This document outlines the process of thematic analysis for qualitative research methods. It discusses constructing categories from the data and naming themes. The criteria for categories is that they should be responsive to the research purpose, exhaustive, mutually exclusive, and sensitizing. The number of themes can depend, but preferably there should be five to six according to Cresswell. Different types of qualitative data analysis are described, including phenomenological, grounded theory, ethnographic, narrative, case studies, and content analysis. Guidance is provided on the specific processes for each type. The importance of focusing on the research question rather than getting lost in software is also emphasized.

1. Thematic
Analysis
Qualitative Method

2. The step-by-step process
of analysis
• Category construction
• Sorting categories and data
• Naming the categories
• Becoming more theoretical

3. Criteria of categories
• Should be responsive to the research purpose
• Need to be exhaustive
• Should be mutually exclusive
• Should be sensitizing
• Need to conceptually congruent

4. How many?
• It depends
• According to Cresswell (2007), preferably FIVE to SIX
themes

5. Data Analysis
Types
• Phenomenological
• Grounded Theory
• Ethnographic
• Narrative
• Case Studies
• Content Analysis

6. Phenomenological
Analysis
• Epoche
• Bracketing
• Phenomenological Reduction
• Horizontalization Imaginative Variation

7. Grounded Theory
• Categories
• Properties (Dimensions of category)
• A core category (Central category)
• Hypothesis (The suggested link between categories and
properties)

8. Ethnographic Analysis
• Collecting Data
• Searching for categories
• Reaffirms the categories
• Charting the collections of affirmed categories

9. Narrative Analysis
• Variety of techniques

10. Case Studies
• Merging all the collected data
• Sometimes involved more than one case
• Selecting categories
• Identifying themes
• Normally it has cross-case analysis (multiple cases)

11. Content Analysis
• Coding of raw data
• Construction of categories
• Revisiting the literature review

12. Using Software
• Always back to basic
• What is your research question?
• Don’t lose yourself in the software
• Focus on the real meaning behind the data
• Be consistent

13. References
• Merriam, S.B. (2009). Qualitative research. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Berger, A.A. (2013). Media and communication research
methods: An introduction to qualitative and quantitative
approaches. California: SAGE Publication
• Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: qualitative,
quantitative and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.).
California: SAGE Publication.