Thematic analysis is one of the most important types of analysis used for qualitative data. When researchers need to analyse audio or video transcripts, they often prefer thematic analysis. A researcher needs to examine the content closely to identify the context and the message conveyed by the speaker.
Moreover, with the help of this analysis, data can be simplified.
Importance of Thematic Analysis
Thematic analysis has many unique and dynamic features. Researchers use it because:
- It is flexible.
- It works well with complex data sets.
- It is explicitly applied to qualitative data.
- It involves less complexity compared to other theories of analysis.
Due to these strengths, intellectuals and researchers prefer thematic analysis because of its overall effectiveness in research.
When to Use Thematic Analysis?
Thematic analysis is used when studying and understanding patterns or ideas in people’s words, ideas, or experiences.
It is best suited for understanding the interviews, surveys, or any other type of text where feelings and ideas are important.
How to Conduct a Thematic Analysis?
When conducting research, if your data and procedure are precise, it will be easier for your reader to understand how you concluded the results. This will add much clarity to your research.
Step 1: Understanding the Data
This is the first step of your thematic analysis. At this stage, you need to understand the dataset. You need to read the entire dataset instead of just a small portion. If you do not have the data in textual form, you have to transcribe it.
Example
Consider a study on dating websites. For this purpose to understand the data corpus, study multiple profiles. This will helps you as the researcher to understand how adults present themselves online.Here are two prime examples of profiles:
Profile 1
I am a tall, single (widowed), easy-going, honest, good listener with a good sense of humour…
Profile 2
I enjoy photography, lapidary & seeking collectibles in the form of classic movies & recordings…
Looking for dissertation help?
Research Prospect to the rescue then!
We have expert writers on our team who are skilled at helping students with dissertations across a variety of disciplines. Guaranteeing 100% satisfaction!
Step 2: Developing Initial Coding
At this stage, you have to do coding. It’s the essential step of your research. Here you have two options for coding.
- Either you can do the coding manually
OR
- Take the help of any tool.
A software named the NOVIC is considered the best tool for doing automatic coding.
Manual coding involves the following steps:
- Write down the data in a proper format.
- Highlight all essential points.
- Make detailed notes.
- Apply as many potential themes as possible.
- Group similar themes together into one.
Example of Initial Coding
For better understanding, the previously explained example of Step 1 is continued here. You can observe the coded profiles below.
| Data Item | Initial Codes |
|---|---|
| I enjoy photography, lapidary & seeking collectables in the form of classic movies & 33 1/3, 45 & 78 RPM recordings from the 1920s, ’30s & ’40s. I am retired & looking forward to travelling to Canada, the USA, the UK & Europe, China. I am unique since I do not judge a book by its cover. I accept people for who they are. I will not demand or request perfection from anyone until I am perfect, so I guess that means everyone is safe. My musical tastes range from Classical, big band era, early jazz, classic ’50s & 60’s rock & roll & country since its inception. |
|
Step 3: Making Themes
At this stage, you have to make the themes. These themes should be categorised based on the codes. All the codes which have previously been generated should be turned into themes.
Moreover, with the help of the codes, some themes and sub-themes can also be created.
This process is usually done with the help of visuals so that a reader can take an in-depth look at first glance itself.
Example
Codes
“Jogging”,” walks daily”, “rides a bike,”
The theme
“Active Lifestyle”
Step 4: Reviewing Extracted Data
At this point, read carefully all the generated themes. The main focus of research should be to check whether the themes are properly organised and symmetrical.
If the themes are not coherent you should revise and reshape them.
To provide an in-depth look at the relationships Visuals, such as mind maps, are often used for this stage .
Also,break down the larger themes into smaller ones, and similar themes may be merged.
This process involves two levels:
- Coded Data: You need to observe the coded data separately so that you can have a precise view. If you find that the themes which are given are following the dataset, it’s okay. Otherwise, you may have to rearrange the data again to coherence in the coded data.
- Corpus Data: Again the full dataset is examined to ensure that the themes align with the original material. Don’t forget to add and check the visuals that help illustrate these relationships.
After this stage, a precise mind map can be developed that shows the final arrangement of themes.
Step 5: Defining the Themes
Now, you need to define all the themes that you have assigned to your data set. You can recheck them carefully.
If you feel that some of them can fit into one concept, you can keep them and eliminate the other irrelevant themes.
Because it should be precise and clear, there should not be any ambiguity.
Now you have to think about the main idea and check whether all the given themes are parallel to your main idea or not. This can alter your perspective.
The given names should be such that they can give any reader a clear idea about your findings.
However, it should not oppose your thematic analysis; instead, everything should be organised accurately.
Step 6: Writing the Report
The final stage is to prepare a report that presents the entire analysis. The report should include:
- The dataset
- The coding process
- The extracted themes
- The conclusions
When preparing the final report, remember to consider your audience. For instance, when writing for a newsletter, Journal, or public awareness, your report should be tailored to your audience.
It should be concise and logical; it should not be repetitive.
You can use the references of other relevant sources as evidence to support your discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thematic analysis is mainly used by social science researchers, especially those who are studying people’s behavior, opinions, or value system.
Yes it can be done without a computer by hand with paper, pens, and highlighters. However, software can make the process faster.
The duration of thematic analysis depends on the size of the data. For example a small dataset may take hours, on the other hand a large one may take weeks to process.
