A topic in research methodology
Axial coding is a stage in grounded theory analysis (‘constant comparison’) after open coding, where the researcher seeks to make links and find relationships between the concepts and categories derived from open coding.
“Coding gets the analyst off the empirical level [i.e. towards the theoretical level] by fracturing the data, then conceptually grouping it into codes that then become the theory that explains what is happening in the data.”
Glaser & Holton, 2004, ¶47
Developing theoretical codes and categories
After substantive codes are developed through the process of open coding, these are related through the development of theoretical codes:
“The conceptualization of data through coding is the foundation of GT development. Incidents articulated in the data are analyzed and coded, using the constant comparative method, to generate initially substantive, and later theoretical, categories….Theoretical codes conceptualize how the substantive codes may relate to each other as hypotheses to be integrated into the theory.”
Glaser & Holton, 2004, ¶47
Source/s cited:
Glaser, Barney G. & Holton, Judith (2004) Remodeling Grounded Theory, Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 5(2), Article 4.
My introduction to educational research:
Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
