Questions about coding in GT (2)

Q:
In Grounded theory, I am confused of which coding process shall I follow.

A:
I suggest you to have a clear idea of what different researchers advocated. You need to know what to code firstly and then know how to find the relationships between codes and develop your core category and build your theory. 

The following comparison may help as a start.

A coding process by Glaser and Strauss is different:

Glaser & Strauss (1967)	Glaser (1978)		Strauss & Corbin (1998)
Open coding	Open coding	Substantive coding	Open coding
	Selective coding
Theoretical coding	Theoretical coding		Axial coding
			Selective coding

Selective criteria for core category:

Glaser (11 Criteria) (1978)	Strauss & Corbin (6 Criteria) (1998)
central reoccur frequently more time to saturate connections not be-forced clear & grabbing implication for formal theory carry through completely variable is also a dimension of the problem prevent to other sources of establishing a core see the core category in all relations it can be a kind of theoretical code	central appear frequently no forcing of data sufficiently abstract grows in depth and explanatory power is able to explain variation

Glaser (1978) indicated foundational 6Cs as coding family.

• Cause 
• Consequence
• Condition
• Context
• Covariance
• Contingency

If Glaser's approach is difficult to understand, have a look Spradley's (1979: 111) 9 semantic relationships. It may offer you a start to code your data, and combining with Grounded theory coding process, you will then build a map of your code relationships. Furthermore, will have categories and core category.

• X is a kind of Y (strict inclusion)
• X is a place in Y (spatial)
• X is a result of Y (cause-effect)
• X is a reason for doing Y (rationale)
• X is a place for doing Y (location for action)
• X is used for Y (function)
• X is a way to do Y (means-end)
• X is a step in Y (sequence)
• X is a characteristic of Y (attribution)

(Spradley, J. A. (1979). The ethnographic interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.)