3. How can you ensure that the code and the themes you have provided will explain the information present in you data?

Braun and Clarke (2006) state that thematic analysis is a foundational method of analysis that needed to be defined and described to solidify its place in qualitative research.

Thematic Analysis is simple to use which lends itself to use for novice researchers who are unfamiliar with more complex types of qualitative analysis. When analyzing your research it is important to keep your methods as transparent as possible in order to increase the strength of your findings and to allow your reader to understand how you came conclusions you did.

THE 6 STEPS OF THEMATIC ANALYSIS

1. Familiarizing yourself with your data

2. Generating initial codes

3. Searching for themes

4. Reviewing themes

5. Defining and naming themes

6. Producing the report

Familiarizing yourself with your data

- it is important to immerse yourself in you data and become very familiar because if you have verbal data you will transcribe it. It is important to actively read through your entire data atleast once before coding ang searching for meanings and patterns.

Generating initial codes

- this stage involves the production of initial codes for your data. It is important in this stage to code for as many potential codes and themes as possible.

Searching for themes

- this stage is focused on the broader level of themes and involves sorting different codes with potential themes.

Reviewing themes

- this stage involves refinement of your themes.

This stage has two levels:

Level 1: Reviewing at the level of the coded data

Level 2: Reviewing at the level of the themes

Defining and naming themes

- this step is to capture the essence of what each theme about and what aspect of the data each theme captures.

Producing the report

-this stage involves final analysis and write-up of the report.

Question :

2. Why do we need to develop or discover themes from the data?

3. How can you ensure that the code and the themes you have provided will explain the information present in you data?