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Thematic assay is one of the most popular qualitative analysis techniques we encounter here at Grad Coach – and for expert reason. Qualitative thematic analysis can exist a very powerful analysis technique when used correctly. In this post, we'll break thematic analysis down using plain language so that you can conquer your assay with confidence.

Thematic Analysis 101

In this post, we'll explain in plain, straightforward language:

1. Bones terminology relating to thematic analysis
2. What exactly thematic analysis is
3. When to use thematic analysis
4. The main approaches to thematic analysis
5. The 3 types of thematic analysis
6. How to "exercise" thematic analysis (the process)

First, the lingo…

Before we begin, let's first lay downwardly some terminology. In thematic analysis, y'all'll make apply of codes. A code is a characterization assigned to a piece of text, and the aim of using a code is to identify and summarise of import concepts inside a set up of data, such as an interview transcript.

For example, if you had the sentence, "My rabbit ate my shoes", y'all could use the codes rabbit or shoes to highlight these ii concepts. The process of assigning codes is chosen coding, where you lot categorise data in a way that allows you lot to derive themes and patterns. If this is a new concept to you, exist sure to check out our detailed mail about qualitative coding.

Codes are vital as they are a foundation for themes. Just what exactly is a theme? A theme is a pattern that can be identified inside a data set. In other words, it'due south a topic or concept that pops upwards repeatedly throughout your data. Grouping your codes into themes serves as a mode of summarising sections of your data in a useful fashion that helps yous respond your research question(s) and achieve your research aim(southward) and objective(south).

With that basic terminology out of the way, allow'south jump into the wonderful world of thematic analysis…

What is thematic analysis?

Thematic assay is the report of patterns of meaning. In other words, it's nigh analysing the themes within your data prepare to place significant. Nearly chiefly, this procedure is driven past your inquiry questions, and so information technology's not necessary to place every possible theme in the data, just rather to focus on the cardinal aspects that chronicle to your research questions.

Although you'll begin your written report with inquiry questions, it's of import to remember that these questions are not necessarily fixed. As thematic analysis tends to be a bit of an exploratory process, inquiry questions tin evolve as y'all progress with your coding and theme identification.

When should yous use thematic analysis?

There are several means that you tin can analyse a set of data. For case, by using content analysis, discourse assay, or narrative analysis. And so why utilize thematic analysis?

When working with big bodies of information, thematic assay is highly beneficial as it allows you to divide and categorise big amounts of data in a way that makes it far easier to assimilate. Thematic assay is peculiarly useful when looking for subjective information such as a participant'southward experiences, views, and opinions, which is why it is ordinarily conducted on data derived from, for example, surveys, social media posts, interviews, and conversations.

Your research questions can also give yous an idea of whether you should use thematic assay or not. For example, if your research questions were to be forth the lines of:

• How do dog walkers perceive rules and regulations on dog-friendly beaches?
• What are students' experiences with the shift to online learning?
• What opinions practise wellness professionals concord about the Hippocratic code?
• How is gender synthetic in a high school classroom setting?

These examples are all enquiry questions centering on the subjective experiences of participants and aim to appraise experiences, views, and opinions, and thus thematic analysis is a possible approach.

In short, thematic assay is a good choice when you are wanting to categorise big bodies of information (although the data doesn't necessarily have to exist large), and especially when you are interested in subjective experiences.

What are the main approaches?

There are several overarching approaches to thematic assay. The arroyo you take will depend on what is well-nigh suitable for your research design, and it is possible to take more than i approach. Allow'southward accept a wait at the chief approaches to thematic analysis.

The inductive approach

The inductive approach involves deriving meaning and creating themes from data without whatsoever preconceptions. In other words, you'd dive into your analysis without an idea of what themes volition emerge, and thus allow themes to exist determined past the information – to emerge from the data.

