Harvester, Hemel Hempstead (1995). V.(2006). The code C8 exemplifies this issue. Analysing Qualitative Data in Psychology, 2nd edn., pp. This miscellaneous theme may end up becoming a theme in its own right, or may simple be removed from the analysis during a later phase (Braun and Clarke 2012). In this example, both semantic and latent coding were utilised. As such, any item of information could be double-coded in accordance with the semantic meaning communicated by the respondent, and the latent meaning interpreted by the researcher (Patton 1990). Analyses that use latent coding can often overlap with aspects of thematic discourse analysis in that the language used by the respondent can be used to interpret deeper levels of meaning and meaningfulness (Braun and Clarke 2006). This added an analysis of the way in which the introduction of wellbeing promotion also produced time constraints in relation to core curricular activities. The researcher does not examine beyond what a respondent has said or written. Column one presents a reference number for the data item that was coded, while column two indicates the participant who provided each data item. Editorial Introduction to the Special Issue: Once upon a time: Story completion methods, Using thematic analysis in qualitative research, View metadata, citation and similar papers at core. Conversely, a critical orientation appreciates and analyses discourse as if it were constitutive, rather than reflective, of respondents personal states (Braun and Clarke 2014). Equally, one particular code may turn out to be representative of an over-arching narrative within the data and be promoted as a sub-theme or even a theme (Braun and Clarke 2012). There will likely be many data items underlying each theme. Conversely, researchers of a constructionist persuasion would tend to adopt a bidirectional understanding of the language/experience relationship, viewing language as implicit in the social production and reproduction of both meaning and experience (Burr 1995; Schwandt 1998). Google Scholar, Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H., Bondas, T.: Content analysis and thematic analysis: implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study. A key principle I adopted for this study was to reflect educators own accounts of their attitudes, opinions and experiences as faithfully as was possible, while also accounting for the reflexive influence of my own interpretations as the researcher. 209223. When conducting these interviews, I loosely adhered to an interview agenda to ensure each of these four key topics were addressed. Following guidelines for conducing Deductive Thematic Analysis (DTA) by Braun and Clarke (2006), and on the basis of similar frameworks by Hagerty et al. Routledge, London (2016), Braun, V., Clarke, V., Terry, G., Hayfield, N.: Thematic analysis. How to use thematic analysis in qualitative research - Academia.edu The code C5 offers an exemplar of the provision of sufficient detail to explain what I interpreted from the related data item. It is fully appreciatedeven expectedthat no two researchers will intersect this tripartite of criteria in the same way. SAGE Publications, 2021. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 (2). Qualitative Psychology, 9(1), 3-26. https:// https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000196 Abstract Thematic analysis (TA) is widely used in qualitative psychology. The coded data is reviewed and analysed as to how different codes may be combined according to shared meanings so that they may form themes or sub-themes. 2017). Conversely, Braun and Clarke recommend synthesising and contextualising data as and when they are reported in the results section (Braun and Clarke 2013; Terry et al. The aim is not just for the researcher to identify where their analysis is situated on each of these continua, but why the analysis is situated as it is and why this conceptualisation is appropriate to answering the research question(s). Upon further inspection, I felt that the constituent coded data items of these two sub-themes were informative of a single narrative of participants attending to their students wellbeing in an atheoretical manner. Victoria Clarke Department of Health and Social Sciences, . Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks (1998), Braun, V., Clarke, V.: Using thematic analysis in psychology. This is a relatively straightforward example with no double-codes or overlap in data informing different codes, as new codes begin where previous codes end. An issue proponents of RTA may realise when writing up their analysis is the potential for incongruence between traditional conventions for report writing and the appropriate style for reporting RTAparticularly when adopting an analytical approach to reporting on data. This phase can be quite time consuming and requires a degree of patience. However, discussions were typically guided by what I interpreted to be meaningful to the interviewee, and would often weave in and out of these different topics. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. Building on the success of Braun & Clarke's 2006 paper first outlining their approach - which has over 100,000 citations on Google Scholar - this book is the definitive guide to TA, covering: Whether you are just departing, circling back, or well into your thematic analysis journey, you will find this textbook a rich resource. What are the boundaries of this theme (what does it include and exclude)? While the six phases are organised in a logical sequential order, the researcher should be cognisant that the analysis is not a linear process of moving forward through the phases. Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods 3, 222-248. , 2015. 