“Thematic analysis is a method for identifying, analysing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data. It minimally organises and describes your data set […] and interprets various aspects of the research topic” (Braun and Clarke 2006, p. 79)
I have been researching thematic analysis as a method of analysing data from my focus group.
“The first step in developing an effective analysis plan is to establish clear analytic objectives” (Guest, MacQueen and Namey, 2012, p.22). In analysing the focus group data, my primary analytic purpose is to identify and explore how my colleagues approach the use of objects in their teaching practice, specifically considering the cultural biases these objects may have.
Braun and Clarke (2006) set out a six-step framework for thematic analysis, which I will broadly be following:
- Phase 1: familiarize yourself with your data.
- Phase 2: generating initial codes
- Phase 3: searching for themes
- Phase 4: reviewing themes
- Phase 5: defining and naming themes
- Phase 6: producing the report
Within this framework, there are various approaches to thematic analysis, “what is important is that the theoretical framework and methods match what the researcher wants to know, and that they acknowledge these decisions, and recognise them as decisions” (Braun and Clarke 2006, p. 80).
The first of the decisions is whether to use inductive or deductive (or theoretical) analysis. A “‘theoretical’ thematic analysis would tend to be driven by the researcher’s theoretical or analytic interest in the area, and is thus more explicitly analyst-driven” (Braun and Clarke 2006, p.84). Whereas an inductive approach means the “themes identified are strongly linked to the data themselves” (Patton, 1990). Both approaches must also acknowledge that the researcher “cannot free themselves of their theoretical and epistemological commitments, and data are not coded in an epistemological vacuum” (Braun and Clarke 2006, p.84). Based on my project aims, I have chosen to take a deductive approach. This decision is based on my having a pre-existing research focus that I want to explore and capture. So in my analysis I will concentrate on “each segment of data that [is] relevant to or captured something interesting about [my] research question” (Maguire & Delahunt, 2017, p. 3355).
A second approach I needed to decided on is whether to identify themes at a semantic or latent level. In a semantic approach “the themes are identified within the explicit or surface meanings of the data and the analyst is not looking for anything beyond what a participant has said or what has been written” (Braun and Clarke 2006, p.84). Contrasted to analysis at the latent level, which “goes beyond the semantic content of the data, and starts to identify or examine the underlying ideas” (Braun and Clarke 2006, p.84). In my research I am interested in the explicit meanings of what a participant has said, so I will be analysing the data at the semantic level.
However, in this process, successful semantic analysis still involves interpretation of the data, in ” an attempt to theorise the significance of the patterns and their broader meanings and implications” (Patton, 1990). As Braun and Clarke state, “analytic narrative needs to go beyond description of the data, and make an argument in relation to your research question” (2006, p.93). This means that my analysis won’t simply be a description of the semantic content, but must relate to my own understanding and interpretation of the data in relation to context etc., in order to find meaning in it.
There is a line to be aware of here however, for, as while thematic analysis is more than simply description, it also “is generally not used to engage in data interpretation and transformation to the point of developing theory” (Kiger and Varpio 2020, P.4)
I have developed an action plan for work on my thematic analysis, based on Braun and Clarke’s six step framework:
- Familiarise myself with the transcript by re-reading and and tidying up the automated transcription (spelling, punctuation etc.) using recording of the focus group.
- Identify initial codes (highlight on transcript, and copy and paste text to new document). I will do this by “identifying and recording one or more passages of text […] that, in some sense, exemplify the same theoretical or descriptive idea” (Gibbs 2018, p.54)
- Group initial codes into themes. The thematic cue I will primarily be focussing on to establish themes is ‘repetition’ (possibly also reflecting on ‘silence/missing data’ in my later interpretation (Guest, MacQueen and Namey, 2012, p.66)).
- Review and refine themes – consider codes in relation to themes, consider themes in relation to data set. Review, edit, remove etc. as required. Establish final names.
- Write report including findings – i.e. tell the story of my data. This will involve questioning/interpreting the themes – “What does this theme mean? What are the assumptions underpinning it? What are the implications of this theme? What conditions are likely to have given rise to it? Why do people talk about this thing in this particular way (as opposed to other ways)? and What is the overall story the different themes reveal about the topic?” (Braun and Clarke 2006, p. 24)
References
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