How to code data?

Notes:

• Lots of interpretations but keep research questions in mind
• Can code text on emotional, descriptive of a particular thing, frequency, historical, sequence of events with one word etc
• Coding depends on guiding concerns of research
• Can code passages in multiple ways - as the first past, then revisit and clean up
• Qualitative coding is subjective
• Recording of process and documenting how your coding progressed is key (memo writing)
• Memos will prove that you were transparent, honest and thorough
• Check coding against literature review and research questions

Notes:

• In order to code you are writing summative statements (codes) on the text. Clarifying statements
• A memo is a reminder about your process. Did I learn something that I expected to see? Did I notice contradictions.
• A memo is important as a log and allows how to write about data.
• Coding is a slow process. Read, think and step back
• Your memos record how you've built up your theory
• Memos help the transition between coding and write up
• Coding is an iterative process - small to big to small level.
• First cycle code - get first impressions and making notes - page by page, line by line
• Second cycle code - collapsing and expanding codes to understand any patterns
• Basic patterns are usually of frequency, sequence, similarity and difference
• With a small sample of interviews conduct a first cycle code to find common codes
• Keep open to new surprises
• Third cycle coding - considering the theoretical, political methodological substantive intervention based on your coding. Similar to memo writing. 
• Cycle 1 and 2 go in and out of all the time. Cycle 3 leads to the report

Notes:

• Coding work is done at very small scale. E.g grass, plant, lemur etc in the image below. Coding level is able to move up to theoretical level "This is a forest"
• The aggregate of coding is to develop an understanding of how these codes work together to inform theory about a broader question
• Moving from minute level to categorical frameworks and then to theoretical interventions