2. What can thematic analysis offer health and wellbeing researchers? This book is great and accessible to both UG and PG students. Watch Braun and Clarke deliver a one-hour presentation on introducing their brand of 'Reflexive Thematic Analysis'. However, it was also evident that participants felt the introduction of the new wellbeing curriculum and the newly mandated task of formally attending to student wellbeing had compounded these pre-existing issues. A predominantly inductive approach was adopted in this example, meaning data was open-coded and respondent/data-based meanings were emphasised. In an attempt to resolve this confusion, Braun and Clarke have demarcated the position of RTA among the other forms of thematic analysis by differentiating between three principal approaches to TA: (1) coding reliability TA; (2) codebook approaches to TA, and; (3) the reflexive approach to TA (Braun et al. While it was useful to bring all of this information together under one theme, even at this early stage it was evident that this particular theme was very dense and unwieldy, and would likely require further revision. Qual. Watch on. This is because it covers the foundations so well. Themes should connect in a logical and meaningful manner, building a cogent narrative of the data. Using Thematic Analysis in Pyschology_ Official Publication - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. Themes are typically understood to constitute domain summaries, or summaries of what participants said in relation to a particular topic or data collection question (Braun et al. V Clarke, V Braun. Rather, the researcher plays an active role in interpreting codes and themes, and identifying which are relevant to the research question(s). Data should be transcribed orthographically, noting inflections, breaks, pauses, tones, etc. Braun V., Clarke V. (2006). Semantic codes are identified through the explicit or surface meanings of the data. It is unclear if the positivity mentioned relates to the particular participant, their colleagues, or their students. A thematic map of the initial candidate themes can be seen in Fig. I strongly recommended that any prospective proponents of RTA who may read this paper thoroughly examine Braun and Clarkes full body of literature in this area, and aim to achieve an understanding of RTAs nuanced position among the numerous different approaches to thematic analysis. This paper will offer a worked example of Braun and Clarkes contemporary approach to reflexive thematic analysis with the aim of helping to dispel some of the confusion regarding the position of RTA among the numerous existing typologies of TA. The research questions for this study were addressed within a paradigmatic framework of interpretivism and constructivism. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr2011.01.18.2.52.c8284, Terry, G., Hayfield, N., Braun, V., Clarke, V.: Thematic analysis. Commendably, they have acknowledged that their 2006 paper left several aspect of their approach incompletely defined and open to interpretation. Participants consisted of core-curriculum teachers, wellbeing curriculum teachers, pastoral care team-members and senior management members. Again, as with previous phases, this will likely require a recursive approach to report writing. Some preliminary notes made during the early iterations of familiarisation with the data can be seen in Box 1. American Psychological Association, Washington (2012), Braun, V., Clarke, V.: Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners. What is important is that the pattern of codes and data items communicates something meaningful that helps answer the research question(s) (Braun and Clarke 2013). At this phase, I set about familiarising myself with the data by firstly listening to each interview recording once before transcribing that particular recording. This book provides the scaffolding to guide and support you on your journey, while also provoking further questions and reflection on reflexive thematic analysis. : Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods, 2nd edn. Open Access funding provided by the IReL Consortium. More importantly, the research questions aimed to examine educators attitudes regarding their experience of promoting student wellbeingor the meanings madeand not, for example, the socio-cultural factors that may underlie the development of these attitudesor the meaning making. Step 1: Familiarization Step 2: Coding Step 3: Generating themes Step 4: Reviewing themes Step 5: Defining and naming themes Step 6: Writing up Other interesting articles When to use thematic analysis Rather, semantic codes were produced when meaningful semantic information was interpreted, and latent codes were produced when meaningful latent information was interpreted. Springer, Singapore (2018), Braun, V., Clarke, V., Hayfield, N., Terry, G.: Answers to frequently asked questions about thematic analysis (2019). PubMedGoogle Scholar. 