data Analysis
IS830
coding
Dr. Nazanin Shahrokni, Week EIGHT, Spring 2026
AGENDA
- Interview & Probing Questions
- Reflecting on the Interview Assignment
- Coding: From Transcript to Meaning
- Coding Together
- Next week's schedule - Movie night - Interview assignment - Questions?
PROBING QUESTIONS
PROBING QUESTIONS
- Borders & Belonging: “Canada is very welcoming compared to other countries.”
- Immigration & Bureaucracy: “If you follow the rules, the immigration system treats everyone fairly.”
- Global Capitalism & Work: “The gig economy gives people freedom; it’s mostly a good thing.”
- Security & the State: “Strong security policies keep everyone safe.”
- Development & Aid: “International aid mostly helps poor countries.”
- Climate & Responsibility: “Everyone is equally responsible for climate change.”
- War, Refugees & Hospitality: “Countries already do enough for refugees.”
REFLECTIONS
REFLECT ON THE PROCESS
What worked well in your interview, and why? What challenges or difficulties did you encounter? How did your identity or position shape the interview interaction? What did you learn from transcribing the interview? What would you do differently if you conducted the interview again?
what is coding?
Saldaña defines a code as a word or short phrase that captures the essence of a piece of data.
A code is:
• A decision about meaning (interpretation)
• Highlighting what is analytically important
• A bridge between experience and argument (conceptualization)
Saldaña also notes that coding is exploratory and cyclical. It is rarely done perfectly the first time. Coding evolves.
Qualitative analysis is iterative, not linear.
Interview excerpt:
“I don’t feel safe walking home after 9 pm.”
example
GENDERED FEAR
NIGHT-TIME VULNERABILITY
URBAN INSECURITY
CODE 2
CODE 1
CODE 3
Title
Title
Title
Use this side to give more information about a topic.
Use this side to give more information about a topic.
Use this side to give more information about a topic.
Subtitle
Subtitle
Subtitle
Each of these codes pushes analysis in a different direction.
Coding is not about what the sentence says literally. It is about what the sentence represents socially.
different types of coding
Deductive coding begins with concepts drawn from: Theory; Literatue; Research questions You enter the data with analytic categories already in mind.
Inductive coding begins with openness. You do not begin with categories.
You ask: What is happening here?
These codes emerge from participant language.
Most strong qualitative research is hybrid.
You may begin with deductive codes derived from theory.
Then allow inductive codes to emerge.
there are risks
Risks of deductive coding: You may only see what theory prepared you to see.
For example: If you are studying “Islamophobia” and every negative comment becomes coded as Islamophobia, you may miss: • Class resentment • Economic anxiety • Gender politics
Risks of inductive coding: Codes may reflect the researcher’s assumptions rather than participants’ intended meaning. Too many narrow codes can make analysis unfocused. Memorable or dramatic quotes may be over-emphasized and quieter patterns overlooked. Coding can drift away from the original research question.
Saldaña reminds us that coding is heuristic and cyclical .
Your first round will be messy.
That is normal.
Extract meaning
Coding as Capturing Patterns
Patterns help us see: • Routines • Roles • Relationships • Power structures
Coding as Judgement
Coding is a judgment call.Example: “There’s no place here for people like them.”
Possible codes: • Xenophobia • Boundary-making • Nationalist discourse • Moral exclusion Your theoretical lens matters.
Coding is not neutral.
This is why reflexivity is central.
coding is cyclical
First round: Too many codes. Second round: Merge overlapping ones. Third round: Develop analytic categories.
You may begin with 75 codes.
You may end with 6 themes.
That refinement is analysis.
from codes to categories to arguments
After coding several transcripts, you will notice repetition.
Codes appearing repeatedly: • Feeling stuck • Waiting for documents • Delayed recognition • “In limbo”
These cluster into a category: → Institutional liminality
This is second-cycle coding.
A code captures a piece of data. A category synthesizes multiple codes.