For example, if you're investigating typical lunchtime conversational topics in a university faculty, you'd enter the enquiry without any preconceived themes or expected outcomes. Y'all may take thoughts almost what might be discussed (e.g., bookish matters because it'due south an academic setting), but these cannot be noted as themes ahead of analysing your data.

The deductive approach

In dissimilarity to the inductive approach, a deductive approach involves jumping into your analysis with a gear up of themes that you already wait to notice in your data. Usually, this approach is informed past prior knowledge and/or research and/or existing theory (which yous'd embrace in your literature review).

For example, if you're analysing a set of educatee essays on the topic of the cold war, you'd be able to draw themes such as "tension" or "brotherhood", based on prior research into the topic.

The semantic arroyo

The semantic approach ignores the underlying meaning of data, and place themes based only on what is explicitly or overtly stated or written – in other words, things are taken at confront value. Typically, this approach is taken when investigating opinions and viewpoints, as these tend to be explicit.

The latent arroyo

In dissimilarity to a semantic arroyo, a latent approach focuses on underlying meanings and rather looks at the reasons for semantic content. Furthermore, in contrast to the semantic approach, a latent approach involves an chemical element of interpretation, where data is not just taken at confront value, merely meanings are also theorised.

"But how exercise I know when to use what approach?", I hear yous ask.

Well, this all depends on the blazon of information you're analysing and what you're trying to reach with your analysis. For case, if you're aiming to analyse explicit opinions expressed in interviews and yous know what you're looking for ahead of time (i.east., you lot're able to describe up a list of codes before beginning your analysis rather than creating these as you get along), you may choose to combine deductive and semantic approaches.

On the other hand, if you're looking to explore the underlying meaning expressed past participants in a focus group, and you don't take a predetermined set of codes, you'll likely choose a combination of the inductive and latent approach.

In other words, the nature and focus of your research, specially your research aims, objective and questions will direct inform the arroyo y'all take to thematic assay.

What are the types of thematic analysis?

Now that you've got an understanding of the overarching approaches to thematic analysis, it's time to take a look at the different types of thematic assay yous tin conduct. There are three types of thematic assay:

1. Coding reliability thematic analysis
2. Codebook thematic analysis
3. Reflexive thematic analysis

Let's accept a expect at each of these:

Reflexive thematic assay does not brand use of a codebook (a detailed gear up of lawmaking descriptions), and is the most flexible of the iii analysis types. With this type of thematic analysis, researchers tin can modify, remove, and add codes as they work through the data. Reflexive thematic analysis can be performed by multiple researchers only can too be an individual effort. When more than than one researcher takes role in the coding process, this is more of a collaborative process, where researchers do non necessarily have to make up one's mind on a consensus, rather compiling codes based on all the coders' private findings.

While reliability thematic analysis and codebook thematic analysis typically involves developing codes before/at the showtime of the analysis procedure, reflexive thematic analysis usually involves creating these at a later on stage of the analysis, which is typical of inductive coding.

Coding reliability thematic analysis necessitates the piece of work of multiple coders, and the design is specifically intended for research teams. With this blazon of analysis, codebooks are typically stock-still and are rarely altered, except in cases where the codes practise not match the data.

The benefit of this course of assay is that it brings an element of intercoder reliability where coders demand to agree upon the codes used, which means that the effect is more rigorous as the element of subjectivity is reduced. In other words, multiple coders discuss which codes should exist used and which shouldn't, and this consensus reduces the bias of having one individual coder decide upon themes.

Codebook thematic analysis makes utilize of structured codebooks and predetermined codes, and so it is typically conducted from a deductive perspective. These codes are typically drawn from a review of the information (or even an initial analysis), and only then are codebooks produced. Codebook thematic assay often adopts a deductive coding arroyo, where a codebook tin can be created by one or more than researcher.

