describe when you might use thematic analysis and outline how thematic analysis is carried out

Aims and objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
. recognise different types of qualitative data
. describe when you might use thematic analysis and outline how
thematic analysis is carried out
. appreciate how the findings from a thematic analysis of interview
data can be reported
. outline how data mining can be used alongside qualitative data to
study online friendships.
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1 Introduction to qualitative data and thematic analysis
1 Introduction to qualitative data and
thematic analysis
This chapter focuses on qualitative research methods, the types of data
they produce and a commonly used type of qualitative data analysis
called thematic analysis.
1.1 Types of qualitative data
In Chapter 1, you read about some of the differences between
qualitative and quantitative research methods and the different types of
data they produce. To recap, quantitative data are numerical and can be
represented in charts, tables and graphs. Quantitative data can be
described in terms of descriptive statistics such as the mean and
standard deviation, and are subjected to inferential statistical tests so
that inferences can be drawn in relation to the hypotheses being tested.
Qualitative data deals with meanings and experience. This distinction is
illustrated in the following example of two different reports of the same
tennis match (inspired by Dey, 1993). Remember that you will
see ‘data’ referred to in
both plural and singular
forms. Generally, the
plural is used for
referring to several
pieces of data, typical
of quantitative research,
and the singular form
is used for a set of
data, typical of
qualitative research.
Example 1:
Smith won the match, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. He served 2 double faults and
15 aces. The average speed of his serve was 95 mph.
Example 2:
There was a real buzz in the stands at Wimbledon today as the
French player walked on to the court and began the warm-up
session. There was some concern that his hamstring injury might
impede his performance but this was unfounded as he ran and
stretched for every ball sent hurtling across the net by his opponent.
The crowd were enthralled as he …
As you can see, the report in Example 1 consists of a set of
quantitative results such as the overall score, and the report in
Example 2 is a qualitative description of the game. Of course, it is
possible for a qualitative researcher to capture many different types of
data that represent the same game of tennis; they could, for example,
attend the match in person and make extensive notes, or make a videorecording or take photographs. Moreover, a researcher could ask other
people to provide data for them by, for example, asking the ball boys/
girls to write a report about their experiences, or ask the young children
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Chapter 6 Addressing qualitative data through thematic analysis
present among the spectators to draw a picture. Alternatively, a
researcher could collect samples of writing and reports that have not
been produced specifically for research purposes, such as newspaper
articles, blogs and tweets which offer opinions on the match.
So, the range of potential qualitative data sources is vast. In summary,
qualitative data can be:
. audio; for example, a recording of a prime minister’s speech or a
popular song (this type of data is often, but not always, transcribed
and transformed into text)
. textual; for example, words in a diary, print in a newspaper, or a
transcribed interview
. visual; for example, photographs, videos, drawings and paintings, or
maps and diagrams
. observations; for example, a researcher’s own understandings and
descriptions of observed behaviour and interactions.
You may have noticed that the categories of qualitative data above are
not mutually exclusive. For example, a prime minister’s speech can be
written down and its verbal delivery recorded in both audio and video
formats. The delivery could also be photographed, depicted in a
drawing or written about in a poem. A researcher’s descriptions of the
delivery of the speech, the tone, the context of the occasion, etc., are
themselves a form of verbal data. These different ways of representing
the same event all point to the fact that researcher have a choice; they
have to decide which kinds of data to collect and how to use them to
respond to their own particular research question.