Categories feeds into arguments and narratives.
Ask: • What is the central claim emerging? What patterns explain social processes? Example: If multiple participants (from racialized communities) describe: • Feeling invisible in public space • Avoiding police • Self-censoring speech Your argument becomes: “Urban governance produces anticipatory self-regulation among racialized migrants.” That is how coding becomes argument/theory.
final remarks
Coding is not data management. It is meaning construction. Transcript → Codes → Categories → Themes → Interpretation → Argument
exercise
first steps
The first step in any qualitative analysis of interview data is to: - read the transcripts carefully
- highlight key phrases
- make notations in the margins
At this stage, the focus is on sorting out important from unimportant utterances in the transcripts. Most of the initial transcript margin notations are short phrases that try to capture what the respondent is discussing in that part of the interview.
Your coding scheme should be based on your research question. Your storyline is based on the connection you make between utterances and ideas.
Play with the pieces to figure out your storyline
White
"the as**** one"
Brown
Tense
"the angry one"
Smooth
"the rude one"
They are "stuck here forever"
"the surprised one"
"the smart & cool one"
White
Brown
Predominantly white neighborhood
Predominantly hispanic workplace
CODE SHEET
Interview Transcripts: I1, I2, …
Classification Tree
Race
SPACE
TOPBOTTOM
OUTSIDEINSIDE
FRONTBACK
Physical space
Symbolicspace
Physical space
Classification Tree (modified)
Race
SPACE
Symbolicspace
Physical space
FRONTBACK
OUTSIDEINSIDE
FRONTBACK
TOPBOTTOM
managers (White) / Workers (Hispanic)
Customer (White) / Worker (Hispanic)
skilled/ unskilled
English Speaking & Bilingual (Front)/ Spanish speaking (back)
Classification Tree
Language
distinction
tension
accessing "better" jobs/coming to the "front"
surprising the white woman
making the white man angry
Classification Tree
power dynamics
horizontal
vertical
hispanic workers/white customers
hispanic workers/white managers
Classification Tree
distancing/distinction
highlighting class within race
highlighting race within class
quote on the white man & "the language of americans"
quote on the white lady & "the third world"
language
education
better job
mobility
quote
quote
write your story about the ways in which race shapes k's workplace
thank you
see you next week
IS830 Week EIGHT Lecture_Spring 2026
nshahrokni
Created on February 24, 2026
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Transcript
data Analysis
IS830
coding
Dr. Nazanin Shahrokni, Week EIGHT, Spring 2026
AGENDA
- Announcements
- Next week's schedule - Movie night - Interview assignment - Questions?PROBING QUESTIONS
PROBING QUESTIONS
REFLECTIONS
REFLECT ON THE PROCESS
What worked well in your interview, and why? What challenges or difficulties did you encounter? How did your identity or position shape the interview interaction? What did you learn from transcribing the interview? What would you do differently if you conducted the interview again?
what is coding?
Saldaña defines a code as a word or short phrase that captures the essence of a piece of data. A code is: • A decision about meaning (interpretation) • Highlighting what is analytically important • A bridge between experience and argument (conceptualization) Saldaña also notes that coding is exploratory and cyclical. It is rarely done perfectly the first time. Coding evolves.
Qualitative analysis is iterative, not linear.
Interview excerpt: “I don’t feel safe walking home after 9 pm.”
example
GENDERED FEAR
NIGHT-TIME VULNERABILITY
URBAN INSECURITY
CODE 2
CODE 1
CODE 3
Title
Title
Title
Use this side to give more information about a topic.
Use this side to give more information about a topic.
Use this side to give more information about a topic.
Subtitle
Subtitle
Subtitle
Each of these codes pushes analysis in a different direction. Coding is not about what the sentence says literally. It is about what the sentence represents socially.
different types of coding
Deductive coding begins with concepts drawn from: Theory; Literatue; Research questions You enter the data with analytic categories already in mind.
Inductive coding begins with openness. You do not begin with categories. You ask: What is happening here? These codes emerge from participant language.
Most strong qualitative research is hybrid. You may begin with deductive codes derived from theory. Then allow inductive codes to emerge.
there are risks
Risks of deductive coding: You may only see what theory prepared you to see. For example: If you are studying “Islamophobia” and every negative comment becomes coded as Islamophobia, you may miss: • Class resentment • Economic anxiety • Gender politics
Risks of inductive coding: Codes may reflect the researcher’s assumptions rather than participants’ intended meaning. Too many narrow codes can make analysis unfocused. Memorable or dramatic quotes may be over-emphasized and quieter patterns overlooked. Coding can drift away from the original research question.
Saldaña reminds us that coding is heuristic and cyclical . Your first round will be messy. That is normal.
Extract meaning
Coding as Capturing Patterns
Patterns help us see: • Routines • Roles • Relationships • Power structures
Coding as Judgement
Coding is a judgment call.Example: “There’s no place here for people like them.” Possible codes: • Xenophobia • Boundary-making • Nationalist discourse • Moral exclusion Your theoretical lens matters. Coding is not neutral. This is why reflexivity is central.
coding is cyclical
First round: Too many codes. Second round: Merge overlapping ones. Third round: Develop analytic categories.
You may begin with 75 codes. You may end with 6 themes. That refinement is analysis.
from codes to categories to arguments
After coding several transcripts, you will notice repetition. Codes appearing repeatedly: • Feeling stuck • Waiting for documents • Delayed recognition • “In limbo” These cluster into a category: → Institutional liminality This is second-cycle coding. A code captures a piece of data. A category synthesizes multiple codes.
Categories feeds into arguments and narratives. Ask: • What is the central claim emerging? What patterns explain social processes? Example: If multiple participants (from racialized communities) describe: • Feeling invisible in public space • Avoiding police • Self-censoring speech Your argument becomes: “Urban governance produces anticipatory self-regulation among racialized migrants.” That is how coding becomes argument/theory.
final remarks
Coding is not data management. It is meaning construction. Transcript → Codes → Categories → Themes → Interpretation → Argument
exercise
first steps
The first step in any qualitative analysis of interview data is to:
- read the transcripts carefully
- highlight key phrases
- make notations in the margins
At this stage, the focus is on sorting out important from unimportant utterances in the transcripts. Most of the initial transcript margin notations are short phrases that try to capture what the respondent is discussing in that part of the interview.Your coding scheme should be based on your research question. Your storyline is based on the connection you make between utterances and ideas.
Play with the pieces to figure out your storyline
White
"the as**** one"
Brown
Tense
"the angry one"
Smooth
"the rude one"
They are "stuck here forever"
"the surprised one"
"the smart & cool one"
White
Brown
Predominantly white neighborhood
Predominantly hispanic workplace
CODE SHEET
Interview Transcripts: I1, I2, …
Classification Tree
Race
SPACE
TOPBOTTOM
OUTSIDEINSIDE
FRONTBACK
Physical space
Symbolicspace
Physical space
Classification Tree (modified)
Race
SPACE
Symbolicspace
Physical space
FRONTBACK
OUTSIDEINSIDE
FRONTBACK
TOPBOTTOM
managers (White) / Workers (Hispanic)
Customer (White) / Worker (Hispanic)
skilled/ unskilled
English Speaking & Bilingual (Front)/ Spanish speaking (back)
Classification Tree
Language
distinction
tension
accessing "better" jobs/coming to the "front"
surprising the white woman
making the white man angry
Classification Tree
power dynamics
horizontal
vertical
hispanic workers/white customers
hispanic workers/white managers
Classification Tree
distancing/distinction
highlighting class within race
highlighting race within class
quote on the white man & "the language of americans"
quote on the white lady & "the third world"
language
education
better job
mobility
quote
quote
write your story about the ways in which race shapes k's workplace
thank you
see you next week