Proper Coding in Qualitative Research

Use the following discussion post and write a reply to it. Discuss Code words, 3 references, 2 page.   Include any references to proper Coding in Qualitative Research.  Minimize first person talk (I). Most important discuss their use of code words.

Video Name

The name of the video that was selected for this discussion post was titled, “Bringing the Natural World to Hong Kong” (Topper, 2014). A doctoral student at Walden University, Christine Topper, created the video to highlight the need for children to have regular opportunities to experience nature. Focused on the Hong Kong region, Topper (2014) states that many children in her area suffer from nature deficit disorder because of the level of industrialism that makes up her community. By creating accessible micro-gardens, children will be able to live a more active childhood, learn more about where their food comes from, and get regular exposure to nature (Topper, 2014). 

Code words

According to Saldaña (2016), a code in qualitative research can be defined as a word or phrase that summarizes the primary meaning of a piece of data. Within Topper’s (2014) video, a few codes became prominent. The first code was ‘disconnection’, which described the experience of being disconnected from nature. “As such our student body does not have much exposure outside of the home and has developed a disconnection from the natural world” (Topper, 2014), and “High rise buildings are taking over the natural green spaces where children usually play and media technology is keeping people indoors and changing the lifestyle of society from active to sedentary” (Topper, 2014), are two quotes from the video that support the notion that there is a theme of disconnection from nature in the author’s testimony. Another prominent code is ‘adaptive’, which describes what it was like to successfully come up with a working solution to the problem of nature deficit disorder in Hong Kong. The two quotes that support this are the following: “Building on the rooftop greening project an early childhood teacher and myself started a sustainable micro-­garden for the kindergarten students in the outdoor play space” (Topper, 2014), and “And we are collaborating with local organizations to create more green spaces in schools around Hong Hong” (Topper, 2014).

Discuss

The process that was followed to code the experiences mentioned above was similar to the process as detailed by Dr. Susan Marcus in the Laureate Education Inc. (2016) video. First, the transcript from Topper’s (2014) video was assigned line numbers for reference in the manually coded spreadsheet. Then the transcript was reviewed for sentences or phrases that had meaning. These pieces of data were then copied over to the spreadsheet, and were assigned an experiential code that described the meaning. Eventually, themes became prominent, and different pieces of data were coded similarly if they shared a similar meaning.

Reflection/Questions (discuss any insights or ask questions regarding this process)

Initially, I was unsure how to code the transcript for the videos because there was only one person speaking versus two people having a conversation as illustrated in the Laureate Education Inc. (2016) media resource. After working through the process, I believe that things got a little easier, and I was able to identify overarching themes in what the video’s speaker was saying. Through further practice, I believe that this process will become even more streamlined.