Topic 5: Thematic Analysis (QM) Flashcards
Introduction - what is thematic analysis? (Braun and Clarke)
It is an UMBRELLA TERM (Braun et al. 2019)
- it is a METHOD not a methodology
- Refers to a range of approaches that differ in procedure
- Used to identify, analyse, and synthesise patterns in the data set
- Flexible and accessible
- Aims to develop an in-depth understanding of experience, and context
What is thematic analysis used for
Used for…
- social and psychological interpretations
- to inform policy
- to guide applied research (trial/intervention development)
- to work with patients and public as research collaborators
What are the six stages of thematic analysis?
- Familiarising yourself with your data
- Generating initial codes
- Searching for themes
- Reviewing themes
- Defining and naming themes
- Producing the report
Stage: Outline Stage 1 of Thematic Analysis
Familiarising yourself with the data
–> Transcription, reading, and re-reading data, noting down initial ideas
Stage: Outline Stage 2 of Thematic Analysis
Generating Initial Codes
–> Coding interesting features of the data in a systematic fashion across the entire data set, collating data relevant to each code
–> Not coding for ‘themes’ at this stage, looking for anything of interest
–> Can begin to think about the relationships between different codes
Stage: Outline Stage 3 of Thematic Analysis
Searching for themes
–> Collating codes into potential themes, gathering all data relevant to each potential theme
–> Analysing codes - to a collection of potential themes and a host of data extracts coded in relation to them
Stage: Outline Stage 4 of Thematic Analysis
Reviewing themes
–> Checking if the themes ‘work’ in relation to the coded extracts (Phase 1) and the entire data set (Level 2) - generating a thematic ‘map’ of the analysis
–> Some potential themes will prove not to be themes (not enough data to support them)
–> Some themes may collapse together into one theme
Stage: Outline Stage 5 of Thematic Analysis
Defining and Naming Themes
–> Ongoing analysis to refine the specifics of each theme, and the overall ‘story’ the analysis tells, generating clear definitions and names for each theme
–> Need to capture the ‘essence’ of what each theme is about (and what aspects of your data capture that theme)
–> Begin to write a ‘story’ about your data
–> Don’t just paraphrase the contents of the extracts - identify what is interesting about them and WHY
Stage: Outline Stage 6 of Thematic Analysis
Producing the report
–> Selection of vivid, compelling extracts, final analysis of selected extracts, relating analysis to research question and literature, producing scholarly report
–> Should be clear, coherent, and interesting (non-repetitive)
Compare Inductive v Deductive Thematic Analysis
Inductive ‘Bottom-Up’
- not driven by researcher’s interest
- themes linked to data
- research question might evolve during analysis
- little resemblance to interview questions
- no pre-defined coding frame
Deductive ‘Theoretical’
- top-down
- driven by researcher’s interests
- themes linked to theory and interview questions
- specific research question
- might use pre-defined coding frame
What are ‘codes’ in comparison to ‘themes’
Codes tend to be more SPECIFIC than themes
- codes capture a single idea associated with a segment of data
- codes can be conceptualised as the building-blocks that combine to create themes
- positives and negatives can exist in the same code
Themes
- captures something important about the data in relation to the research question
- a theme captures a common recurring pattern across a dataset
- more instances (prevalence) doesn’t necessarily mean more crucial
- nor the amount of time spent on it in each data item
How should researchers go ‘beyond the surface’ of their themes
Researchers should ask…
- what does the theme mean
- what are the assumptions underpinning it
- what are the implications of the theme
- what conditions have given rise to it
- why do people talk about it like this
