Coding in qualitative research is comprised of processes that enable collected data to be assembled, categorized, and thematically sorted, providing an organized platform for the construction of meaning. While qualitative research orientations differ theoretically and operationally relative to managing collected data, each employs a method for organizing it through coding data. Coding methods employ processes that reveal themes embedded in the data, in turn suggesting thematic directionality toward categorizing data through which meaning can be negotiated, codified, and presented. Coding is a key structural operation in qualitative research, enabling data analysis and successive steps to serve the purpose of the study. This paper focuses on identifying, defining, and describing the coding techniques available to researchers, the function of each stage in the coding method, the iterative review process associated within the coding cycle, and the transition from codes to themes toward constructing meaning from the data. In addition, it references/provides examples of manual coding practices and identifies qualitative research software available for coding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
