How To Do Values Coding
What is values coding?
Values coding is a method of coding that delves into the subjective nature of the human experience. In particular, values coding deals with labeling the values, attitudes and belief systems that are expressed by participants.
Values coding involves capturing the following:
Values: A participant’s judgement of what’s important
Attitudes: The way a participant thinks or feels about something
Beliefs: An acceptance that something is true, based off a participants’ values, attitudes, personal experience, opinions and morals
Values coding can be inductive or deductive
Values codes can be determined ahead of time (deductively), or can be derived from the data itself (inductive).
Values coding can take an etic or emic perspective
When evaluating a participant’s values, attitudes, and beliefs, it’s inevitable that a researcher will be influenced by their own personal values, attitudes, and beliefs into account when coding. Values coding can actively be done to reflect an emic perspective, or grounded in the perspective of the participant, or an etic perspective, derived from the perspective of the researcher.
Here is an example taken from Saldana’s Guide to Qualitative Coding. if a participant says, “I really think that marriage should only be between one man and one woman,” it can be coded in several ways.
In the participant’s perspective, codes can be [TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE] [HETERONORMATIVITY]
But in the researcher’s perspective, the codes can be [HOMOPHOBIC]
When should I use values coding?
When doing research that explores cultural values
When learning about participants’ experiences and values
When you’re looking to learn about the human experience
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How do you do values coding?
Ask questions to evoke values from participants
When conducting your interviews, you can use specific questions to evoke the values, attitudes and beliefs from participants.
Why does that matter to you?
What’s important about…
How do you feel about…
What do you like about…
Pick up values from participant responses
Pay close attention to moments when your participants say phrases like the following:
I feel...
I want...
I think…
I love…
I need…
It’s important that…
Be sure to understand social and cultural context of your participants
Values, attitudes, and beliefs are actively shaped by a person’s life experience. Make sure to understand the individuals, institutions, religion, media and other factors that influenced your participant’s life. Do research to understand the historical context in which they grew up, and see how these aspects shaped their values.
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Online software such as Delve can help streamline how you’re coding your qualitative coding. Try a free trial or request a demo of the Delve.
References
Saldaña, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage Publications Ltd.