Thematic Analysis

Question 1

Content analysis

Answer 1

An indirect observational method used to analyse human behaviour, investigating through studying human artefacts (the things people make)

Question 2

How is content analysis usually displayed

Answer 2

Written up (qualitative data) or spoken words (transcripts)

Question 3

How to perform content analysis

Answer 3

1. Decide a research question
2. Select a sample - from a larger quantity of all possible data
3. Coding - decide of categories/ coding units based on the research question
4. Work through the data - read the data and tally the no. Of times the predetermined category appears
5. Data analysis - can be performed on the quantitive data to look for patterns

Question 4

Test retest reliability

Answer 4

Run the content analysis again on the same sample and compare two sets of data

Question 5

Inter rater reliability

Answer 5

A second rater also performs the content analysis, with the same set of data and the same behavioural categories. Compare 2 sets of data

Question 6

how do you compare two sets of data

Answer 6

How closely two sets of data match is assessed with a test of correlation e.g. spearman’s rho. If the correlation is 0.8 or stronger the data is usually accepted as reliable

Question 7

Strengths to content analysis

Answer 7

• high external validity as the artefacts are taken from the real world making them generalisable to other real world situations
• easy to gather a sample
• other researchers should be able to replicate a content analysis using the same coding units and an easy to access sample

Question 8

Limitations to content analysis

Answer 8

• researcher bias - they have to interpret subjective data therefore may do so to support their pre-existing views
• lacks validity - research created for other purposes

Question 9

Thematic analysis

Answer 9

Researchers start by attempting to identify deeper meanings of the text by reading it first - allowing themes to emerge

Question 10

How to perform thematic analysis

Answer 10

• collect text/ turn recordings into text through transcription
• read text first to spot patterns that could be collected
• re-read the text looking for emergent themes

Question 11

Evaluation for thematic aalysis

Answer 11

• stops researcher bias
• high external validity
• easy to collect a sample
• easy to replicate

Question 12

Limitations of thematic analysis

Answer 12

-Subjective interpretation
-data not created in a controlled condition