Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Tone of Coding

Coding - "the process of identifying persistent words, phrases, themes or concepts within the data so that the underlying patterns can be identified and analyzed."

I have my coloured pens out, quiet room, cup of tea & an hour set aside to start coding.

Naturally I start with the easy part - persistent words and phrases. The challenge comes with themes and concepts. They are slippery. I think I have them identified well but then find myself pondering over whether this word or that phrase really fits the theme or concept that I am currently coding. Exactly what does my theme encompass? This is the messy, fuzzy around the edges part!

I become very myopic as I code. I am totally focused on one category to the exclusion of all else . . . quite intense! I end up having to sit back from time to time and literally soften my focus . . . recentre and try to feel the tone of the material.  With soft focus I try to broaden my observational powers and see if there is something lurking in the peripheral vision of my attention zone. Is there some underlying theme? I refer back to the jottings I made right after the session and find a gem that I had overlooked. This reinforces making the notes immediately post session.

It is amazing how much energy and time (blew past my one hour mark) all of this takes!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

A does not lead to B – it’s a network


A does not lead to B – it’s a network” – Maria Mayan, Instructor COMM 597, The Principles of Qualitative Inquiry

It seems to me that the statement above is in keeping with the history of communication and information processing tools.

The invention of the alphabet and writing promoted very linear, segmented, forms of expression and the parallel development of formal logic, scientific method and of quantitative inquiry as a dominant research method. The printing press solidified the conceptual framework of lining up discrete units in a linear fashion to ‘understand’ the world.

What is characteristic of electricity and the digital age? Electricity is a field, with flow and radiance. Digital media’s most common metaphor is that of a network. “A does not lead to B – it’s a network” It seem to me that an interest in, and acceptance of, qualitative inquiry would be a natural offshoot of the new forms of communication. New ways of visualizing, organizing and accessing information are profoundly affecting the way we approach research.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Qualitative Inquiry

Today . . . the start of my course on Qualitative Inquiry with Maria Maya PhD. as the instructor. (I like the play of QI and IQ)

The text for the course is Dr. Mayan's book,

ESSENTIALS OF QUALITATIVE INQUIRY 

Reading it was like coming home. Yes, yes and yes. The messy, holistic, contradictory stories are where we need to seek understanding. Yet, rigour and a clear minded, mindful approach that is keenly observant are essential parts of disciplined research and inquiry.

It feels matriarchal to me. It also feels like there are clear parallels with silence and meditation, sort of like being collected and confident enough to slow down, become very still and then listen/view/observe/understand/connect/combine/ and move towards aha moments with a clear and focused mind.

The other parallel that jumped out at me is the similarities between qualitative inquiry and design thinking