Quick Recap: Thematic analysis approaches and types

To recap, the four master approaches to thematic analysis are inductive, deductive, semantic, and latent approaches. Then we take the three types of thematic assay: reflexive thematic analysis, coding reliability thematic analysis, and codebook thematic assay. Your selection of the type of thematic analysis to conduct will depend on factors such as:

1. The approach y'all are taking. For example, if y'all are using an inductive approach you may utilize reflexive thematic analysis due to its anterior properties.
2. Whether you're working lonely or in a group. It's likely that, if you're doing research every bit part of your postgraduate studies (e.g. a dissertation or thesis), you'll probable be working alone, which means that y'all wouldn't make use of coding reliability thematic analysis as it involves multiple researchers.

Now that you've got clarity on the thematic analysis approaches and types, information technology's time to look at the "how" of thematic analysis.

How to "practice" thematic assay

At this point, yous're ready to get going with your analysis, so allow'southward dive right into the thematic assay procedure. Keep in listen that what we'll cover here is a generic process, and the relevant steps will vary depending on your arroyo and type of thematic assay.

Footstep 1: Become familiar with the data

The first pace in your thematic assay involves getting a experience for your data and seeing what general themes popular up. If you're working with sound data, this is where you'll do the transcription, converting sound to text.

In this function of the analysis, y'all'll want to come up with preliminary thoughts about what y'all'll code, what codes you lot'll apply for them, and what codes will accurately describe your content. At present it'south time to look at the focus of your research topic, and your aims and objectives. For example, if you're looking at what people experience about unlike types of dogs, you tin can lawmaking according to when unlike breeds are mentioned (e.yard., border collie, Labrador, corgi) and when certain feelings/emotions are brought up.

As a full general tip, you might want to keep a reflexivity journal. This is where y'all'll write downwardly how you coded your information, why you coded your data in that particular style, and what the outcomes of this data coding are. Using a reflexive journal from the start will benefit you profoundly in the final stages of your analysis considering y'all can reflect on the coding process and assess whether you lot have coded in a manner that is reliable, and whether your codes and themes support your findings.

Every bit you tin imagine, a reflexivity journal helps to increase reliability as it allows you to analyse your data systematically and consistently. If yous choose to make utilise of a reflexivity periodical, this is the stage where yous'll want to take notes most your initial codes and listing them in your journal so that y'all'll have an idea of what exactly is existence reflected in your data. At a later phase in the assay, this data tin be more than thoroughly coded, or the identified codes tin be divided into more specific ones.

Step 2: Search for patterns or themes in the codes

Step 2! Y'all're going strong. In this step, y'all'll desire to look out for patterns or themes in your codes. Moving from codes to themes is not necessarily a smooth or linear process. As you become more and more familiar with the data, y'all may observe that you need to assign unlike codes or themes co-ordinate to what new elements y'all find. For example, if y'all were analysing a text talking most wildlife, you may come across the codes, "pigeon", "canary" and "budgerigar" which can fall nether the theme of birds.

Equally you piece of work through the data, y'all may start to identify subthemes, which are subdivisions of themes that focus specifically on an attribute inside the theme that is significant or relevant to your research question. For example, if your theme is a university, your subthemes could be faculties or departments at that university.

In this phase of the assay, your reflexivity journal entries need to reflect how codes were interpreted and combined to form themes.

Step 3: Review themes

By at present yous'll take a good idea of your codes, themes, and potentially subthemes. Now it's fourth dimension to review all the themes you've identified. In this stride, you'll want to check that everything you've categorised as a theme actually fits the data, whether the themes do indeed exist in the data, whether there are whatsoever themes missing, and whether y'all tin can motility on to the next step knowing that yous've coded all your themes accurately and comprehensively. If you find that your themes accept become too wide and there is far as well much data under ane theme, information technology may be useful to split this into more themes so that you're able to be more specific with your analysis.

In your reflexivity journal, you'll want to write nigh how yous understood the themes and how they are supported by evidence, as well as how the themes fit in with your codes. At this point, yous'll also want to revisit your research questions and brand sure that the information and themes yous've identified are directly relevant to these questions.

