Examples of structural coding

Structural coding has been applied in various fields, so it's worth looking at these fields to give you a sense of how structural methods of coding can be applied to your research.

Emails and text messages

If your research questions deal with how online communication differs from face-to-face or traditional, written communication like letters and memos, then your coding can focus on the differences in discursive features across different media.

Recipe blogs and recipe videos

The same research questions can be applied to other genres such as recipes. Think about how a recipe in a cookbook might differ from a recipe on a blog site or social media video, then consider how structural coding can explore these differences.

Storytelling

What makes a story funny or compelling? Structural codes can help address research questions relating to how people put together stories to achieve a persuasive effect on their audience.

Social interaction

How does everyday conversation differ across cultures? You might consider labeling parts of conversation with structural codes such as "small talk," "personal question," and "compliment" to compare differences across data sets.

News articles

Traditional media outlets might structure news articles differently from news blogs or alternative media, prompting researchers to employ structural coding to examine these differences.