Axial Coding — Relational Category Development in Qualitative Research

Axial coding is the second major analytical step in grounded theory analysis, performed after open coding. Introduced by Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin in 1990, it involves systematically re-examining and reorganising the many discrete codes generated during open coding by identifying a central (axial) category and mapping the causal conditions, contextual factors, intervening conditions, action-interaction strategies, and consequences that surround it. The goal is to move from a fragmented list of codes to a coherent relational structure that reflects how concepts interconnect in the data.