Final Thesis: The Use of Domain Knowledge for Structuring and Describing Code Systems

Abstract: Domain knowledge is a widely used but seldom defined term in research. Since every research project is located in at least one dedicated domain, its influence to the research work seems to be natural but is not investigated, especially not for qualitative research. An exploratory study was performed interviewing eight qualitative researchers located in different domains: economic education, computer science and business sciences. The interviews were qualitatively analysed using Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM). Of particular interest were possibly existing schematic procedures the researchers apply during their qualitative research process and especially during their coding process and if existing how they are rooted in the domain. With the set-up and reuse of a domain specific code schema in one domain the existence of schemata and its integration to QDA could be confirmed. Furthermore, a suggestion was given on how to generate artefacts for Requirements Engineering (RE) in the form of User Stories based on a code schema. Additionally, a code system meta model has been created to clarify the influence of domain knowledge from an abstract perspective.

Keywords: Qualitative Data Analysis, Grounded Theory Methodology, Requirements Engineering, Domain Knowledge, QDAcity

PDFs: Master Thesis, Work Description

Reference: Rebecca Reuter. The Use of Domain Knowledge for Structuring and Describing Code Systems. Master Thesis, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg: 2016.