Selective Coding

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Selective Coding

According to Strauss and Corbin (1990) selective coding (interpretation) is the process of selecting the core category, systematically relating it to other categories, validating those relationships, and filling in categories that need further refinement and development. Defined as such it is not a coding process but an interpretive process. During this process of interpreting the data the story line of the theory grounded by the data begins to emerge. It was at this juncture that the data, the categories from open coding, the compressing of events or conditions into causal relationship in reflective coding, were broadened to paint a portrait of the ecology and an answer to the central research question. The core category and its domain serve as a reference point or as an aid for the development of the story line. The flow at this point would follow:

Selective Coding (Interpretation) / Identifying key theoretical underpinnings of emerging theory. Story line, developed to reply to grand tour question, is rich description of core category and its related properties.
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Consequences of the Emerging Theory / Verifying process that examines the emergent theory for fit andrelevance to the human ecology. Checks for credibility, transferability, and dependability of emergent theory.
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Meaning of the Emerging Theory  / Identifying impact of the theory on current theoretical literature.
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Conditional Matrix  / Multi-dimensional diagram or model for analyzing consequences of emerging relationships on the ecology and in disseminating the theory meaning.
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Theory Generation / Concise statement of theory generated from data derived from the human ecology. Statement includes potential impacts theory may have on the ecology.

Selective coding is essentially a sorting process through which the analyst delimits the codes to core categories and their properties. As Glaser (1997) explains, “To selectively code for a core variable, then, means that the analyst delimits his coding to only those variables that relate to the core variable in sufficiently significant ways to be used in a parsimonious theory” (p. 61).

This process generates multidimensional models that begin the explanation process of the area of interest. These models are then examined for possible relationships with each other and for ways in which they might interact. From this process emerges a grounded theory. The final product of this process is the construction a conditional matrix. The conditional matrix is a model of the ecology that emerged from the data. This reflective-selective process is what grounds the data and provides structure for theory development. The synthesis of data through selective interpretation is the final analytic process in grounded theory research technique.

An example of a conditional matrix is given below:

Theory Generation

Theory generation is a three-step process that examines the consequences and the meaning of the emerging theory, and works toward parsimony of its formal presentation.

Examining the consequences of the emerging theory is a verification process. The researcher examines the emergent theory for relevance and fit to the human ecology or origin. In the process the researcher is checking the theory against the ecology to see if it is credible, transferable, and dependable. By seeking the consequences of the theory on the ecology under study the researcher begins the second deductive phase, the process of deducing testable hypothesis from the emergent theory. After a fashion we are again questioning the core category and its domain that has emerged from the study. An examination of the story line by informants or by an auditor may yield some insights and shortcomings. In the process we begin to assign meaning to the core category and its properties, processes, dimensions, and context. We also begin formulating the keys that will aid in developing the strategies (or modes) necessary to explain and define the emergent theory.

The next step in theory generation is defining the meaning of the emergent theory. This is the process of identifying the impact the theory will have on the current level of understanding of the area under study. It includes the identification of existing support for the theory and historical references. Further reviews of the literature at this point will likely strengthen the relevance and acceptability of the overall theory. Grounded theory research designs inevitability increase the established body of knowledge concerning the phenomenon of interest. Defining the meaning positions the new theory within that body of knowledge in a way that allows others to both follow the research trail and to extend it further. The researcher who has developed an understanding and appreciation for the human ecology from which the theory has emerged recognizes the impact and the application of the emergent theory. This insight allows the creation of theoretical statements or narrative from which a general theory will be written.

The formal presentation of the theory is a parsimonious statement or abstract of the theory generated from data taken from the human ecology. Theory includes potential impacts this theory may have on the ecology, as well as meaning it may have on the existing body of knowledge. A product of theory generation is the conditional matrix.

The Conditional Matrix

The conditional matrix is the highest level of analysis possible within grounded theory (Strauss and Corbin, 1990). It is an multi-dimensional diagram or model that serves as an analytical aid that is useful in considering the consequences of the emerging relationships on the area of interest and in disseminating the meaning of the theory. The model visually depicts the interrelationships of the core category to its key properties, the processes where it is displayed or explained, the qualitatively measurable dimensions that define these processes, the context that explains the relevance and fit, and the strategies or modes for understanding the consequences of the model and the resulting theory on the ecology under study. The conditional matrix generated emerges from selective interpretation and theory generation procedures. In addition, this conditional matrix provides the means for relating conditions, interactions, and consequences to the area of interest within the ecology. It serves as a valuable aid when discussing the statement of the theory, the gap it fills in the body of knowledge, and the impact on the human ecology.

It is possible to generate graphical and/or textual conditional matrices. An example follows:

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