Codebooks for the Novice Researcher
by Angie Sibley-White, Senior Lecturer in Education, De Montfort University
This blog is part of a short series of posts in relation to the use of codebooks in qualitative research.
This blog is in part a personal reflection on my use of a codebook within my PhD research and the benefits for a novice qualitative researcher (Sibley-White, 2024). Undertaking any type of research as a novice researcher, from an undergraduate to an early career researcher can be equally exciting and daunting. Within qualitative research, there are many methodological decisions, as well as choices in data collection, and then the approaches to data analysis can be particularly difficult. Creswell (2024) highlights that within qualitative research there are often no clear guidelines for researchers to follow, yet there are a myriad of books and journals detailing approaches for researchers to choose from. As novice researchers, we need to navigate these methodological choices, start the research projects and gather data. The next challenge Wolcott (1994, p.9) encapsulates by stating ‘the greater problem for first-time qualitative researchers is not how to get data but how to figure out what to do with the data they get’; this quotation reflected my experience.
Within my research journey, I decided to use Braun and Clarke’s (2020) well-established approach to thematic analysis for the interview data that I had gathered. However, I faced a number of challenges in successfully conducting the data analysis.
A large data set of 25 interviews, which varied in length from 20 minutes to two hours.
Data from four primary schools, which varied in relation to their context
Interview data itself was broad due to the individual context of the schools and participant experience.
An interruption to my research between the collection of the data and the data analysis phase.
I completed an initial coding phase in NVivo and then had to interrupt my PhD for a several months. It was at the stage of re-engaging with the project that I was made aware of codebooks in a casual conversation with a colleague that had used codebooks (Oliveira, 2022). I was intrigued, but the choice to use of a codebook is usually part of a methodological decision that would take place before collecting the data, which was no longer my case. After much reflection, I decided to apply the process of a codebook retrospectively as a means not only to re-engage with my data but also to help with the coding process and as part of thematic analysis. The original codes I had used in NVivo were more labels than clear descriptions or codes as required with a codebook. I therefore started again at step one of the Saldaña (2021) model of coding in conjunction with Braun and Clarke’s (2020) typology approach. The typology of thematic analysis provides a strategy comprised of coding reliability, reflexivity, and a codebook, which would provide ‘a structured approach to coding, early theme development and the conceptualisation of themes as topic summaries characteristic of coding reliability’ (ibid., p.29). For me, this process of coding reliability was achieved with clear descriptions supported by evidence from my interviews.
The codebook provided a place to evidence not only my coding decisions but also to detail my thought processes, throughout the different phases of coding and documenting how themes arose. I created my version of a codebook partly by using NVivo to contain the interview data and coding in conjunction with Microsoft Excel documents, where I detailed and memoed my coding process, through to the final themes. A codebook for novice research can be achieved via specific qualitative research software packages, however, paper and familiar software packages work well. For me, a familiar tool worked well as it did not require me to learn the intricacies of other ways of working. Again, this way of producing a codebook reflects its flexibility for data analysis.
The codebook enabled a more systematic yet more rigorous approach to the large amount of interview data that I had, which provided me with a more in-depth understanding of the participants’ experiences and a space to apply my theoretical framework in the development of the themes. As all processes were documented, it created an audit trail, and evidenced reflexivity within the project. The codebook was further used in the writing-up phase of the findings as the process of the themes was both documented and justified. The codebook became the structure for the findings chapters. I included the codebook in my PhD appendices, to demonstrate the rigorous process that I had followed and evidence to support my analysis.
For any novice qualitative researcher, demonstrating transparency and a rigorous process is essential. Therefore, a codebook can demonstrate transparency throughout the coding process, along with the rigour in which the analysis was conducted. By utilising the codebook and memos at each phase, reflexivity is also demonstrated. This all ensures that data analysis and resulting findings are reliable. Overall, I believe I gained skills within the process by being systematic and documenting each stage to ensure that going forward as an early career researcher, I will maintain a rigorous approach to my data analysis.
References:
Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2020). Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern-based qualitative analytic approaches. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(1), 37-47. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12360
Creswell, J.W. & Poth, C.N. (2024). Qualitative inquiry and research method: Choosing among five approaches. (5th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Oliveira, G. (2022). Developing a codebook for qualitative data analysis: Insights from a study on learning transfer between university and the workplace. International Journal of Research and Method in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2022.2128745
Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). SAGE Publications Inc.
Sibley-White, A. (2024). A critical evaluation of the impact of Government neoliberal policies on leadership and experiences in English primary schools. PhD Dissertation. De Montfort University.
Wolcott, H. (1994). Transforming qualitative data: description, analysis, and interpretation. Sage Publications Inc.