Coding in Deductive Qualitative Analysis

by Jane F. Gilgun

How to code when doing deductive qualitative analysis (DQA) is a question that many researchers have. In DQA, researchers begin with theory that guides their work. They either seek to develop and test theory or they may use theory to frame and focus the research. Whichever approach they take, theory becomes a source of initial codes that can be thought of as sensitizing concepts. In this article, I share questions two researchers have asked me about DQA and my responses. The questions were about sampling, how to code when researchers have pre-established codes, and whether DQA requires theory testing. The short answer is to the third question is no. The defining characteristic of DQA is researchers’ use of theory from the onset of their work.This is a revised version of a 2012 document.

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 21, 2011

About the author

I'm a retired professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA, where I did research, taught, and did service for 37 years.
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My research on violence was born out of love, hope, and despair. Love for others, hope for a just and caring society, and despair for the hold that violence has on humanity.

I have many free articles on substack (https: janegilgun.substack.com), on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00458CS2G), and many other internet sites.

I write about many topics: lyric poetry, child development, resilience, trauma, child sexual abuse, rape, and spirituality. I have many academic articles and am in the top 80 social work scholars in the world.

I am writing a book called The Making of a Wife Rapist that I've serialized on substack https: janegilgun.substack.com. This book is based on life history interviews with a man named Mack who experienced profound meaningless.

Mack sought excitement and entertainment through viewing child, rape, and snuff porn. He drugged and raped his wife for these reasons and also to get back at women whom he dreamed of harming.

My poems are written in imagist, lyric, and narrative styles and convey the rhythms of a life fully lived--the sharp, often painful intrusions of beauty, the transcendence of erotic love, the fears and intrigue of bodily changes over time, the horror of violence, and the warmth and comfort of everyday life. My poetry is available on Amazon and Substack.

I have written other books.
--Good Girl: You're going to make it after all (https.janegilgun.substack.com)
--the NEATS: A child and family assessment (www.amazon.com/-/e/B00458CS2G)
--On Being a Shit: Unkind Deeds and Cover-Ups in Everyday Life (www.amazon.com/-/e/B00458CS2G) that foreshadowed politics in the USA today.


Telling the story of violence through the words of perpetrators took guts—especially because listening to their stories often horrified me and forced me to relive personal trauma.

I took on this task because I believe in gender-based fairness to both women and men. Violence hurts everyone, even those who appear to get what they want from violence.

Having spent almost 50 years listening to stories, I can now face the horror the stories evoke in me. I wonder if other people can bear them.

I am writing a book. In the book, I tell the stories first and invite readers to interpret them as they see fit. After telling the stories, I then comment on the stories. I interpret them based on the knowledge I gained over the decades through listening to the stories and also as a professor of social work who specialized in human development.

I want to make sense of the stories. It has taken me years to do so. People used to ask when am I going to write my book. I said, “I don’t know. I’m a slow learner.” After all of this time, I think I am ready.