Qualitative Research 101

The following information on this page is a compilation of resources that have been gathered by the research coordinators of CRHR and RHSRNbc.

Downloading NVivo for UBC Students and Staff: https://it.ubc.ca/services/desktop-print-services/software-licensing/nvivo-pro-software

Understanding Thematic Analysis

Thematic analysis is a way to interpret and organize a qualitative dataset. This can usually take the form of interview/focus group transcripts or written survey responses. It is an appropriate methodology when the goal of the research project is to understand participants’ experiences, thoughts, and behaviours.

The process for thematic analysis can be broadly broken down into six steps:

  1. Familiarize yourself with the data
    Read and re-read the data. Take notes about initial ideas for codes and all the little details that stand out to you.
  2. Generate initial codes
    Codes are the basic unit of analysis that are essential for observations. Coding is the process of taking chunks of text and tagging them to certain categories. When you first start, code a sub-set of your data (i.e., 3-4 representative transcripts) and begin developing a codebook. As you begin this process, you may start to recognize how certain codes can be hierarchically organized into broad “parent” codes that encompass more specific “child” codes.
    Once an initial codebook has been developed, validate it by checking with a second independent researcher who will have coded the same sub-set of data. Once you both agree on a codebook, you may code the rest of the data in NVivo.
  3. Search for themes
    Begin grouping codes by relationship to one another, combining codes to form higher-order “themes”. Themes are developed through analysis and represent patterns in the data that can help answer your research question. At every point along this process, don’t forget to keep returning to the raw data (“persistent observation”, Nowell et al., 2017) to ensure that you’re not straying too far from what’s being shared from the participants.
  4. Review themes
    Ensure that the themes are accurate to the data set, and know that you can collapse themes or separate them as they grow! It’s all a very flexible process, and the most important thing is to just make sure you’re keeping track of your decisions.
  5. Define and name themes
    Once you’re feeling like you have a good spread of themes, generate clear definitions and names for each theme and/or subtheme. Aim for succinct and salient names that will give readers a clear and concise understanding of what the themes entail.
  6. Produce the report
    And finally, tell the story of the data in relation to the research question you wanted to ask! Make sure that you leave space to discuss how and why you selected the themes that you did, and what were the steps that led to your interpretation of the research question.

(Based on: Braun and Clarke, 2006; Kiger and Vario, 2020; Nowell et al., 2017)

Thematic Analysis Powerpoint

Other Resources