How to Do Thematic Analysis
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What is thematic analysis?
Thematic analysis is a qualitative data analysis method that involves reading through a data set (such as transcripts from in depth interviews or focus groups), and identifying patterns in meaning across the data to derive themes. Thematic analysis involves an active process of reflexivity, where a researcher’s subjective experience plays a central role in meaning making from data.
Thematic analysis was widely used in the field of psychology as well as other fields that use qualitative research methods. Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke outline their approach to thematic analysis in their 2006 paper Using thematic analysis in psychology. Thematic analysis in psychology can also be used in a variety of other social science fields. This post is inspired by their paper, and includes a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of thematic analysis and a walkthrough of thematic analysis steps.
Watch video to see a thematic analysis coding example.
Watch the video above to see a thematic analysis coding example using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis approach. In this video, we walk through a step by step breakdown of thematic analysis, how to turn data into transcripts, how to derive themes from data, how to craft a narrative from themes, and show an example of thematic analysis in qualitative research.
When should I use thematic analysis?
You should consider using thematic analysis in the following scenarios.
You want to identify patterns in data
You are new to qualitative analysis
You want to involve research participants in the analysis process
What are the advantages and disadvantages of thematic analysis?
Read our description of thematic analysis advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of Thematic Analysis
Thematic analysis is a flexible approach to qualitative analysis that enables researchers to generate new insights and concepts derived from data. One of many benefits of thematic analysis is that novice researchers who are just learning how to analyze qualitative data will find thematic analysis an accessible approach.
Disadvantages of Thematic Analysis
Because thematic analysis is such a flexible approach, it means that there are many different ways to interpret meaning from the data set. It can feel intimidating to interpret what data is or isn’t important to emphasize. Furthermore, since thematic analysis focuses on looking for patterns across interviews, phenomena that occur in only one individual account can be overlooked. Additionally, a limitation of thematic analysis is that you don’t use existing theoretical frameworks, which could limit the interpretive power of your analysis.
Are thematic analysis and content analysis the same?
No, they are not the same. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they provide distinct approaches to qualitative data analysis.
Thematic analysis focuses on identifying and understanding major themes and their relationships within qualitative data. It tends to provide a high-level, wide-angle view.
Content analysis, on the other hand, involves quantifying data by counting the frequency of specific terms or concepts and organizing them. This method offers a more detailed perspective.
While both thematic analysis and content analysis are valuable tools for researchers working with qualitative data, they differ in their specific techniques and the level of detail they provide.
Check out Content Analysis vs Thematic Analysis: What's the Difference? to learn more on this topic.
Download Free Thematic Analysis Guide
Want to learn how to do Thematic Analysis? Submit your email to request our free thematic analysis guide with tips on how to get started with your own thematic analysis.
What is the step by step process of how to do thematic analysis?
See our walkthrough of the thematic analysis steps.
1. Familiarize yourself with the data
Get familiar with the data. If your data is in the form of audio files, transcribe them yourself or get them transcribed (see how to transcribe interviews). Read through the transcripts and actively observe meanings and patterns that appear across your data set. You won’t be formally creating codes yet, but you should jot down thoughts and memos about potential codes to create.
2. Create your initial codes
Now that you’re familiar with the data, practice thematic analysis coding, and create a set of initial codes that represent the meanings and patterns you saw in the data. Create a codebook to keep track of the codes. Read through your data again, and identify interesting excerpts and apply the appropriate codes to them. Excerpts that represent the same meaning should have the same code applied.
See our Guide on How to Create a Codebook.
3. Collate codes with supporting data
Now, group together all the excerpts associated with a particular code. If you’re using pen and paper, cut out the excerpts and group them together by code. If you’re using CAQDAS software like Delve, this thematic analysis software will automatically collate them together for you.
4. Group codes into themes
Now that you have a set of initial codes, sort the codes into potential themes. Themes in qualitative research are a powerful way to see trends and patterns in your data. See how various codes can be combined, and see if there are themes that can be made into sub-themes.
5. Review and revise themes
Now that you have your initial set of themes, review and revise your themes. Ensure that each theme has enough data to support them and is distinct. Consider merging together themes that are similar, and removing themes that don’t have enough data to back them up. Begin formulating how your themes can come together into a narrative.
6. Write your narrative
Writing the narrative is the final step to tell the story of your data. You should have fully thought out themes, and now it’s your chance to communicate to your readers about the validity or your analysis. Make sure that your narrative tells a coherent story about your data, and choose vivid quotes from your data that help back up your points. Your narrative should go beyond just describing your data and should include your own interpretive analysis and make an argument for the claims you present.
Qualitative analysis doesn't have to be overwhelming
Take Delve's free online course to learn how to find themes and patterns in your qualitative data. Get started here.
Tips for thematic analysis
Interpret and analyze, don’t just paraphrase
It can be easy to get stuck in a loop of summarizing and paraphrasing your data. Instead you should use your own interpretive lens to derive meaning from the data.
Themes should be identified from the data, not your research questions
Don’t fall into the trap of structuring your data according to research questions. This will lead to your themes just being representation of your research questions. Make sure you’re actively finding patterns and meaning from your data.
Ensure themes have enough data to be convincing
Evaluate whether or not a theme has enough data to back it up. There isn’t a specific rule or number of excerpts to prove the existence of a theme, but make sure that you can make a convincing case to show that this is a recurring pattern.
Ensure data supports your themes, and your themes support your narrative
Check to make sure that your themes are accurately represented in the data, and that your narrative is backed by your themes. Double check the connections between each step in your analysis and ensure that you weren’t making too many jumps between each step.
Use Thematic Analysis Software
Try our highly rated online qualitative data analysis software Delve. Many researchers choose Delve to help make thematic analysis more efficient and rigorous.
With thematic analysis, you identify patterns, create codes, and arrange codes into themes. You also iterate on themes by merging, re-arranging, and re-naming codes. This process is streamlined and more efficient when using thematic analysis software. Use code detail pages to see all data connected to each code. Nest code and merge code to organize your code tree. Rename your codes to keep your analysis flexible.
Delve is the best tool for thematic analysis.
Don't just take it from us. Check out what our customers had to say about Delve:
“Delve helped me to organize and code qualitative research for my doctoral dissertation. It was very easy to use and intuitive in its use. The tools I used took me from organizing my transcripts to first and second-round coding through thematic analysis.” Lisa G.
“I wanted to complete the thematic analysis of my research results and the Delve software made the process very smooth for me.” -Kopi S.
“We were able to easily collaborate and facilitate our thematic analysis process without a steep learning curve and at a very reasonable price.” Nate S.
Learn about other ways to analyze qualitative research.
Thematic analysis is just one approach of many ways to analyze qualitative research. To read more about other types of coding, read our Essential Guide to Coding Qualitative Data.
Try Delve, Thematic Analysis Software
Online thematic analysis software such as Delve can help streamline how you’re coding your qualitative coding. Try a free trial or watch a demo of the Delve.
References
Virginia Braun & Victoria Clarke (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3:2, 77-101, DOI: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cite this blog post:
Delve, Ho, L., & Limpaecher, A. (2020a, August 31). How to Do Thematic Analysis. Essential Guide to Coding Qualitative Data. https://delvetool.com/blog/thematicanalysis