Emerson- Processing Fieldnotes

Question 1

Focus coding

Answer 1

-topics of particular interest
-here use smaller set of promising ideas
-provide major themes for final ethnography

Question 1

Open coding

Answer 1

-themes, no matter how varied
-allow and entertain all possibilities

Question 2

Memos

Answer 2

1) initial memos:discrete topics
2) Integrative memos: more focused

Question 3

Selecting themes (priority)

Answer 3

-give priority to topics which you:
A) collected substantial amount of data
B) seems significant to members
-students engaged in the process talk about:
A) Themes “jumping out at them” or the focus disappearing

Question 4

Systematic process

Answer 4

• reading fieldnotes
  -analytically coding fieldnotes
  -writing theoretical memos
  -then focused coding
  -writing integrative memos