BEHL2020: Research Report Assessment

Highlights
Assignment OverviewAssessment Requirements – Brief SummaryHow the Academic Mentor Guided the Student – Step-by-Step ProcessFinal Outcome and Learning AchievedGet High-Quality Academic Support The Right Way
Assignment Overview
Aim: This assessment will give you skills and training in the core skills of qualitative analysis: coding and analysing interview transcripts. Furthermore, you will apply your skills of social contextual analysis with a small dataset to show off all everything you have learned in a research context.

Report Task: In this report you will be required to analyse five provided transcripts, these transcripts are discussing social relationships. You will be required to:

Familiarize yourself with all the transcripts.
Code the transcripts for the major elements that occur in them and how they connect.
Analyze these applying the knowledge you have gained about contexts (the course).
The analysis you carry out is like other applications you have seen in the course. Examples of contextual analysis in use can be found in the application videos as well as some of the provided theses that use social contextual analysis.

Further and more specific questions on your transcript and your process can be asked in drop-in sessions and the Assessment Muddiest point. Note that we cannot draft sections of your assessment and can only answer questions (avoid “is it right to say” instead pose a general question). You can all approach this in your own way and find different things out (this is one of the strengths of qualitative analysis). Because of the variation we cannot always give absolute answers instead we will pose suggestions based on the contexts you find yourself in.

Assessment Requirements – Brief Summary
This assessment focuses on developing core qualitative research skills, specifically:

Key Tasks
Familiarise yourself with five interview transcripts related to social relationships.

Code the transcripts by identifying major elements, recurring patterns, and connections.

Conduct a contextual analysis, applying theoretical and conceptual knowledge from the course.

Demonstrate how meanings, experiences, and contexts interact, based on examples seen in application videos and theses.

Show independent interpretation, acknowledging that qualitative analysis can produce various valid insights.

Purpose of the Assessment
To provide practical experience in qualitative coding, thematic identification, and contextual interpretation.

To demonstrate the student’s ability to apply course concepts in a real research task.

To showcase understanding of social contextual analysis and its use in interpreting human relationships.

How the Academic Mentor Guided the Student – Step-by-Step Process
Below is how an academic mentor would support the student while still keeping within assessment boundaries (i.e., not drafting answers but guiding the process).

Step 1: Understanding the Assessment and Purpose
The mentor first clarified:

What qualitative coding means

What social contextual analysis involves

The reason transcripts are used

How this task connects to course learning outcomes

The mentor emphasised that the goal is interpretation, not correctness, and that multiple perspectives are valid.

Step 2: Familiarising With the Transcripts
The mentor guided the student to:

Read each transcript multiple times

Make initial notes on tone, recurring ideas, and significant expressions

Highlight moments where social context (family, culture, gender, class, values) shapes relationships

This helped the student build a broad understanding before coding.

Step 3: Beginning the Coding Process
The mentor explained how to:

Identify preliminary “open codes” (e.g., conflict, trust, support, boundary issues)

Group similar ideas into broader categories

Track repeated concepts across transcripts

Note contradictions or tensions

Use margins or coding tables to organise insights

The mentor reinforced that coding is interpretive and dynamic codes can change as understanding deepens.

Step 4: Developing Themes and Making Connections
Once initial codes were established, the mentor guided the student to:

Combine codes into themes (e.g., communication barriers, emotional labour, dependence/independence)

Look for patterns across different participants

Identify contextual factors influencing experiences

Understand how themes connect or contrast across transcripts

This step moved the student from descriptive coding to analytical interpretation.

Step 5: Applying Social Contextual Analysis
The mentor helped the student incorporate course content by asking:

How do social norms shape the way participants describe relationships?

What role do power, identity, expectations, or culture play?

How does the environment affect behaviour or perceptions?

With guidance, the student connected real-world data to theoretical frameworks introduced in lectures and readings.

Step 6: Structuring the Report
The mentor suggested a clear structure:

Introduction – purpose of analysis and overview of transcripts

Method – coding process, decisions, and approach

Findings/Themes – presenting coded themes with evidence

Contextual Analysis – deeper explanation using course theories

Conclusion – key insights and implications

The mentor reminded the student not to ask “Is this right?” but instead consider:
“Does this interpretation make sense based on the data and context?”

Step 7: Ensuring Academic Integrity and Critical Reflection
The mentor advised the student to:

Use interview excerpts as evidence

Reflect on the limitations of their interpretation

Avoid overgeneralisation

Demonstrate transparent reasoning

This helped develop a reflective and academically sound analysis.

Final Outcome and Learning Achieved
Outcome
By following the step-by-step guidance, the student produced a well-structured qualitative analysis report that:

Accurately coded the transcripts

Identified meaningful themes

Connected insights to social contexts

Applied course theories appropriately

Presented findings clearly and critically

Learning Objectives Covered
Qualitative Coding Skills – ability to identify, group, and organise meaning within transcripts
Analytical Thinking – moving from descriptive codes to interpretive themes
Application of Theory – using social contextual concepts to explain interpersonal dynamics
Research Communication – structuring and articulating findings in a professional report
Independent Interpretation – recognising multiple valid paths in qualitative analysis
Critical Reflection – acknowledging limitations, context, and the interpretive nature of qualitative research

Get High-Quality Academic Support The Right Way
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