Coding

Week 10: Qualitative Coding Assignment

Content coding is one way to identify the themes or patterns found in the narrative text of qualitative research studies. The qualitative research assignment for Week 8 requires you to content code the narrative pet peeves of 10 nursing and social work students taking courses in a “brick and mortar” university. These students were asked to anonymously describe the problems (or “pet peeves”) they experienced in previous courses that detracted from their learning experience.

To complete this assignment, you need the three documents: the student narrative text on pet peeves, the code scheme, and the code sheet. Below is a description of each of these documents. All of the needed resources can be found in this document.

Student Narrative Text on Course Pet Peeves (Page 3): You will see the narrative text written by each of the 10 students in this document. Each student has a unique identification (ID) number. For example, 001 is the ID number of the first student and 010 is number for the last student. Some students only wrote about one pet peeve, whereas others listed up to two or more pet peeves. If a student listed two or more pet peeves, a “vertical bar” | is used to separate each them. Take a look at the student whose ID number is 002. This student’s first pet peeve about course readings is separated from the second one by a vertical bar ( | ).

Coding Scheme: Student Pet Peeve Data (Page 4): A code scheme has unique numbers linked to different types of content or themes found in narrative text. For this assignment, you will see a unique number for each different type of pet peeve. For example, a pet peeve on not being able to locate required readings is assigned the number “01”. Sometimes the content of narrative text cannot be categorized, because it is unclear or doesn’t make sense. For this assignment, this type of narrative text is given the code number “99”. If narrative text is not a pet peeve, it is given the code number “97”.

Code Sheet: Student Pet Peeve Data (Page 5): This is the form that you use to enter the code scheme number for each pet peeve in a student’s narrative text. The first column of the code sheet lists the student’s unique ID number. The next column (Code 1) is used to write the number from the code scheme that best describes the content of the first pet peeve listed by the student. The second column (Code 2) is for the second pet peeve, and the third column (Code 3) is for the last one.

Example

Here is an example of how to code the narrative text on course pet peeves. In this example, the student described the following pet peeves in courses she had taken in the past:

186 Assignments that are just “busy work” with no perceived value. | Lack of feedback.

ID

First, the number “186” is the unique ID number for this student. When you code this student’s pet peeves, you need to write them on the line for this ID number.

Codes

Next you will see a vertical bar | in the narrative text on page 3 which means there are more than one pet peeve listed by the student.

Code Sheet Example (Refer to Coding Scheme page 5)

The first pet peeve is about assignments that are considered to be “busy work”. When you review the code scheme for student pet peeves, it looks like the number “08” (Assignments not geared to learning [e.g., busy work]) best describes this student’s pet peeve. You then enter the number “08” into the second column (Code 1) of the code sheet (see below).

In the next pet peeve, the student writes about “lack of feedback”. While her response is not very specific, it is most likely to related to code number “13” (Assignments returned without comments or feedback). You then enter “13” in the third column of the code sheet. Because this student did not list a third pet peeve, you then leave the fourth column (Code 3) blank.

Code Sheet: Student Pet Peeve Data

ID #	Code 1	Code 2	Code 3
186	08	13

You are now ready to start content coding the narrative text of pet peeves for the 10 students in this assignment on page 3. When you are finished, you need to submit your completed code sheet on page 7 to the submission link in Week 5.

Week 10: Qualitative Coding Assignment

Student Narrative Text on Course Pet Peeves

001 Professors who “don’t allow” students to disagree with their opinions. | Professors who grade based on the placement of commas and the number of spaces typed between words rather than on the ideas and thoughts developed. | Professors who give me reason to feel about 2 inches tall when I give an incorrect answer to a question.

002 Ridiculous amounts of reading to be done in a short period of time. | Not having an opportunity to discuss different viewpoints or different facets of a topic-issue.

003 I get frustrated with instructors that behave as though we have nothing else going on in our lives except their class and their assignments.

004 I don’t like to read material that doesn’t have a practical benefit. I want to leave here with a marketable skill, not a head filled with historical facts or scientific jargon.

005 Students who use the classroom to show how smart they are and to build themselves up. | Those who rattle their candy and gum wrappers or chip bags.

006 When required readings are not available. | When instructors put-down students. | When assignments are too difficult.

007 Professor who believe their view is the only one acceptable. | Disorganized classes. | Dry readings.

008 Professors who are condescending toward students. | Test questions that come out of the blue.

009 People make noise – opening snacks, chewing loud (pretzels). | When people monopolize class.

010 Allowing personal bias to dictate evaluations of students work. (e.g., If you disagree, then you’re wrong.) |When expectations for grades are unclear.

Week 10: Qualitative Coding Assignment

Coding Scheme: Student Pet Peeve Data

Course Requirements

01 = Can’t locate required readings

02 = Unclear expectations of students

03 = Unrealistic expectations of students (e.g., too many readings, assignments too difficult)

04 = Working in groups (e.g., too much, meaningless)

05 = Course doesn’t follow syllabus

Course Content

06 = Content of required readings (e.g., irrelevant, inappropriate, boring, dry)

07 = No clinical, policy or real-life application of course content

08 = Assignments not geared to learning (e.g., busy work)

09 = Too little time spent on the most important topics

Teacher - Student Relationship

10 = Teacher doesn’t encourage students to voice opinions that are different from their own

11 = Teacher talks down to students (e.g., condescending, makes students feel stupid)

12 = Teacher has low expectations of students (e.g., intelligence, experience, ability to complete assignments)

Teaching Behavior

13 = Assignments returned without comments or feedback (e.g., papers)

14 = Personality of teacher (e.g., opinionated, egotistical, arrogant, thinks their approach is the only way)

15 = Unfair or inappropriate grading (e.g., papers, exams, final grades)

16 = Poor facilitator of class discussions

Student Behavior

17 = Students who monopolize class time

18 = Irrelevant comments or discussions by other students (e.g., personal stories)

19 = Limited or no development of peer relationships with classmates

20 = Overbearing, intimidating, and/or opinionated students

21 = Students making noises in class (e.g., rattling papers, unwrapping food)

98 = Other: Student’s written response not a pet peeve or doesn’t fit coding scheme

99 = Unable to decipher meaning of student response

Week 10: Qualitative Coding Assignment

Code Sheet: Student Pet Peeve Data

Qualitative Analyses: The analytic method you will use to analyze the narrative data for this Assignment is called content analysis. It requires you to read each student’s narrative and then code its content using the thematic categories on page 4 (Coding Scheme: Student Pet Peeve Data). Once you have completed the coding, you will need to describe the most common types of “pet peeves” that students have about their courses.

ID #	CODE 1	CODE 2	CODE 3
001
002
003
004
005
006
007
008
009
010

After you complete the code sheet, summarize the major themes or most common pet peeves described by the 10 students in their previous courses: