Coding for Discovery. Karen Locke College of William and Mary

Transcription

1 Coding for Discovery Karen Locke College of William and Mary

2 Discovery detecting or uncovering something which is already there in the world, but was not recognised previously as relevant e-creativity-aha-moment/-cooper-878x583.jpg (

3 A Neglected Focus In the 1800s Charles Sanders Peirce wrote extensively about theory invention In the mid 1900s Norwood Hanson distinguished the context of justification from the context of discovery And, at approximately the same time Popper (1934) and Kordig (1978) separated discovery from considerations of method and research practice Discovery concerns the origin, creation, genesis, and invention of scientific theories and hypotheses. Justification concerns their evaluation, test, defense, success, truth, and confirmation. Discovery is for description alone, for psychology and the history of the sociology of science. Justification, however, is for the philosophy of science and epistemology (Kordig, 1978; p. 110)

4 Yet, Concern With Discovery Persisted Early efforts to open a space for discovery rested on induction GT with emphasis on concrete data as source of theorizing exemplified induction as pathway to discovery However, induction is fundamentally descriptive

5 Concern With Discovery Continues More recently, scholars have re- turned to the concept of abduction to bring forward discovery( Locke, Golden-Biddle & Feldman, 2008; Locke, 2011; Mantere & Ketokivi, 2013; Van Maanen et al. 2007) Abduction is an ampliative and conjectural mode of inquiry (Locke 2011)

6 Our Current Research Project Articulating the use of coding as a form of analysis to achieve discovery

7 Coding: Naming categorical buckets that we can put data in

8 Three General Patterns 1. Process of discovery is not articulated. (15/60 articles) 2. Process of discovery is articulated as progressive and definitive. (35/60 articles) 3. Process of discovery is articulated as emergent and unpredictable. (5/60 articles) Hybrids (5/60 articles)

9 Coding in Pattern 1: Coding for Validation We used Comb s et al s (2005) coding system to categorize measures of firm financial performance Two of the authors read each incident independently for themes To ensure consistency in our coding process, we met jointly after our independent coding of the data to review the constructs we assigned to each incident and resolve any discrepancies. The two coders independently coded 86% of incidents identically and resolved discrepancies via discussions. Cohen s kappa was 0.76

10 Coding in Pattern 1 Identify segments of data that express pre-specified attributes to test new proposals of already achieved theorizing Code to affirm what is expected

11 Coding in Pattern 2: Coding for Detailed Description In Phase 1, after we had identified the 189 helping interactions, our first step was to identify their primary components. Through open coding, we dissected full interactions into very short specific actions and statements that we found to recur throughout the helping interactions. Our coding process involved mapping the data with codes, while at the same time arranging these codes in a hierarchy we were attentive to themes as we coded, consolidating, moving and rearranging codes in the dictionary as our data and our growing understanding of it dictated

12 Coding in Pattern 2 Find and identify what is present in ambiguous and abundant data consistent with general understanding of the phenomenon in focus Code iteratively to progressively discern

13 Coding in Pattern 3: Coding for discovery It was as I examined these themes and their different patternings across the various groups that I noticed a distinct contradiction between participants views and opinions of the reasons for the adoption of part-time working It was this aspect of the data that lead me to Merton s (1968) distinction between manifest and latent functions because it seemed that when participants cited skills retention as a reason for the adoption of part-time working, this reflected the official or manifest function of part time working Thus the initial codes and the contradictions that they revealed enabled me to make connections between different parts of the data and between the data and theory.

14 Coding in Pattern 3 Code both to gain increasing clarity and to find puzzles, complexities, and conundrums that enable us to shift to new questions, and new ways of approaching the data Code to make something happen with our original ways of understanding

15 Coding in Pattern 3: Live Coding (Locke, Golden-Biddle & Feldman, 2016) Using the experience of putting data in categorical buckets to change: the codes the names and meanings of codes what you understand about the data what data are relevant what theoretical resources might be useful Fixing data in buckets with understanding that this will open up new opportunities for elaboration

16 Coding For Discovery Values difference, contradiction, paradox. Helps you discover what has not been previously recognized as relevant Works through stimulating your curiosity Its impact emerges over multiple codings

17 Coding and Theorizing Pattern 1 Theorizing established before coding Coding validates Theorizing first followed by coding Pattern 2 Coding generates building blocks for theorizing Coding leads to more coding abstracted for theory Pattern 3 Coding generates new information and new puzzles Coding leads to searching new lenses to understand & new analytic sequences to provide new trajectories for theorizing