Using strategies from the text and other course resources, your task this week is to systematically code and categorize your interview data in a disciplined manner to uncover at least four themes reflecting the participant’s unique experience with the doctoral journey. Spend time with the transcript and use comments, color coding, or other methods to identify key concepts discussed during the interview. Then, categorize your codes and construct themes that represent the participant’s unique experience. Organize your themes into a table with participant quotes as evidence. For example, you may see themes of perseverance or a desire to succeed. You may note issues related to burnout or conflicts of commitment. Your participant may have reflected on interpersonal challenges related to prioritizing education or discussed positive aspects of the doctoral journey and plans for the future.
In coding your interview data, you may use any system that works for you. While a larger data set would benefit from the use of qualitative data analysis software, a simple approach for a single interview is to use color-coding in Microsoft Word with a code key. An example is provided using this format with interview data on a different topic. Please take a few minutes to review the example. It includes guidance on the first page to illustrate how you might approach developing themes from the coded data.
The table of themes must include a minimum of four themes identified from your coded interview data with multiple direct quotes from the transcript presented as evidence and cited by line number. An example for a different topic and a template are provided. As you work on this assignment, keep in mind that codes and themes are not the same. You will have a larger number of codes that will be grouped into fewer categories used to construct themes. You may have codes that end up not being part of a theme. Your themes (findings) must represent the participant’s experience rather than categories of information.
For this assignment, you will submit two files:
Your coded interview transcript with field notes included
A table of themes with evidence from the interview data
