8: Thematic Analysis

Question 1

List the four approaches to thematic analysis.

Answer 1

Content Analysis.

Grounded Theory.

Consensual Qualitative Research.

Generic Thematic Analysis.

Question 2

Describe content analysis and how it’s done. In modern data analysis, how is it usually done?

Answer 2

Straddles line of quantitative and qualitative. Count the instances of a particular content categories in a dataset, report them.

Computerized methods: Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC); word clouds as exploratory qualitative analysis.

Question 3

Describe grounded theory and how it’s done.

Answer 3

One of oldest qualitative techniques; way to analyze data and generate theory. Data collection and analysis are concurrent, until “theoretical saturation” is reached.

Question 4

List the four steps to grounded theory. Provide examples.

Answer 4

1. Identify Codes: e.g., irritated, hostile, frustrated, sad, fatigued, suicidal.
2. Identify Concepts: e.g., anger & sadness
3. Identify broad categories: e.g., depression.
4. Develop Theory: two components to the way people experience depression.

Question 5

Consensual qualitative research incorporates elements of what? How is it distinguishable? What epistemological stances does it take? Where is it popular?

Answer 5

Phenomenological and grounded theory.

Use of multiple analysts and auditors, seeking to find consensus among multiple researchers looking at same data.

Primarily social constructionist, with some post-positivist leanings in terms of reliability of measurement.

Popular in North America.

Question 6

Why do people tend to like the Braun & Clarke (2006) approach to thematic analysis?

Answer 6

Can be used without ascribing to some of the extreme views that some qualitative researchers hold (e.g., postmodernism).

Question 7

How should you choose a sample for thematic analysis?

Answer 7

Has to be theoretically interesting, convenience sample is inappropriate; only “exceptional” people should be in sample, should exemplify something of interest.

Question 8

What are the two types of thematic analysis?

Answer 8

Inductive: begin analysis without preconceptions, simply describe what you find.

Theoretical: pay special attention to particular themes in the data which you decide on beforehand.

Question 9

A thematic analysis will typically focus on what two types of themes? Define each.

Answer 9

Semantic: make no inferences; do not look beyond what participant has said or written.

Latent: examine underlying ideas, assumptions, conceptualizations shaping semantic content of the data, usually using theory (e.g., psychoanalysis).

Question 10

In thematic analysis, what are the two epistemological views? In clinical psychology, a thematic analysis would most often take what view?

Answer 10

Essentialist/realist: reports experiences, meanings and the subjective reality of participants.

Constructionist: ways in which events, realities, meanings, experiences, etc. are the effects of a range of discourse operating within society.

Essentialist/realist.

Question 11

There are six steps to conducting thematic analysis. What is the first? What are good ways to go about it?

Answer 11

Familiarizing yourself with the data: read and re-read all of your raw data, taking notes as you go.

Do own interviews and/or transcribe all your own data.

Question 12

There are six steps to conducting thematic analysis. What is the second?

Answer 12

Generating the initial codes: have to decide on the size of the data items (i.e., split transcript into equal parts). Each item covers an equal unit of meaning.

Then assign a short code which summarizes the content of each data item equally. Codes use language, not numbers.

Question 13

There are six steps to conducting thematic analysis. What is the third?

Answer 13

Searching for themes: begin to sort the codes into similar groups, called “themes.”

Question 14

There are six steps to conducting thematic analysis. What is the fourth? What is the ideal goal?

Answer 14

Reviewing themes: cross-check codes with new themes; can themes account for ALL codes?

Ideally, themes would cover ALL the data; in practice, probably be one “garbage bin” theme for things that don’t fit anywhere.

Question 15

There are six steps to conducting thematic analysis. What is the fifth? At this point, others should be able to do what?

Answer 15

Defining and naming themes: solidify final themes by providing short definition and name that summarizes data concisely, but completely. May be subthemes as well.

Others should be able to use these definitions to look for these sorts of themes in another dataset.

Question 16

There are six steps to conducting thematic analysis. What is the sixth? What are two things you need to do?

Answer 16

Producing the report: writing IS the analysis.

Craft detailed argument of themes using compelling extracts to support points.

Relate findings back to prior literature and research questions.

Question 17

Kyriacou et al. (2009) conducted an inductive thematic analysis to understand the most salient aspects of social cognition and emotions in anorexia nervosa. What was one key theme and from whom did it contain excerpts?

Answer 17

Emotional avoidance.

Patient, nurse, father.

Question 18

There are two language-based alternatives to thematic analysis. What are they?

Answer 18

Discourse Analysis: analyzing repertoires of discourse a speaker is drawing from, and the kinds of “subject positions” the speaker is adopting.

Deconstructionism: tool of postmodernists to critique, giving air to many voices without creating a coherent whole.

Question 19

List two misconceptions about qualitative research.

Answer 19

It is strictly descriptive.

It is incompatible with quantitative research.

Question 20

In psychology, the _____ is frequently using mixed methods.

Answer 20

Narrative approach.

Question 21

Data collection for life narrative research consists of a semi-structured interview centering on what 5 “Critical Events”?

Answer 21

High Point.

Low Point.

Turning Point.

Morality Story.

One “other” important story.

Question 22

How can you convert themes to quantitative data?

Answer 22

Most often dichotomous: 1 = Present, 0 = Absent.

Could code on ordinal scale if intensity of the theme was important (e.g., 1-5 scale).

Question 23

Inter-rate rreliability is crucial. What is used to calculate for categorical? Interval/ordinal? What is the rule of thumb?

Answer 23

Categorical: Kappa.

Interval/ordinal: intraclass correlation.

Rule of thumb >= .70 “acceptable.”

Question 24

When evaluating the quality of thematic analyses, what are the four things to watch for?

Answer 24

Transcription: data have been transcribed properly, double-checked for accuracy.

Coding: equal weighting; avoids using anecdotal approach; uses all data; themes internally consistent, match code.

Analysis: data interpreted, not just described; extracts support claims; convincing, well-written, organized; enough time allocated to analysis.

Written report: assumptions clearly explicated; consistent epistemological position; researcher active, themes don’t “emerge.”

Question 25

List four advantages to thematic analysis.

Answer 25

Very flexible, can answer wide variety of questions from variety of epistemological positions.

Relatively easy and quick method to learn and do. Accessible to a wide audience.

Can usefully summarize key features of large body of data, and/or offer ‘thick description’ of data set.

Can generate unanticipated insights.

Question 26

List four disadvantages to thematic analysis.

Answer 26

People often fail to follow strict set of guidelines, resulting in poor analysis.

Cannot move beyond descriptive statements if not used within theoretical framework.

Misses a lot of nuance when compared to other qualitative approaches (e.g., contradictions).

Cannot determine cause and effect.