Focused coding

Open coding generated 483 codes from student responses. These open codes were further evaluated and reduced a secondary reading of the responses and the memos created by the researcher to further detail or delineated the information provided by the students. The memos were comments written by the researcher detailing insights or questions about student responses from the researcher’s perspective. When a response could not easily be analyzed into a focused code created by the researcher, the response was placed in the “other” focused code theme.

The process of focused coding not only further delineated the information in the student response, but acted as a kind o f secondary check by the researcher on the initial open code. In only one or two instances were open codes themes changed in the focused coding process. In doing so, the researcher was more confident about the internal

consistency and representation of student responses into the codes. Therefore, these focused codes in Figure 7 represent a complete snapshot of student responses to questions and are the beginnings of a codebook for further research in student perceptions of

learning in one to one laptop programs.

Consistent with grounded theory there are no claims here of proving a hypothesis or making conclusions about the applicability o f these focused codes to other student populations. The results here represent the coding and focused coding process o f all student responses in the current sample across all five focus groups in this research. The representation includes student descriptions of their behaviors, perceptions, opinions, observations, communications, and musings about using laptops. The focused codes (Figure 6) and co-occurrences suggest that students apply multiple strategies in any given situation motivated by different things. Further comparisons o f the focused codes to learning theory and especially “new literacies” are made in Chapter 5.

Applying • metacognition • personal/social learning • technology literacy • boundaries Learning • technology literacy • information literacy • content factual • personal/social Learning Location • at school • away from school

Comparing * learning • digital vs analog • technology' access Working • media • internet resources • productivity • utility • content

Focused Codes

Figure 7. Focused codes.

As above with open coding themes, what follows are the further delineation o f the open code themes into focused codes. Each open code theme was further analyzed for content and assigned to a focused code. Below are the criteria for a quotation and open code theme being assigned to a focused code.

4.3.1 Applying.

• Metacognition: student applying consideration to some aspect of thinking about their own or others’ thinking, processing information, and/or considering the learning process.

• Personal, Social Learning: students referring to applying some aspect o f the one to one laptop usage to learning within relationship to themselves or others.

• Technology Literacy: students referring to applying some aspect of computer hardware, software, or learning about technology.

• Boundaries: students referring to physical, digital, or human separations whether real or perceived.

4.3.2 Working.

• Media: software used in pictures, sound, movies, or other aspects of non-text based information.

• Internet Resources: software or tools associated with accessing, downloading, uploading, viewing, or manipulating information on the internet.

• Productivity: software related to word processing, spreadsheets, and/or databases.

• Utility: software related to the functioning of a computer or other digital devices for programming, manipulating or altering computing functions. • Content: software related to actual information on a particular curriculum subject, general information, and/or learning processes.

4.3.3 Communicating.

• General, internet (based at home): interactions with others from student’s home.

• General, internet (based at school): interactions with others from student’s school.

• Globally: less specific to location, but interactions with others on a broader basis.

4.3.4 Not enjoying.

• Entertainment: student referring to games, music, movies, etc. and/or other activities.

• Access (plus/delta) - the ability to connect to internet or other networks to get to information (positive or negative experiences).

• Applications - software programs on the computer.

• Teachers - student referring to some aspect of their perceptions of teacher’s attitudes, behaviors, pedagogy, or personality.

• Other - other items liked least by students not categorized in above four codes.

4.3.5 Perceiving.

• Metacognition (types of learning): student applying consideration to some aspect of thinking about their own or others’ thinking, processing information, and/or considering the learning process.

• Access (plus/delta): the ability to connect to internet or other networks to get to information (positive or negative experiences).

• Technology advantages: student’s expressed view or opinion o f aspects o f the laptop hardware, software, and/or online resources they see as favorable.

• Boundaries: student sense of a separation between their personal space, technology, or identity and other people.

• Other: anything else regarding student view of things not listed above. 4.3.6 Enjoying.

• Entertainment: software programs that students appreciate such as games, video, music, programming, etc. they enjoy doing.

• Ease of Use: the relative comfort students find with accessing and using laptops, software, and online resources.

• Work Productivity - student expression of satisfaction or agreement with getting schoolwork done.

• Socializing - students interacting with other students and adults online and/or face to face.

4.3.7 Motivating.

• Teacher/other - wanting to do a task or activity due to the request or inspiration of a teacher or another adult/student.

• Self - wanting to do a task or activity due to personal interests or responsibility.

• Convenience - wanting to do a task because of the ease o f accessing and using laptops or other resources.

4.3.8 Comparing.

• Learning - students considering and/or expressing similarities or differences in various aspects o f taking in, thinking about and using information.

• Digital vs. Analog - student considering the similarities or differences between physical versus computer-based assets.

• Technology Access - students considering similarities and differences between aspects of using their laptops, software, and related resources. 4.3.9 Learning.

• Technology Literacy - gaining skills, knowledge, and/or understanding about hardware, software, media, peripheral hardware, and/or internet resources. • Information Literacy - gaining skills, knowledge, and/or understanding about searching for, inquiry, accessing, using, evaluating, and sharing information. • Content/Factual - dealing with subject content or factual information. • Personal/Social - dealing with personal, emotional, and/or other people interactions.

4.3.10 Learning location.

• At school - taking place at the school site.