Analysing qualitative data Flashcards
Define thematic analysis
Method for identifying themes and patterns of meaning across a data set in relation to a research question. It is the most widely used qualitative method for data analysis
What is the difference between descriptive/exploratory and interpretive qualitative analysis?
DESCRIPTIVE - more to do with “giving voice” to a topic or group of people, particularly those we know little about
INTERPRETIVE - aims to go further, unpicking ppts’ accounts and trying to gain a deeper understanding of the data that have been gathered, looking “beneath the surface” to try to understand how and why particular accounts have been generated
Why is thematic analysis so useful to researchers?
It is a flexible foundation method which is unique in that it ONLY provides a method for data analysis i.e. it doesn’t prescribe the method of data collection, theoretical perspective etc. It can be used to answer a number of types of research questions, either descriptive or critical. Data produced reflect people’s experiences, views and opinions in their own words
How can themes be developed during TA?
In a data-driven, bottom-up way on the basis of what is in the data (shaped to some extent by the researcher’s standpoint, knowledge and epistemology)
In a top-down fashion where the data are being used to explore particular existing theoretical ideas (also guided by researcher)
What are 3 advantages of TA as a method, in addition to its flexibility?
Accessible to researchers with limited qualitative experience
Relatively easy and quick to learn, and easier to conduct than other qual. analytic methods
Results are accessible to a range of audiences
What are 6 proposed disadvantages of TA as a method?
1) Perceived as lacking the substance of theory-driven approaches
2) Limited interpretive power if not used within existing theoretical frameworks
3) Lacks concrete guidance for higher-level, more interpretive analysis
4) Focus on patterns means it cannot provide any sense of continuity or contradictions within an individual’s account
5) Voices of ppts can be lost if working with large data sets because this approach involves looking at the whole data set rather than individual aspects
6) Cannot make claims about the effect of language use i.e. can’t be used for research questions about language practice
What are the 6 steps to follow when conducting a thematic analysis?
1) Familiarisation with the data - transcribe, read, note ideas
2) Generate codes
3) Searching for themes
4) Review themes
5) Define and name themes - thematic mapping
6) Write-up
What does the familiarisation step involve?
Becoming intimately familiar with data content and beginning to notice things that might be relevant to the research question - this might just be loose, overall impressions of the data, or conceptual ideas about the data or more concrete/specific issues
It is good practice to keep a record of all the things you notice, and it is important to bear in mind that things that jump out during this early and casual stage are likely the most obvious/most salient aspects of the data and thus they shouldn’t be used as the main basis for developing the analysis. This needs to be reflected on
What is meant by “coding”?
A process of identifying aspects of the data relating to the research question
What are the 2 main approaches to coding?
SELECTIVE - Involves identifying a corpus of “instances” of the phenomenon you are interested in and selecting those out. Purpose is DATA-REDUCTION
COMPLETE - the aim of this is to identify ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING of interest/relevance to the research question within the whole data set. Code all relevant data and only later do you become selective
What actually is a “code”?
A word or brief phrase that captures the essence of why you think a particular bit of data might be useful. They identify and provide a label for a feature of the data that is potentially relevant, and they should be concise enough that they work when separated from the data i.e. they need to capture the thinking you have about that bit of the transcript
What is the difference between semantic and latent coding?
SEMANTIC - succinct summary of data content, mapping directly onto words and phrases the participant used themselves (this use of ppt words is key)
LATENT - go beyond explicit content of data and invoke theoretical frameworks to identify implicit meanings within the data. No two researchers will produce the same latent codes from a transcript
In practice codes will have both of these elements in them
What is a “theme”?
A broader pattern which captures something important about the data in relation to the research question, and represents some level of patterned response or meaning within the data set
Codes combine to form a theme
What are the 4 main types of thematic analysis?
Inductive - bottom-up, analysis not shaped by existing theory, but still influenced by researcher factors
Theoretical - Analysis guided by existing theory as well as researcher factors
Experiential - Focuses on the standpoint of the ppts i.e. how the world is experienced and made sense of
Constructionist - Focuses on how topics are constructed and also how accounts construct the world
What is the relationship between qualitative analysis and writing?
You need to do deep analytic work to make sense of and interpret patterns identified within the data - the analysis IS writing i.e. you can’t just do the analysis and then write it up as you can in quantitative research. You use words to tell the story of the data i.e. writing is the process by which analysis develops into its final form
