Thematic Analysis by Braun and Clarke (2019): A Step-by-Step Guide to Qualitative Data Analysis

What is Thematic Analysis?

Thematic Analysis is a widely used method in qualitative research for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data. Developed by Braun and Clarke, it offers a flexible yet rigorous approach to make sense of qualitative data like interviews, focus groups, or text.

The Braun and Clarke (2019) Six-Step Guide:

1. Familiarization with the data: Begin by thoroughly reading and re-reading your data (transcripts, notes, documents) to immerse yourself and become intimately familiar with the content.
2. Generating initial codes: Systematically identify important features of the data related to your research question. Highlight sections and label them with concise codes that capture their essence.
3. Searching for themes: Collate codes into potential themes—broader patterns of meaning or topics. Gather all data relevant to each proposed theme.
4. Reviewing themes: Refine the themes by checking if they meaningfully represent the coded data and the overall dataset. This may involve combining, splitting, or discarding themes to ensure internal coherence.
5. Defining and naming themes: Clearly describe each theme, outline what story it tells, and develop concise, informative names that convey their essence.
6. Producing the report: Integrate your analysis into a cohesive narrative that answers your research question, supported by vivid data extracts as evidence.

Summary

Following Braun and Clarke's method ensures a systematic and transparent approach to qualitative data analysis. It allows researchers to explore rich datasets, highlighting meaningful patterns and insights relevant to their research aims.

If you want to learn effective qualitative research methods or conduct thorough thematic analyses, following these six steps provides a clear and comprehensive framework.