The Evolution of a Coding Schema in a Paced Program of Research

Introduction Background The management, analysis, and integration of qualitative data are complex and challenging processes (Creswell, 1994; Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). One of the major tasks involved is the development of the codes and the coding schema that facilitate organization and interpretation of qualitative data. A systematic procedure for managing and analyzing the data gathered is required in order to make sense out of what can be an overwhelming volume of data that needs to be condensed and organized in some way so that the riches that dwell within it can be teased out and examined for themes, links, and relationships. In recent years, specialist software has been increasingly used to organize and facilitate the process by which large amounts of text data are managed and coded for analysis. A coding tree developed for use by the research analysts in categorizing the data is integral to the process. The development of a coding tree involves: (a) identifying general data categories, often derived from the conceptual framework of the research study and its aims (deductive), (b) gaining an understanding of the "themes" and details found in the raw data, and, (c) from these themes and details, determining more specific coding categories (inductive; Thomas, 2003). Irrespective of the specific tradition within which the data are gathered, such as phenomenology (van Manen, 1990), grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990), or, as is used in this report, a more general inductive approach (Thomas), a well-designed, clear, and comprehensive coding structure promotes the quality of the analysis. Introspective qualitative data coding is foundational to the analysis process that enables the research to make an original contribution to the literature (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Purpose The development of a coding tree was a task faced by the research team of a telehealth intervention that began in 1995 as an avenue for providing chronically ill rural woman access to health information and peer support via the computer (Weinert, Cudney, & Winters, 2005). A significant portion of the intervention was delivered via asynchronous online forums where the women shared feelings, concerns, advice, health-related issues, and strategies for living with chronic illness in a rural setting. These exchanges among the women generated a large amount of qualitative data that required processing and analysis. The purposes of this paper are to describe the conceptual frameworks guiding the analysis process and the evolution of the coding schema used in the analysis of the qualitative data. Description of the Research Project Context The Women to Women (WTW) computer outreach project has provided social support and health education for more than 15 years to rural women with long-term illnesses in an effort to enhance their potential to more successfully adapt to their chronic conditions. The authors are nurses, members of the WTW research team, and faculty of the College of Nursing at Montana State University, a land-grant university in the rural west. History of Women to Women The overall goal of the WTW project was to enhance rural women's ability to adapt to and manage their chronic health conditions. The research project was a paced program that evolved through three phases. Although the design of the intervention changed slightly from phase to phase, the population of interest remained constant-chronically ill rural women, 35 to 65 years of age, living on farms, ranches, and in small towns at least 25 miles from a town of 12,500 or more people in the western United States (U.S.). Participants were required to be able to read, write, and speak English, and possess the physical dexterity to use a computer. Verbal and written consent was obtained from the women after they were assured that their privacy would be protected. The study was approved by the University Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects. …