Step 4: Finalise Themes

Past this bespeak, your analysis volition actually start to take shape. In the previous footstep, yous reviewed and refined your themes, and now it's time to label and finalise them. Information technology'south important to notation here that, only because yous've moved onto the side by side footstep, information technology doesn't mean that you tin can't go back and revise or rework your themes. In contrast to the previous step, finalising your themes means spelling out what exactly the themes consist of, and draw them in particular. If yous struggle with this, you may want to return to your data to make sure that your data and coding do represent the themes, and if you demand to split your themes into more than themes (i.e., return to pace 3).

When you name your themes, make sure that you select labels that accurately encapsulate the properties of the theme. For example, a theme name such as "enthusiasm in professionals" leaves the question of "who are the professionals?", so you'd want to be more specific and label the theme as something along the lines of "enthusiasm in healthcare professionals".

It is very important at this stage that you make sure that your themes marshal with your research questions. When you're finalising your themes, you're besides nearing the end of your assay and need to keep in mind that your concluding report (discussed in the next footstep) will demand to fit in with the aims and objectives of your research.

In your reflexivity journal, yous'll desire to write downward a few sentences describing your themes and how you decided on these. Here, you'll also want to mention how the theme volition contribute to the outcomes of your inquiry, and also what it ways in relation to your inquiry questions and focus of your research.

By the end of this stage, you'll be washed with your themes – meaning it's time to write up your findings and produce a report.

Step 5: Produce your report

You're nearly done! Now that you've analysed your information, information technology's time to report on your findings. A typical thematic analysis report consists of:

• An introduction
• A methodology section
• Your results and findings
• A determination

When writing your report, make certain that you provide enough data for a reader to be able to evaluate the rigour of your analysis. In other words, the reader needs to know the exact procedure you followed when analysing your data and why. The questions of "what", "how", "why", "who", and "when" may exist useful in this section.

So, what did you lot investigate? How did yous investigate it? Why did you lot cull this particular method? Who does your research focus on, and who are your participants? When did you deport your research, when did you collect your data, and when was the data produced? Your reflexivity journal volition come in handy here equally within it you lot've already labelled, described, and supported your themes.

If you're undertaking a thematic assay as office of a dissertation or thesis, this word will be carve up across your methodology, results and word chapters. For more than information nearly those chapters, check out our detailed video and web log post about dissertation construction.

It'south absolutely vital that, when writing up your results, you dorsum upwards every single 1 of your findings with quotations. The reader needs to be able to see that what you're reporting actually exists within the results. Besides make sure that, when reporting your findings, you tie them back to your research questions. You lot don't want your reader to be looking through your findings and asking, "So what?", and so make sure that every finding you represent is relevant to your inquiry topic and questions.

Recap: How to "do" thematic analysis

I've thrown a lot at you hither. Allow'southward rapidly epitomize the key steps for thematic analysis:

Getting familiar with your information: Hither you'll read through your data and get a full general overview of what you're working with. At this stage, you lot may identify a few general codes and themes that you lot'll make use of in the side by side step.

Search for patterns or themes in your codes: Here y'all'll dive into your information and pick out the themes and codes relevant to your research question(s).

Review themes: In this step, y'all'll revisit your codes and themes to make sure that they are all truly representative of the data, and that you can use them in your final report.

Finalise themes: Hither's where you "solidify" your analysis and make information technology report-ready past describing and defining your themes.

Produce your study: This is the final pace of your thematic assay process, where you put everything you've constitute together and report on your findings.

In this commodity, we've covered the basics of thematic analysis – what it is, when to use information technology, the different approaches and types of thematic analysis, and how to perform a thematic analysis.

If you have whatsoever questions about thematic analysis, drop a comment beneath and we'll do our best to help. If you'd like i-on-one support with your thematic analysis, be sure to check out our inquiry coaching services here.

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Source: https://gradcoach.com/what-is-thematic-analysis/