Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-r5zm4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-07T00:44:55.201Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

2 - Coding Schemes and Observational Measurement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Roger Bakeman
Affiliation:
Georgia State University
Vicenç Quera
Affiliation:
Universidad de Barcelona
Get access

Summary

As telescopes are for astronomy and microscopes for biology, so coding schemes are for observational methods: They bring the phenomena of interest into focus for systematic observation. However, unlike telescopes and microscopes, which are clearly physical, coding schemes are primarily conceptual. They consist of codes (i.e., names, labels, or categories) that can be applied to whatever behavior is being studied. By naming behavior, coding schemes limit the attention of our observers and state, in effect, that the aspects of behavior identified by the codes are important for our investigation and are the aspects on which we should focus.

Where Do Coding Schemes Come From?

In addition to being conceptual, coding schemes necessarily make theoretical commitments. Implicit in any coding scheme is the understanding that certain behaviors are important and certain distinctions are worth making. Necessarily, coding schemes reflect the investigator’s theory about what is important and why, even when investigators do not make the links between theories and codes explicit. Bakeman and Gottman (1986, 1997) wrote that using someone else’s coding scheme was like wearing someone else’s underwear. They used this attention-grabbing simile to make a point: Codes and underlying theories need to connect. Borrow, or more typically adapt, coding schemes from others only when you share theories, underlying theoretical orientations, and common research goals.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×