Thematic Analysis Flashcards
What is analysis?
-Process of making meaning
-Researchers role to ‘uncover’ / interpret meaning from the data (e.g. field notes, interview transcripts, documents)
-Active process of meaning-making – it is your job is to actively create
meaning out of your raw material
What are some approaches to analysis?
Thematic analysis (overview of all) Content analysis Phenomenological Ethnographic analysis Grounded theories Computer assisted Narrative analyses Discourse analyses Conversational analysis
Give an overview of thematic analysis
-Most commonly used qualitative analysis technique
-Used for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns in the data
(themes)
-Organises and describes the data set meaningfully in relation to the
research question
-Requires involvement and interpretation from the researcher
-Involves identifying and describing explicit and implicit ideas within the
data
What is the process of thematic analysis?
• Familiarisation with the data-transcribe and read
• Code the data.-interesting features
• Search for themes-codes into categories
• Review the themes-check against data set as whole
• Define and name themes. Determine what each theme is telling the reader
about and label it accordingly.
• Write up the report. This involves selecting appropriat
What is a code?
A code is a label / description that is attached to a
selection of text which can later be related to a theme (core concept)
What is a theme?
Themes are identified through coding. These themes become the building blocks of theory
How can themes be identified?
• Deductive (Top down / A priori). Driven by a specific
research question.
• Inductive (Bottom up / Emergent). Themes are linked to the data (data driven)
Explain deductive/confirmatory thematic analysis?
• Tests a pre-determined idea / theory / model
• Largely depends on deductive coding approaches (e.g. Content Analysis, Template Analysis)
• More structured procedure – development of a priori themes
• Researcher seeks out concepts relating to the model/theory they are testing
e.g. colour coding data to fit ecological systems theory
Explain exploratory/inductive analysis
- Emphasis is on the researcher’s interpretation of the data
- The researcher will code anything they interpret as interesting / relevant /meaningful in the data
- Requires interpretative skill on the part of the researcher – “what might the participant mean by this?”
- If the data lack richness – the analysis will be
Explain themes in thematic analysis
- Theme is a way of organising and categorising the codes – described the patterns within data
- Commonly recurring topics
- ‘A Theme represents some level of patterned response or meaning within the data set
How can themes be found?
- Tables grouping codes into particular themes
* Thematic (concept) mapping
Explain thematic mapping
- Thematic maps can assist the analysis by organising and representing knowledge
- Mind map of themes and sub-themes
- Provides a summary of themes and important elements
What are analytical notes?
Notes during data collection and early analysis
- procedural memos (how you did coding)
- analytic memos (hunches, ideas, best guesses about theory, connections etc)
Explain analytical notes
- It is easy to forget initial ideas during data collection and early stages of analysis
- Analytical notes help remind the researcher of the ideas and thoughts present during early analysis
- Can help to develop greater scope and conceptual density-quality upgrading
Explain interpretation
It is the role of the researcher to interpret the data
Interpretations are made from the descriptive codes