191205. Braun and Clarke have proposed that, when addressing these key questions, it may be useful to observe Pattons (1990) dual criteria for judging categories (i.e. Google Scholar, Clarke, V., Braun, V.: Thematic Analysis. The importance of interpretation in reflexive thematic analysis, Chapter Eight: One big happy family? - Writing TA reports Thematic analysis (TA) is a method for identifying and interpreting patterns of meaning across qualitative data. Furthermore, there may be varying degrees of conviction in respondents expression when addressing different issues that may facilitate in identifying the salience of a prospective theme. Sage Publications, London (2016), Frith, H., Gleeson, K.: Clothing and embodiment: men managing body image and appearance. At this phase, it is not uncommon to find that some candidate themes may not function well as meaningful interpretations of the data, or may not provide information that addresses the research question(s). Psychol. Qual Quant 56, 13911412 (2022). Although Braun and Clarke are widely published on the topic of reflexive thematic analysis, confusion persists in the wider literature regarding the appropriate implementation of this approach. These assumptions are conceptualised as a series of continua as follows: essentialist versus constructionist epistemologies; experiential versus critical orientation to data; inductive versus deductive analyses, and; semantic versus latent coding of data. This code was prevalent throughout the entire dataset and would subsequently be informative in the development of a theme. October 2021 | 376 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd, Section One: Venturing forth! When adopting a coding reliability approach, themes tend to be developed very early in the analytical process. When transcription of all interviews was complete, I read each transcripts numerous times. This study was funded by Technological University Dublin Research Scholarship. Names should be concise, informative, and memorable. Indeed, in this sense it would be beneficial for proponents of RTA to remain cognisant that qualitative analysis as a whole does not contend to provide a single or correct answer (Braun and Clarke 2013). (eds.) The criteria for a theme to be considered noteworthy via recurrence is simply that the theme should present repeatedly within the data. In recent publications, the authors have moved away from this view, instead defining RTA as a purely qualitative approach. Furthermore, each of the reported data extracts should be subject to a deep analysis, going beyond merely reporting what a participant may have said. 15(3), 398405 (2013). Thematic analysis, the often-used methods of qualitative research, provides concise description and interpretation in terms of themes and patterns from a data set. Try again later. 2019). They dont tell you where to go or precisely how to do it, but they fill you with confidence about your own ability to undertake what can seem like a daunting journey. (ed.) Using thematic analysis in psychology, APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol 2: Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological, How to use thematic analysis with interview data, A starting point for your journey, not a map: Nikki Hayfield in conversation with Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke about thematic analysis, Collecting qualitative data: A practical guide to textual, media and virtual techniques. Manual transcription of data can be a very useful activity for the researcher in this regard, and can greatly facilitate a deep immersion into the data. For example, when discussing how able they felt to attend to their students wellbeing needs, one participant stated if someones struggling a bit with their schoolwork and its getting them down a bit, its common sense that determines what we say to them or how we approach them. Thematic analysis: The Journal of Positive Psychology: Vol 12, No 3 Along with its current status, dilemmas have arisen in regard to its practice as a result of escalated demand for analytical software programs. Reflexive thematic analysis is considered a reflection of the researchers interpretive analysis of the data conducted at the intersection of: (1) the dataset; (2) the theoretical assumptions of the analysis, and; (3) the analytical skills/resources of the researcher (Braun and Clarke 2019). Thematic analysis (TA) is a commonly used qualitative data analysis approach in psychology (Braun & Clarke, 2006), health care (Braun & Clarke, 2014), sport and exercise (Braun et al., 2017), and many other fields (Boyatzis, 1998).However, a lack of description about the process and details of analysis often leads the TA report readers to wonder how exactly qualitative information is . However, this example illustrates the way in which any data item can be coded in multiple ways and for multiple meanings. Citation Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). This can lead to new interpretations of the data, which may in turn require further iterations of earlier phases. Essentially, these two levels of review function to demonstrate that items and codes are appropriate to inform a theme, and that a theme is appropriate to inform the interpretation of the dataset (Braun and Clarke 2006). 77-101". ac. It may be necessary to explore each of these prospective options to identify the most appropriate path to follow. Springer, New York (2014), Braun, V., Clarke, V.: Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Much of their subsequent body of literature in this area addresses these issues and attempts to correct some of the misconceptions in the wider literature regarding their approach. 2016). The purpose of addressing this continuum is to conceptualise theoretically how the researcher understands their data and the way in which the reader should interpret the findings (Braun and Clarke 2013, 2014). Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology, pp. