When to use this
Use this after confirming an open-ended question.
Why it matters
Separating codes, assignments, themes, and quotations makes interpretation auditable.
Step-by-step instructions
1. Review the response corpus and research question.
2. Create clear code definitions and exclusions.
3. Assign codes to relevant response segments or records.
4. Review coding coverage and co-occurrence.
5. Group codes into candidate themes.
6. Approve themes and supporting quotations deliberately.
Expected outputs
Versioned codes, code assignments, reviewed themes, selected quotations, and coverage evidence.
How to interpret the results
Codes label observations; themes are higher-level interpretive patterns supported by multiple pieces of evidence.
Common mistakes
Do not treat lexical frequency as thematic importance. Do not publish quotations that could identify respondents.
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