What codes you use depends on what is being said within your data and on the purpose of your research. It’s a description, not an interpretation (we save this part for later!).Ī code is a word or a short phrase that captures the meaning of specific quotes. What exactly is a code? A code is a brief description of what is being said in the interview or focus group extract. Step 2: Generate an initial set of codes from a first review, and code your data But don’t start coding just yet! At the end of this process, you should be very familiar with the entire body of data. Take notes, memos, and start to jot down some ideas of potential codes. ( See our tips on how to transcribe interviews like a pro.) But if you outsourced the transcribing or maybe weren’t the one completing the data collection, it is important to spend time reviewing (either reading or listening to) your data. Another great way to become familiar with the data is to complete the transcribing process. If you collected the data, you may have already started to make notes on areas of interest discussed by the participants. The first step is to become familiar with the data. Having a large qualitative data set can be overwhelming. How to use Thematic Analysis Step 1: Familiarize yourself with the data It is important that you decide which method (either inductive or deductive) to use before you start the thematic analysis! If you’ve ever used a grounded theory approach, you’ve probably done inductive analysis. It often takes longer but can be more thorough and exploratory than deductive coding. This is also known as ‘open coding.’ This is an iterative process that involves lots of refinement and multiple rounds of analysis. Inductive is a method of coding that allows the data to determine your themes. theme.” Deductive coding can save time and help guarantee your areas of interest are coded, but you also need to be careful of bias. These can be captured by creating a code such as “Unexpected info” or “Misc. It is important that other ‘unexpected’ themes are not missed. These codes might come from previous research, or you might already know what themes you are interested in looking for. It starts with a predefined set of codes which are then assigned to the qualitative data set. In our experience, deductive analysis is more common than inductive analysis in evaluation. Deductive Studies:ĭeductive is coming to the data with predetermined themes that you expect to find based on existing knowledge or established evaluation questions. However, some steps will not be as long in a deductive process. The method is suitable for both inductive and deductive studies which are described below. These steps were defined by Braun & Clarke (2008) in this article which is paywalled. The most common method of thematic analysis follows a 5 or 6 step process: 1) familiarization 2) coding 3) generating themes 4) reviewing themes 5) defining and naming themes and 6) reporting. It is also a good method to follow when you want to find out people’s views, opinions, knowledge, or experience on a topic. The method makes sense of large amounts of information so that responses to a research question can emerge. In short, thematic analysis is a way of producing themes from texts such as interview or focus group transcripts. Thematic analysis provides you with the opportunity to go through your data in a methodical and thorough way to identify themes and patterns. Make sure you manage your data by keeping a master list of codes (if coding by hand) and backing up any work you complete in analysis software.Ĭompleting a clear and organized analysis of qualitative data is extremely important. This ensures that your readers are aware of the process you followed. Transparency is key! Your methods for analysis should be clearly described and documented. Having someone review it will support validation of your codes and themes, and reduce bias. Everyone looks at qualitative data slightly differently. If possible, walk through your process and codes with a colleague or team member. This is definitely a learn-by-doing method. It takes practice and you won’t get it right on the first go. This will stop you from getting carried away and over-coding data that is not relevant.ĭon’t rush! Leave yourself plenty of time for qualitative data coding and analysis. Read, read, and read your data again! Coding is only efficient when you are completely familiar with your entire data set.Īlthough this is an exploratory method, keep the purpose of your research in mind.
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