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks (2013), Braun, V., Clarke, V.: Thematic analysis. Changes should be well documented by this phase and reflected in informal notes and memos, as well as a research journal that should be kept over the entire course of the research. Since the publication of their inaugural paper on the topic in 2006, Braun and Clarkes approach has arguably become one of the most thoroughly delineated methods of conducting thematic analysis (TA). For example, when re-examining the data items that informed the narrative of the value ascribed to wellbeing promotion, I observed that participants offered very different perceptions of the value ascribed by educators and by students. In keeping with the qualitative philosophy of RTA, epistemological consideration regarding the example data were constructionist. Building on the success of Braun & Clarke's 2006 paper first outlining their approach - which has over 100,000 citations on GoogleScholar - this book is the definitive guide to TA, covering: . Codebook approaches, such as framework analysis (Smith and Firth 2011) or template analysis (King and Brooks 2017), can be understood to be something of a mid-point between coding reliability approaches and the reflexive approach. 2023. In their 2006 paper, Braun and Clarke (2006) originally conceptualised RTA as a para-digmatically exible analytical method, suitable for use within a wide range of . Braun and Clarke are extremely engaging, interesting, accessible writers, and would you believe, fun to read. The meanings and systems inherent in constructing these meanings are largely uninterrogated, with the interpretive potential of TA largely unutilised (Braun et al. The text brings thematic analysis up to date and step by step explains the analytical process with extensive explanations and exemplars. Thematic Analysis (TA) is an accessible, flexible, and increasingly popular method of qualitative data analysis. In: Smith, B., Sparkes, A.C. During the level two review, my concerns regarding the theme factors inhibiting wellbeing promotion were addressed. It is quite typical at this phase that codes, as well as themes, may be revised or removed to facilitate the most meaningful interpretation of the data. To this end, they suggest that it may be useful to examine data items for a short extract that could be used to punctuate the theme name. Codes are understood to represent the researchers interpretations of patterns of meaning across the dataset. An excellent and essential text, very well written with students and researchers in mind. Qualitative 1 Introduction Although the lineage of thematic analysis (TA) can be traced back as far as the early twen- . One size fits all? uk. Virginia Braun is a Professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. TA does not prescribe theoretical assumptions, appropriate research questions, and ideal methods of data collection. Victoria Clarke is an Associate Professor in Qualitative and Critical Psychology in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol. Thematic analysis is a poorly demarcated, rarely acknowledged, yet widely used qualitative analytic method within psychology. When coding is latent, the analysis becomes much more interpretive, requiring a more creative and active role on the part of the researcher. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. With regard to some of the more significant changes (removing a theme, for example), I would recommend making notes on why it might be necessary to take this action. As such, this data item was coded both semantically as educators rely on common sense when attending to wellbeing issues, and latently as common sense inadequate for wellbeing promotion. In this paper, we argue that it offers an accessible and theoretically . With qualitative research methods an integral part of the psychology curriculum, questions arise of what approaches to teach, and how to teach them. Codes such as positivity regarding the wellbeing curriculum were split into the more specified codes student positivity regarding the wellbeing curriculum and educator positivity regarding the wellbeing curriculum. (eds.) 2016). The psychologist 26 (2), 120-123. Participants communicated numerous pre-existing work-related factors that they felt had a negative impact upon their wellbeing. As such, there should be no expectation that codes or themes interpreted by one researcher may be reproduced by another (although, this is of course possible). 2013), and even other forms of TA such as Boyatzis (1998) approach, RTA eschews any positivistic notions of data interpretation. The aim of this phase is to produce a revised thematic map or table that captures the most important elements of the data in relation to the research question(s). Thematic analysis is the process of identifying patterns or themes within qualitative data.Braun & Clarke (2006) suggest that it is the first qualitative method that should be learned as'..it provides core skills that will be useful for conducting many other kinds of analysis' (p.78).A further advantage, particularly from the perspec. As such, it is important to appreciate the six-phase process as a set of guidelines, rather than rules, that should be applied in a flexible manner to fit the data and the research question(s) (Braun and Clarke 2013, 2020). Braun & Clarke 2006-thematic analysis - Academia.edu The researcher would also seek a degree of consensus among multiple coders, which can be measured using Cohens Kappa (Braun and Clarke 2013). 