Coding the data

The coding process provides the ‘pivotal link’ between the data collection and the development of theory to explain the data (Charmaz 2006, p.46). During the coding process the researcher is afforded a close line-by-line engagement with the data, providing an ‘analytic scaffolding’ with which to synthesise data and build theory (Charmaz 2008, p.217). Charmaz draws on Blumer’s (1954) notion of sensitising

concepts, to foreground researchers’ background perceptions, which ‘alert them to

look for certain possibilities and processes in their data’ (Charmaz 2006, p.17). Corbin and Strauss (1990) indicate three phases in grounded theory research: open,

axial and selective coding. The initial phase of open coding interprets broad

categories in the participants’ statements. By inducing a code from one participant’s interview, the researcher, through multiple readings of the transcripts may find points of resonance with earlier and later interviews that solidify into new categories. Codes label segments of descriptive information as ‘units of meaning’ (Miles and

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Huberman 1994, p.56). Conceptually similar codes are grouped together to form categories and sub-categories (Corbin and Strauss 1990, p.423).

The process of labelling made sense of the emerging data, whereby the application of codes separated out the data into distinct reference units from which inferences might be drawn. The first coding task was to categorise the raw data into data sets with which to initiate a preliminary analysis. Heeding the advice of Miles and

Huberman, a ‘start-list’ was formed from the initial readings of the transcripts (Miles and Huberman 1994, P.58).

The start-list provided a preliminary data-set (C1) following the original concept- driven sensitising themes deriving from the literature review. They represent cultural boundaries, which educators, students and families negotiate and sometimes contest. This forms the main starting-point of the study, as it represents the first examination of the participants’ personal accounts.

Table 3.6: Start-list based on sensitising concepts

Codes derived from sensitising concepts C.1

Concepts from literature Developing codes from data

C1.1 Demography a. Student socio-economic status

b. Instrumental music as cultural capital c. Deficit perception of disadvantaged groups

d. Middle-class cultural choice

C1.2 Musical genre a. Western classical identity

b. Questioning orthodoxy

c. Practitioner agency

d. Conservatory culture

e. Diversity

C1.3 Musical ability a. Inherent natural talent

b. Agency and motivation

c. Musical environment

d. Influence of the teacher

e. Contradictory understandings

f. ‘Prodigies’ and family type

g. Achievement criteria

h. Conservatory culture

C1.4 Gender a. Student enrolment gender breakdown

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The research themes emerging from the literature review provided a conceptual framework on which to base the interviews so that a coherent description could be constructed of what the worldview of instrumental music teachers might look like. Literature-derived themes thus far remained intact as separate domains, but as the study progressed through an initial process of open coding themes overlapped and coalesced as new significant themes emerged from the analysis of interview

transcripts. For example, themes of social class, taste, conceptions of musical ability and gender formed cultural boundary markers, which learners negotiate as they engage with the structures and dispositions of instrumental music education. These themes, and, in particular, the manner in which they are viewed by the participants, afford a sense of corporate or sectoral identity.

Table 3.7: Example of code-development from musical genre (C1.2) Code Participant statement Logic of the statement Theme

C1.2a It’s very important to have a classical Classical instrumental pedagogy Western background... your technical skills are offers the most effective classical better (Marcus). technical skills-training. identity Learn it with the classical pedagogy

and technique and then you can play anything you want. (Claire)

There has to be standard... specialising in one area and from that delving into others. (Brian)

We’re convinced of what we’re doing ...we teach as we were trained. (John)

C1.2b We must get beyond Western art music Diversity of musical taste is Questioning or we’ll never grow. We’ll always stay impinging on the genre-identity the orthodoxy the same... they don’t want to do of the music courses.

percussion – they want to do drum-kit (Claire)

Nowadays with the likes of Glee and X-factor – em, are we being archaic in our teaching? (Margaret)

Our core business here is in teaching classical music, but we do realise that we also have to move with changing times and changing genres (Frank)

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A second phase of axial coding made connections between categories to build a model of the phenomena that takes into account the practices and interactions; and the conditions and contexts in which these actions occur (Mertens 2005, p.424). Codes are reread from the transcripts, reordered and extended into further sub- categories. At this stage of the analysis, the categories extend out and become independent of the sensitising concepts, which initiated the coding process. For instance a theme, ‘practitioner agency’ emerged from the initial code, ‘musical meaning’ when teachers stated that they ‘wouldn’t feel happy teaching in a different

style of music’ (Sarah), or ‘our hands are tied – we have to stick to a certain syllabus’ (Maura).

Table 3.8: Example of theme development

Themes derived from interview data (C2)

Coding from data Theme

Parental motivation C2.1 Music and education

Middle-class culture Cultural capital Enrichment activity Citizenship

Tradition and heritage C2.2 Role and function

Change

Teaching within music service sector C2.3 Professional status/identity

Visiting instrumental specialists in primary schools

Cost – fees – instruments C2.4 Barriers to participation

Social disadvantage Taste

References to parents and members C2.5 Deficit thinking

of disadvantaged social groups

Integration with mainstream C2.6 Vision

education

Moving towards community Broadening musical genres

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The third phase of selective coding is the process of data distillation by clustering categories around central phenomena or ‘core categories’, which integrate and unify the variations within the data (Corbin and Strauss 1990, p.424). The third phase crystallises data into a more abstract and conceptual thematic framework from which a thematic ‘story-line’ narrative may be constructed (Mertens 2005, p.424). This phase will be presented in Chapter 4: Presentation of Claims.