Thematic Analysis

QB5503 Research Practice

Recording interviews
Transcribing interviews

 Several transcribing
software on the market
could make the arduous
task easier

 Verbatim transcript of the

interview

 See example of transcript

handout
‘Mountains of data’
Different methods of qualitative
data analysis

 Thematic analysis

 Grounded theory analysis

 Narrative analysis

 Conversation analysis

 Discourse analysis

 Content analysis or
quantifying qualitative
data
Data analysis

 Methods of data analysis help researchers move from a

broad reading of the data towards identifying patterns in
the data

 They are a way of gaining insights, knowledge and

understanding of the data

 They are a way of distilling the data: rather than

simplifying complex issues, methods of (qualitative) data
analysis help make data more manageable and
comprehensible
Definition of thematic analysis
A method of qualitative data analysis used for
recording patterns or themes in the data:

‘identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes)

within data. It minimally organises and describes your
data set in (rich) detail. However, frequently it goes
further than this, and interprets various aspects of the
research topic.’ (Braun and Clarke, 2006, p.79)

Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology.

Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3: 77-101.
Definition of a theme

‘A theme captures something important about the

data in relation to the research question and
represents some level of patterned response or
meaning within the data set.’ (Braun and Clarke, 2006,
p.82)

Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology.

Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3: 77-101.
Thematic analysis: A step-by-step
guide

1. Step 1: Reading the data

2. Step 2: Coding data

3. Step 3: Developing a coding framework

4. Step 4: Illustrating your coding framework

Step 1: Reading the data

 We sometimes call this

‘immersion’ in the data

 It is a way of familiarizing
yourself with the data
before you go on to code
it
Step 2: Coding the data
 Definition: Coding data is a
process of organizing, sorting
and labeling data
 The codes relate to your
research question
 The codes identify
information that is useful to
answer your research
question
 A code is a theme, concept,
or idea that captures the
meaning of text
 Codes are generated by
reading through the data
looking for significant ideas,
concepts, patterns, themes
 You might also have some
codes that you have
derived from your literature
review
 You can code by hand, on
the computer or using
software
 A code should be clear and
concise
Step 2: Coding the data

A systematic way to code data is to ask yourself the following

questions as you read the text:

 What is this saying? What does it represent?

 What is this an example of?

 What do I see is going on here?

 What is happening?

 What kind of events are at issue here?

 What is trying to be conveyed?

Step 2: Coding the data

 The word that you assign to the item of data in answering

such questions is a code.

 Codes are labels that classify items of information.

 You can label your transcript with these codes as you

read it
Example of coding
Example of coding
Step 2: Coding the data

A good code should address five questions:

1. What am I calling the code?

2. How am I defining the code?
3. How do I recognize the code in the data?
4. What do I want to exclude from this code?
5. How can I illustrate this code?
Example: Coding for ‘authentic
leadership’
1. What am I calling the code?
 Authentic leadership
2. How am I defining the
code?
 Leaders who are true to
themselves
3. How do I recognize the
code in the data?
 When respondents talk
about or give examples
of their principles and
how they stand by them
in their leadership of
others
4. What do I want to exclude
from the code?
 Other kinds of
leadership
5. What is an illustration of the
code?
 Places in the transcript
where respondents talk
about or give examples
of their own authentic
leadership or that of
others
Step 3: Developing a coding
framework

 Use your codes to generate themes and sub-themes

 These are patterns that emerge from the coded data

Example of a coding framework
Example

Mauthner, N., McKee, L.

and Strell, M. (2001) Work
and Family Life in Rural
Communities. York: York
Publishing Services.
Themes and sub-themes

 Living in a rural  Work-family household

community
 Notions of ‘rurality’
 Coming to live/stay in
a rural community
 Quality of life
 Facilities and services
 Commitment to
staying in a rural
community
 Looking after the children
 Working in a rural
community
 Local labour markets
strategies
 ‘Traditional’ households
 ‘New traditional’
households
 ‘Downsized’ households
 ‘Work-rich’ households
 Work, family, leisure and
community life
 Formal childcare
 Informal childcare

 Experience of paid  Combinations of

work childcare
Step 4: Illustrate your coding
framework

 Identify all your themes and subthemes

 Write a description of each theme and subtheme

 Illustrate each theme and subtheme with a few

quotations from the transcript
Illustrated coding framework
Theme Sub-theme Quotation

Living in a rural Notions of ‘I guess for me rural means the

community ‘rurality’ countryside, living in the
This theme This sub-theme countryside where there are fields
describes describes how and cows and tractors and a
various aspects the participants close knit community. I suppose
of life and living defined ‘rurality’ it’s partly to do with scale –
in a rural and what a rural everything is on a smaller scale
community as life meant for and you know your neighbours
experienced by them and your children’s parents and it
research feels friendlier, yeah, that’s what it
participants means for me anyway to live in a
rural community’. Mother of two
children working as a childminder.
Illustrated coding framework

Theme Sub-theme Quotation

Working in a Experience of ‘I live in the village but work

rural paid work offshore. I am on a ‘two weeks
community This sub- two weeks off’ shift so it’s not too
This theme theme bad. It means that when I am
describes describes here I can take my children to
various aspects how the school and do things with them
of working in a research after school which means a lot to
rural participants me’. Father of three children
community experienced working in the offshore oil industry.
and rural working in a
labour markets rural
community
Illustrated coding framework

Theme Sub-theme Quotation

Work-family ‘Downsized’ ‘We used to live in London and

household households just got caught up in the whole
strategies This sub-theme rat race thing. I hardly saw my
This theme describes the children because I was working
describes the households such long hours. So we just
different that changed decided to move to Scotland,
strategies their working change our jobs, lower our
households used patterns to incomes but spend more time
to combined spend more with our children’. Father of
paid work with time with their two children working as a
raising their children nurse.
families
 Exercise 1: Thematic analysis

 Working individually, in pairs and in your small project

groups, you will undertake a thematic analysis of the
interview transcript included in Thematic Analysis Exercise
hand-out. Your analysis will follow these steps:
 Familiarising yourself with the data
 Undertaking initial coding
 Reviewing and refining your codes
 Formulating a coding framework

 See Thematic Analysis Exercise hand-out for full details of

the exercise.