Qualitative Coding Schema

Environmental Policy & Public Health Research Unit: Individual open-ended survey response Goal: Theme area + sentiment classification
Background

At Mindanao State University, I participated as a research associate and later helped lead a multi-year mixed-methods research project that included developing the full coding protocol, training staff on consistent application, and ensuring inter-rater reliability across a diverse team. The resulting research report was presented to a local government agency as a direct input for a new public health initiative.

Protocol Development Process
  1. Define the analytical framework Map research questions to theoretical constructs; identify domains before any data collection begins.
  2. Open coding on pilot data Code a small subset without predefined categories to let themes surface inductively.
  3. Draft codebook with definitions and exemplars Each code receives a name, full definition, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and anchoring examples from the data.
  4. Train coders through calibration rounds Structured walkthrough followed by independent coding of training transcripts, then group discussion of discrepancies.
  5. Measure inter-rater reliability Double-code a random 20% sample; calculate Cohen's Kappa per category; convene consensus review where needed.
  6. Aggregate and report Coded data translated into topline summaries structured for non-academic, decision-making audiences.
Top-Level Codes — Theme Areas
Code Label Definition Example Response
EP Environmental Policy References to regulations, legislation, land use, or government action on environmental issues The new zoning law ignores flood risk entirely
PO Pollution & Exposure Air, water, or soil contamination; toxic exposure; environmental hazards in communities Children here have elevated lead levels from the old pipes
HA Health Access Availability, affordability, or proximity of health services; barriers to care The nearest clinic is two hours away by jeepney
CD Communicable Disease Infectious disease burden, outbreak response, vaccination, or disease prevention We had no warning before the dengue cases spiked
MH Mental Health Psychological wellbeing, stress, trauma, or mental health service access Nobody talks about what living near the dumpsite does to you mentally
EJ Environmental Justice Disproportionate environmental or health burdens on marginalized or low-income communities The factory was built here because we couldn't fight back
CB Community & Behavior Local practices, cultural norms, community-led responses, or behavior change around health and environment Neighbors started cleaning the estero themselves after the flooding
OT Other Relevant but doesn't fit above categories —
UN Uncategorizable Too vague or off-topic to code I don't know what to say about any of this
Sentiment Codes — Applied alongside issue code
+1
Positive
Hopeful, motivated, or optimistic tone
0
Neutral
Factual or ambiguous; no clear valence
−1
Negative
Frustrated, despairing, or cynical tone