FIT4005 Chap.6 Thematic Analysis of Qualitative Data
Thematic Analysis of Qualitative Data
Qualitative data arrives as large amounts of text, audio and video that are not research-ready until you make sense of them.
Week 6 surveys the main approaches, from content and narrative analysis to discourse analysis, interpretative phenomenological analysis and grounded theory, then concentrates on thematic analysis, a flexible technique rather than a full methodology and the one Braun and Clarke recommend learning first.
You work through its six phases, the difference between semantic and latent codes, top-down and bottom-up analysis, and the review questions that keep themes coherent and distinct. The chapter also names the common mistakes, such as using interview questions as themes, and the limits of qualitative findings.
Thematic analysis also has limits you should name.
Interpretation is subjective, so state your stance and, where possible, compare codes with someone else; the studio does this to counter personal bias and data blindness. Findings usually describe the people and setting studied rather than a whole population. The lecture adds that AI tools can help transcribe and code but raise privacy issues and miss humour, sarcasm and cultural nuance, so human judgement stays central.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Sense-making with qualitative data
- 02
Seven approaches to qualitative analysis
- 03
Thematic versus content analysis
- 04
Braun and Clarke six phases
- 05
Semantic and latent codes
- 06
Reviewing and defining themes
- 07
Common mistakes and limitations
Worked example · free
Build two levels of a coding scheme
- +1Code each statement semantically: late-night quiz use; sharing answers with peers; quizzes seen as rehearsal.
- +1Add latent readings: quizzes fit around other commitments; learning treated as collective; low stakes reduce anxiety.
- +1Group the latent codes into a candidate theme: practice quizzes become a social, flexible rehearsal space.
- +1Define the theme as a claim and check it against students who used quizzes alone or rarely.
Key terms
- Semantic code
- A code that stays with the explicit meaning of what a participant said.
- Latent code
- A code that interprets the underlying ideas and assumptions shaping what was said.
- Theme
- A pattern that captures something significant about the data in relation to the research question.
- Grounded theory
- An approach that builds theory inductively from data without a prior framework.
Thematic Analysis of Qualitative Data FAQ
How is thematic analysis different from content analysis?
The Week 6 materials describe content analysis as categorising what is said and how often, while thematic analysis centres on what participants meant and the motivations underneath, developing patterns of meaning across the data set.
Do I have to code every sentence?
No. The walkthrough video says you code segments relevant to your research question, and one segment can carry more than one code. Coding is iterative, so expect to revisit and revise codes as you reread.
Can two coders disagree and both be right?
Yes. The week's case shows two analysts reading the same quote as loneliness and as food quality, and both readings were accepted. Different codes are fine as long as each is evidenced in the text, and comparing them adds credibility.
What are the most common mistakes in thematic analysis?
The lecture names confusing description with analysis, forcing data into categories decided in advance, and presenting findings without linking them to the literature. The Week 6 reading adds using the interview questions as themes, which only organises the data rather than interpreting it.
Should codes be single words?
The studio advises against it, because a one or two word code usually gives a bland or abstract description. Use a short phrase that captures what the segment means, so that later grouping into themes has something meaningful to work with.
What happens in the familiarisation phase?
You read and reread the transcripts, listen to the recordings, and jot down early ideas separately from your codes. The walkthrough video stresses that these first impressions are not yet codes; they help you see the data before you start labelling it.
Assessment move
Practise on a short transcript of your own: familiarise, code a page with phrases rather than single words, then group codes and test each candidate theme with the review questions. Write the definition of each theme as one sentence that makes a claim.
Before Task C, decide how your interview questions will feed codes, and remember the rubric looks for codes that capture meaningful patterns synthesised into themes relevant to the study objectives, with each code and theme defined. When you finish a theme, write the one sentence a reader should remember about it; if you cannot, return to phase four.
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