitators"
    • "Themes"
    • Click "Apply" when done

Create Codes

  1. Coding → Code Text
  2. Right click on a category and then select, "Add new code to category"
  3. Create speaker codes: "Speaker #1", "Speaker 2", etc. according to the speaker's survey result case number. For speakers who don't match to a survey case, add numbers starting where the case number ended.
  4. Create speaker codes: "Reuben", etc.
  5. Create code themes using Claude (TODO: see about have QualCoder create the themes)
  6. Add code memos: Right click on a code and then select, "View or edit memo"

Review Codes

  1. Coding → Code Organizer
  2. Reorganize codes by right clicking and selecting "Link code to category" (don't forget to click "Apply" when done)

Review Attributes

  1. Manage → Manage Attributes
  2. Verify the "Department" attribute exists (character type) and is assigned to "case"
  3. Manage → Manage Cases
  4. Add a case for each focus group
  5. Add the related file(s) by clicking in the "Files" cell, selecting the file(s), and then clicking "Add selected files to case"

Coding Process

  • Survey questions are automatically coded when imported (optional to keep)
  • Code survey responses by speaker:
    • Coding → Code Text
    • Select the "Documents" tab
    • Navigate to each survey response and select all text
    • Code with appropriate speaker number
  • Code focus group transcripts by speaker:
    • Coding → Code Text
    • Select the "Documents" tab
    • Click a speaker/facilitator code
    • Navigate to a focus group document
    • Copy the full name of the speaker/facilitator from text in the passage
    • Click the "Auto code using start and end marks" button
    • Paste the name into the "Start mark" field
    • Paste "\n" into the "End mark" field
    • Select the Focus group documents (use shift).
    • Click "OK"
  • Auto-code content:
    • Coding → Code Text
    • Click the "AI Assistance" tab
    • Click <Start AI Search>
    • Select the "Code search" tab
    • Click a "Themes" code
    • In the "Analytic Prompt" dropdown, select "Content Analysis..."
    • Verify that "Send memo to AI" is checked
    • Click "OK"
    • Read through responses and decide relevancy
    • If more context is necessary, re-select the relevant text
    • Use Shift+left/right to adjust the ending code boundary
    • Select the relevant thematic code
    • You will see a pop-up box asking if you want to, "store the AI interpretation in a memo..."
    • Click "Yes" only if the code you selected matches the code queried (visible at the top of the "AI assistance box")
    • Right-click → Memo to add interpretive notes

Focus Group Transcripts

  3. Thematic coding:
    • Highlight relevant passages
    • Assign theme codes
    • Mark important segments (right-click → Add important mark)
    • Add memos for context or interpretation

Advanced QualCoder Features to Consider

Annotations

  • Right-click text → Annotate to define terms or add clarifications
  • Toggle annotations visibility with annotation button

Code Management

  • Use color coding strategically (palette button)
  • Merge similar codes if needed (Code organizer)
  • Create code memos to define coding criteria

Reporting and Analysis

Basic Reports

  1. Reports → Coding Report
    • Select relevant files (all or by case)
    • Select codes to analyze
    • Choose options: statistics, context, important only
    • Export to ODT or HTML

Matrix Analysis

  1. Reports → Coding Report → Matrix
    • "Codes by file" or "Codes by case"
    • Shows frequency distribution
    • Export to Excel for further analysis

Code Relations

  1. Reports → Code Relations
    • Analyze overlapping or adjacent codes
    • Useful for understanding relationships between themes and speakers/questions

Charts

  1. Reports → Charts
    • Code frequency charts
    • Heat maps (codes by file/case)
    • Visualize patterns across departments or respondents

Best Practices

  • Save frequently and back up before major reorganizations
  • Use code memos to document coding decisions
  • Use the Code Organizer only after backing up (for reorganizing structure)
  • Create journal entries to track analytical insights
  • Export reports regularly for team review or documentation
  • Use attributes and cases for demographic or grouping analysis rather than creating excessive codes