L2 - Thematic Analysis Flashcards
Discourse analysis, conversation analysis, ethnography, participant observation, hermeneutic phenomenology, interpretive phenomenological analysis, grounded theory, thematic analysis, framework analysis, content analysis - what type of research do these fall under?
Qualitative Research
In Thematic Analysis, do you have a hypothesis or a research question?
Research Question
You do not have a hypothesis in thematic analysis
What is a theme?
Something inside the data that relates to the research question
It represents some level of patterned response or meaning within the data set
“a theme 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”
Sampling
What 6 types of data sources can be used for thematic analysis?
Field notes (observational studies)
Transcribed interviews
Focus group interviews
Published papers
Diaries
Case Notes
In qualitative research, is the research aimed at being representative?
Never
“We are getting rich deep data that might or might not apply to other groups”
Not saying it applies to everyone
When sampling our data using qualitative research, we want it to be ______, not ______
Purposive, not Representative
“We want one group of people we want to look at”
In Qualitative Research, we are looking to get “rich deep data” that may not apply to everyone.
True or False
True.
What is a sampling frame in thematic analysis?
When selecting participants for qualitative research, you select one person from each trait you want to look at.
What is the minimum number of cases you need in order to do qualitative analysis?
1 case
Ethics
What is important for privacy ethics in regards to qualitative research?
Anonymity
De-identify the data
Can you use a “great quote” for qualitative research if it might reveal the identity of the participant?
No
How do you ensure you are ethical in qualitative analysis?
Maintain anonymity and confidentiality
Have you shared results with participants
Ask for their conformation
Ensured that you have been true to their accounts
Not make value judgments about participant accounts by imposing your own values
Interviews
What two types of questions can be used in qualitative (thematic analysis) interviews?
Open ended or more directive questions but must allow the subject to speak openly and freely
Qualitative questions should enable the participant to speak ____
Freely
Is a prescribed list of closed questions better or a general open questions?
Open questions
A researcher presents a subject with a list of closed questions, is this qualitative or quantitative analysis?
Quantitative
Qualitative interviews must be open questions
In qualitative research, how much should the researcher be guiding the interviewee?
As little as possible, subject should do almost all the talking
It should be related to the research question, but be as open as possible.
What is a “semi-structured interview” and is it quantiative or qualitative?
Semi-structured interview is when you are looking for specific types of answers and so you will ask specific questions.
It is quantitative, not for qualitative research
Data Collection and Analysis
Questions in thematic analysis generally should be as open ended as possible, when are set questions or more directive questions more appropriate?
When you are doing a framework analysis
What findings that may be unexpected should be included in your reporting of a thematic analysis?
What the participant mentions without your prompting
Issues that are of salience to them which you may not have considered = new finding
What 3 steps are required in quantitative methodology?
Hypothesis
Gather Data
Analysis
If you do anything other than this you can no longer do it - you are not allowed to change your hypothesis after hearing something in the data collective.
Are you allowed to change your research question after hearing something new in qualitative research?
Yes, you would do this through an “audit trail”
What is an audit trail?
You write down what jumps out at your about the subjects response to your questions
How is data collection and analysis done in thematic analysis?
Analysis begins at data collection - “sequential analysis” and “interim analysis”
Immediately after first interview, note down themes, unanswered questions etc - “audit trail”
Subsequent interviews will be informed by the ones that preceded it e.g. addition of other questions
What is it called in thematic analysis when you stumble across material you do not expect?
These are deviant cases
Should you remove deviant cases in thematic analysis?
No, you note down when new ideas/themes come up - it means there is more to learn
When is data analysis “finished” in a thematic qualitative analysis?
When you are listening and then you no longer hear any new themes emerging.
This is done through “constant comparison”
What is the process called when you are comparing what you have heard to what you are now listening to, to see if new themes are emerging?
Constant comparison
What is it called when no new themes are emerging from your data analysis and you are finished with your thematic analysis
Saturation
How many participants are typically required for “saturation”?
8-12 people
How is data analysis done in most qualitative approaches?
The aim is to take “raw” data and organise, sort, edit cose and interpret those data, and coherently communicate to the reader in a way that answers the research question/s
You are distilling a large amount of research data to its essence, in the service of the research question
Are you looking for “richness” or “representativeness” in qualitative data?
Richness
What is triangulation?
Collecting data from more than one source, or in more than one way, to enhance rigour and trustworthiness of results
E.g. ask students what they think about their teaching and learning and ask teachers
If you triangulate you will need less or more participants to hit saturation?
More
Conducting interviews and giving tests or surveys is referred to in qualitative methods as?
What type of psychological methodology is this?
Triangulation
Mixed Methods
What is mixed methods?
When you use both qualitative and quantitative data
What is the risk of using mixed methods?
They both are using different underlying philosophies and therefore it is easy to make a mistake
What is content analysis?
Where you apply codes to written data, and then you quantify the qualitative data
E.g. 15% of the themes were X, 35% were Y etc.
This is a quantitative analysis
What is an audit trail?
A diary (record) of what you have done and why you have done it
It is typically a private document, but you may be asked to provide an audit trail if someone queried your data
What do you write in an audit trail?
Themes that are obvious after an interview, why an interview went badly or well, questions you must remember to ask in the next interview
In qualitative research we talk about rigour and trustworthiness, what does this refer to?
How rigorous (consistent) are your findings.
How trustworthy (valid) is your findings
Audit trail is used for this
Do you use interrater reliability in qualitative research?
No
Only trustworthiness and rigour
You would do a reliability check in content analysis only - but that’s not qualitative
What happens if a second researcher sees different results to the ones you have arrived upon?
Go back to audit trail, why did you settle upon these results
Consider your relative perspectives - it may be reflexive that you see different results
Come to an agreement through discussion - results through consensus
Often done in content analysis
What are some benefits of using qualitative research as a practitioner?
Are you allowed to affirm the subject of a qualitative interview by nodding your head?
No, that is the researcher influencing the results
Research should be interviewee led
In quantitative research they operate under the belief that we are trying to be “objective and bias free”.
What is the philosophy surrounding this in qualitative research?
There is no such thing as “bias free research”
What is reflexivity?
When you reflect upon your research and why you are doing it?
Is reflexivity important in qualitative and quantitative research?
Only in qualitative research
Being able to be reflexive about your methods, your analysis and yourself is a valuable skill for qualitative research
What is Tracy S.J (2010) Qualitative Quality 8 “Big-Tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research
Worthy topic - is it releveant/interesting
Rigour - is there theoretical basis for study. Rich data. Content explained.
Sincerity - Have you been honest (e.g. biases, methods, strengths/weaknesses of study)
Credibility - Have you shown what you’ve found?
Resonance - Are findings evocative? Does it fit with other findings? Do they make sense?
Significant contribution - Have you shown something new?
Ethical - Maintained participant confidentiality. No ethics breaches.
Meaningful coherence - Did you do what you said you would? Does it fit with literature?
What is a framework analysis
A variant of thematic analysis used in public health related research
In thematic analysis, can you have a priori preconceived ideas when conducting an analysis?
No
You can in framework analysis
In framework analysis, in what two ways are the themes derived?
From the data = inductive
From preconceived ideas a priori = deductive
What are the 5 stages of framework analysis?
Familiarisation
Identification of thematic framework
Indexing
Charting
Mapping and interpretation
Same and Braun and Clarke steps
What is the framework analysis approach?
Heavily based in the accounts and observations of participants (inductive)
However, allows for deductive starting point (aims and objectives can be clearly articulated from the outset)
It is a systematic process.
