Qual Methods 2

Question 1

What is thematic analysis?

Answer 1

• A method used to identify and analyse patterns across a text-based data set.
• Foundational method that underpins many other approaches in qualitative research.
• Flexible approach – can be used with a wide range of data sources and epistemological standpoints.

Question 2

What is a theme

Answer 2

• A theme is a patterned response in your data set that has meaning in relation to the research question.
• No rules to help you classify themes (e.g., % of instances or length of response).
• Prevalence may or may not be important - it depends on your research question:
• Most common ways X is described
• What people think of X
• Why people enact X

Question 3

Types of thematic analysis

Answer 3

• Inductive TA – data-driven with extracted themes grounded in the data (while acknowledging researcher subjectivity).
• Coding an accurate representation of the content in the entire data set.
• Deductive TA – uses existing theory to guide analysis and the extraction of themes. It moves beyond the semantic meanings offered in the data set.
• Detailed and nuanced approach to coding with one theme or a small group of themes across the whole data set.

Question 4

Six phases of thematic analysis

Braun and Clarke 2006

Answer 4

1. Familiarising yourself with your data
2. Generating initial codes
3. Searching for themes
4. Reviewing themes
5. Defining and naming themes
6. Producing the report

Question 5

Familiarisation

Answer 5

• “Transcribing data, reading and re-reading the data, noting down initial ideas” (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
• Get to know your data
• Repeated reading of your WHOLE data set
• Active reading
• End phase by making notes on overall observations on the data set

Question 6

Generating initial codes

Answer 6

• Coding interesting features of the data in a systematic fashion across the entire data set, collating data relevant to each code.
• Coding: Process of identifying aspects of the data that relate to the research question.
• Coding - inclusive, thorough & systematic, work through each data set item before proceeding to the next.
• Codes provide the building blocks of analysis.
• Approach to coding depends on the type of TA.

Question 7

Coding can be done at the semantic or the latent level of meaning.

Answer 7

• Semantic codes:
• Provide a succinct summary of the explicit content of the data.
• Based in the semantic meaning of the data.
• Typically stay close to content of the data and to the participants’ meanings.
• Latent codes:
• Go beyond the explicit content of the data & provide an interpretation about the data content.
• Invoke the researcher’s conceptual & theoretical frameworks to identify implicit meanings within the data.

Question 8

Searching for themes

Answer 8

• “Collating codes into potential themes, gathering all data relevant to each potential theme” (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
• Reviewing codes & collated data relating to each code to identify similarity and overlap between codes:
• Broad topics or issues around which codes cluster?
• The basic process of generating themes & subthemes:
• Cluster codes - sharing some unifying feature, so they reflect & describe a coherent and meaningful pattern in the data.
• Starting to explore relationship between themes & how themes will work together to tell an overall story about the data.
• End phase with a thematic map/table outlining candidate themes. Collate all data extracts relevant to each theme.

Question 9

Reviewing the themes

Answer 9

• “Checking if the themes work in relation to the coded extracts and the entire data set, generating a thematic ‘map’ of the analysis” (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
• Do your tentative themes form a coherent pattern?
• The codes within a theme should fit together meaningfully and be relevant to your research question.
• Each theme should be distinct from another one.
• Re-read WHOLE data set: codes may get discarded, new data coded and theme boundaries may get reworked.

Question 10

Defining and naming themes

Answer 10

• “On going analysis to refine the specifics of each theme, and the overall story the analysis tells; generating clear definitions and names for each theme” (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
• Clearly define themes - need to be able to clearly state what is unique & specific about each theme & determining what aspect of the data each theme captures.

Question 11

Producing the report

Answer 11

“The final opportunity for analysis. Selection of vivid, compelling extract examples, final analysis of selected extracts, relating back of the analysis to the research question and literature, producing a scholarly report of the analysis” (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

• This is not a descriptive process –
• Construct a narrative that explains the theoretical significance of your themes.
• Provide support for your themes - limited, but vivid data extracts to support your argument.