Coding Ethnographies for Research and Training: Merging Qualitative and Quantitative Sociologies

Abstract

The project of merging qualitative and quantitative approaches in sociology is advancing on many fronts—most typically through appending in-depth interviews to surveys. This research note describes an alternative approach of amassing in-depth qualitative accounts and content coding them for statistical analysis. Funding requirements for such projects are minimal and students can easily be involved—providing important training opportunities that broaden their appreciation of and expertise in diverse methodologies. Such endeavors thus present valuable opportunities for advancing training and research. We illustrate how this approach has been applied in a project focusing on workplace ethnographies. We conclude with a discussion of additional bodies of ethnographic research similarly ripe for systematic analysis.