The second part of a four part lecture providing an introduction to thematic analysis and specifically the reflexive approach outlined by Braun and Clarke.
Andreas Schleicher presents at the launch of What does child empowerment mean...
Braun, Clarke & Hayfield Thematic Analysis Part 2
1. Thematic analysis
Part 2: Thematic analysis is uniquely flexible
Presentation by
Victoria
Clarke
Associate Professor of
Qualitative and Critical
Psychology, UWE
May 2019
2. PowerPoint slides from the Braun, Clarke &
Hayfield Qualitative Methods Online Teaching &
Learning Resources Collaboration (QMOTLRC)
• Narration by Victoria Clarke
3. Topic overview
o Understanding the key features of thematic analysis and
specifically of the Braun & Clarke reflexive approach to thematic
analysis.
o Understanding how to undertake a reflexive thematic analysis of
qualitative data, including coding and theme generation.
o Understand how to conduct a high quality thematic analysis and
avoid common problems.
o There are some Alerts! to highlight key points
4. Topic overview
o Part 1: What is thematic analysis?
o Part 2: Thematic analysis is uniquely flexible
o Part 3: Six phases of reflexive thematic analysis
o Part 4: Avoiding common problems
5. Reflexive thematic analysis is uniquely
flexible!
• Unlike most other qualitative analytic approaches, TA is not tied to a particular
theoretical framework (within a qualitative paradigm), so TA can be conducted in
a number of different ways:
• Inductive or deductive/theory driven data coding and analysis.
• An experiential or critical orientation to data.
• A (critical) realist, contextualist or constructionist theoretical perspective.
• Any researcher doing TA needs actively to make a series of choices as to how they
are using TA, and to understand and explain why they are using TA in this
particular way.
6. Alert!
• TA is theoretically flexible; not
atheoretical or inherently realist.
7. • Versions of TA: contextualist (phenomenological, critical realist), constructionist
(thematic discourse analysis, Taylor & Ussher, 2001), ‘mash-ups’ of TA and other
approaches are increasingly common…
• TA can be used to analyse most types of qualitative data – from interviews and focus
groups, to qualitative surveys, diaries, story completion, secondary sources, data
generated by visual and creative methods…
• It can be used within approaches such as ethnography, and a wide range of
participatory approaches, and in pluralist and mixed method designs.
• Smaller and larger datasets; homogenous and heterogenous samples.
• TA can be used to address most types of qualitative research question – from
questions about participants’ experiences, practices, sense-making, to questions
about social processes, influencing factors, cultural rules and norms, representations,
constructions.
Thematic analysis is uniquely flexible!
8. A range of analytic possibilities
More ‘straightforward’
• Describes
• Summarises
• ‘Gives voice’
• (Interpretation)
More ‘complex’
• Tells a story
• Locates data/participants within the
wider social, cultural, historical,
political, ideological contexts
• Interprets
• Theoretical/conceptual analysis
(including theorising relationships)
• Makes an argument
9. The importance of reflexivity
• The theoretical flexibility of TA means
that reflexivity is crucial to the
successful implementation of TA.
• The researcher makes active choices.
• The research reflects on the
assumptions underpinning their
reading of data.
• Be wary of unacknowledged
assumptions!
• Use TA knowingly and reflexively.
11. MEGA ALERT!
• Themes don’t passively emerge from the data;
they are actively generated by the researcher!
• Themes don’t emerge
• Themes don’t emerge
• Themes don’t emerge…
• Not a trivial concern – central to the
underlying philosophy of reflexive TA.