1. Thematic analysis - an introduction. Rather, the analysis is recursive and iterative, requiring the researcher to move back and forth through the phases as necessary (Braun and Clarke 2020). To pursue this line of analysis, numerous codes were reconceptualised to reflect the two different perspectives. While the sub-themes of this candidate theme were, to a degree, informative in the development of the new themes, the way in which the constituent data was understood was fundamentally reconceptualised. Thematic analysis. Understanding similarities and differences between reflexive TA and its methodological siblings and cousins, Chapter Nine: Getting your own house in order: Understanding what makes good reflexive thematic analysis to ensure quality, Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Council, Academic Quality Unit, University of Southern Queensland, 3rd year PhD Student, The University of British Columbia, Part time PhD student & Speech and Language Therapist, Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work, University of Auckland, Race Equality Lead and Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Anglia Ruskin University, London, Andrew Tolmie on behalf of the British Psychological Society, Chair of the British Psychological Society Research Board, BPS Awards Presentation during the webinar 'Build good practice in reporting Thematic Analysis' with Virginia Braun & Victoria Clarke, Newcastle Business School, Newcastle University, School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems , University College Dublin. This resulted in the sources of negative affect sub-theme being split into two new sub-themes; work-related negative affect and the influence of wellbeing promotion. If analysis does involve more than one researcher, the approach should be collaborative and reflexive, aiming to achieve richer interpretations of meaning, rather than attempting to achieve consensus of meaning. As opposed to practices typical of quantitative research that would see the researcher conduct and then write up the analysis, the write-up of qualitative research is very much interwoven into the entire process of the analysis (Braun and Clarke 2012). Are the data too diverse and wide ranging (does the theme lack coherence)? As the purpose of the analysis was to ascertain the attitudes of educators regarding wellbeing promotion, it felt appropriate to offer the closing commentary of the analysis to educators accounts of their own wellbeing. Earlier phases of the analysis were reiterated and new interpretations of the data were developed. Each extract should be interpreted in relation to its constitutive theme, as well as the broader context of the research question(s), creating an analytic narrative that informs the reader what is interesting about this extract and why (Braun and Clarke 2012). Watch the video above or read Braun and Clarke 2006 & 2020 to gain a grasp of the philosophical underpinnings and guidlines for practical application T/A as your data analysis method. A constructionist epistemology has particular implications with regard to thematic analysis, namely that in addition to the recurrence of perceptibly important information, meaningfulness is highly influential in the development and interpretation of codes and themes. In their 2006 paper, Braun and Clarke (2006) originally conceptualised RTA as a paradigmatically flexible analytical method, suitable for use within a wide range of ontological and epistemological considerations. Adopting this approach meant that this analysis did not seek to make claims about the social construction of the research topic (which would more so necessitate a critical perspective), but rather acknowledged the socially constructed nature of the research topic when examining the subjective personal states of participants. The Six Phases of Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) BPS Awards Presentation during the webinar 'Build good practice in reporting Thematic Analysis' with Virginia Braun & Victoria Clarke. Rather, themes are produced by organising codes around a relative core commonality, or central organising concept, that the researcher interprets from the data (Braun and Clarke 2019). TA is a method for identifying and analyzing patterns of meaning (themes) in qualitative data. Phases of Thematic Analysis. Adapted from Braun & Clarke, 2006, p 87 This data extract very much informed the narrative and illustrated participants arguments regarding the importance of choosing an appropriate educator for the job. Data extracts can be presented either illustratively, providing a surface-level description of what participants said, or analytically, interrogating what has been interpreted to be important about what participants said and contextualising this interpretationin relation to the available literature. To this end, this paper provided instruction in how to address the theoretical underpinnings of RTA by operationalising the theoretical assumptions of the example data in relation to the study from which the data was taken. 2006; 3 (2): 77101, Clarke. Thematic Analysis (TA) is an accessible, flexible, and increasingly popular method of qualitative data analysis. Doing a Thematic Analysis: A Practical, Step-by-Step Guide for - AISHE Proponents of codebook approaches would typically forgo positivistic conceptions of coding reliability, instead recognising the interpretive nature of data coding (Braun et al. pp. I feel like youve passed me a head torch and a shovel when I was previously just in the bottom of a mine not sure how to get out! Men Mascul. Our step-by-step approach provides a detailed description and pragmatic approach to conduct a thematic analysis. Thematic analysis is an apt qualitative method that can be used when working in research teams and analyzing large qualitative data sets. It is very common for the researcher to follow a particular train of thought when coding, only to encounter an impasse where several different interpretations of the data come to light. . The unanimous choice of this years [BPS Book Awards] panel. This became particularly pertinent when the sub-themes were revised to reflect the influence of pre-existing work-related issues and thesubsequent influence of wellbeing promotion. Braun & Clarke (2006) - Using Thematic Analysis in Pyschology - Scribd Each individual theme and sub-theme is to be expressed in relation to both the dataset and the research question(s).
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