data analysis
deductive coding
axial coding
analyze emerging themes
inductive
coding
Data is being analyzed using both inductive and deductive approaches on the Dedoose platform. The research team is currently conducting emic coding based on the grounded theory approach to generate open codes inductively from the data based on the perspectives of interview participants to create a codebook. After inductive coding, the research team will add deductive codes to capture etic codes not present in the list of emic codes. The research team will then conduct axial coding to construct linkages between the emic and etic codes that have been generated. Finally, the team will conduct selective coding to construct core categories from the axial coding. All data will be coded, annotated, and analyzed by each member of the research team. Finally, the research team will analyze emerging themes and examine the experiences of underrepresented students for commonalities and differences by demographic.
Code tree
preliminary themes
Based on the 9 focus groups conducted to date, our team found three major emerging themes: Communications, Community and Academic Experiences. The preliminary study findings will be shared back with study participants to provide an opportunity for participants to provide feedback and suggest changes prior to finalizing study results. The emerging themes were:
Communication
Communication around student supports should be improved. The majority of participants were not aware of the full extent of available student support and how to access them.
Community
In a virtual setting, community is hard to build and many underrepresented students reporting a low sense of belonging and community. Despite this, students found community through relationships with peers and faculty.
Academic
Experiences
Despite the virtual setting, students were largely satisfied with the quality of academic learning.