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1. SUMMARY OF PAPER
Thematic networks: an analytic tool for Qualitative research
In qualitative research there is little idea of the issues when, why, and how, and these issues
received much attention. Qualitative research will produce fruitful results if the material under
scrutiny is analyzed in proper method, but unfortunately there is lack of tools available to
facilitate this. Researchers have to tried to omit the how question from account of this analysis
(lee&fioldny. 1996). But there is still need to for more sophisticated tools to facilitate such
analysis (Huberman & Miles, 1994). But these sophisticated tools must be more systematic and
improved. This arises the need that there must be a method for thematic analysis which is the
basic task of this paper.
What is thematic Network Analysis?
Thematic network analysis seeks to discover themes, by facilitating and organizing them.
Thematic analysis is not a new one but it is more like hermeneutic analysis. Thematic networks
offer a web like network, organized and representative in going from text to interpretation.
Thematic networks systemize the extraction of different themes like basic, organizing, and
global. Then they are represented as web-like maps. This procedure is found frequently in
GT.The basic aim of thematic networks is to break up text and find them rationalization and this
implicit signification.
The three classes of themes are (basic, organizing, Global) as Basic is one of them. This is the
basic and lowest order them derived from textual data. Organizing themes this middle order
theme organized the basic themes into cluster of similar issues that summarized the principal
assumption of basic themes. Global themes are super-ordinate encompasses the metaphors in
the data as whole. It presents organizing themes as a argument.
Thematic network are presented graphically as web like nets emphasizing interconnectivity.
Thematic network are tools of analysis and not analysis itself. It helps as an illustrative tool
facilitating the researcher.
How to do thematic analysis?
The process involves three stages (a) reduction of text(b) exploration of text(c) the interaction of
exploration. All the stages involve interpretation at each stage, however it is difficult
differentiate between these levels of abstraction. The whole process is presented in six steps:
1. The first step is to reduce data into codes meaning full text. This is involves the following
procedure (a) Devising coding framework keeping in mind theoretical interests and
Research questions salient issues in the text make a coding framework.(b)Dissect text
using the coding framework: The codes are applied to textual data to dissect it into text
segments of meaningful and manageable chunks and it is the most common method used
in literature(Brayman &Burgess, 1994).
2. Identifying themes: after coding, themes are abstracted from coded text.
(a) Abstract themes from coded text segment: re-read the text and go through each code
extract the salient, common or significant themes.

2. (b) Refine themes: now go to through selected themes and refine them further into
themes .This will reduce the data into more elaborated themes.
3. (a) Arrange the themes that are similar and coherent into one category like x and y.
These grouping will be yours thematic networks.
(b)The groups organized are your now basic themes.
(c) Rearrange your basic themes into one single organizing theme.
(d) Deduce Global theme(s): In the light of basic themes, summarize the main claim,
proposition, argument, assertion that organize the themes are about. If more than one
theme was made in step(3),then procedure need to be repeated.
(e) Illustrate thematic networks means when once all the three themes are produced than
illustrate them in a web-like representation.
(f) Re-read the text segments and verify that each basic theme of the text segment
reflects the data in Global organizing and basic themes, and it support these themes as
well.
4. Describe and explain the thematic networks: Go to the original text, describe its contents and
start to explore and not underlying patterns that appear.
5. After exploring and describing, present summary of the main themes.
6. Deductions of all summaries of networks and the relevant theory to explore the
significance themes, concepts and structures that arose in the text
2nd paper
Summary of “Identifying themes”
Analyzing the text involves several tasks like discovering winnowing, building hierarchies and
themes and linking themes into theoretical models. But the task of this paper is concerned with
discovering themes. Many techniques are used for discovering themes.
Explicit techniques are used due to three reasons(1) Discovering of themes of basic for social
sciences(2) It allows consumers of qualitative research to assess methodological choices(3)
Qualitative researcher needs an explicit and jargon free- vocabulary.
What is Theme? According to Morris (1945), every culture limited to number of dynamic
affirmations, which controls behaviors or stimulate activity are called themes. The activities,
prohibition of activities which results from the acceptance of theme are its expressions and this
helps us in discovering a theme.
Olper established three principals for thematic analysis. Firstly themes are visible only through
manifestation of date, second some expressions are obvious and some are unclear, thirdly
cultural system comprises sets of interrelated themes.

3. Importance of any theme is related to 1. How often it appears, 2.how pervasive it is, 3.how
people react when it is violated, 4.the degree to which the number of force and variety of a theme
expression is controlled by specific contexts.
There is link between expression and themes. Different researchers called it different terms for
themes like, categories, codes, labels, incidents, segments, units and chunks.
How do you know a theme when you see one? Themes are abstract, constructs that link
expressions they come in all shapes, various kinds, often broad and sweeping constructs.
Where themes do come from: themes come from the data, investigator prior theoretical
understanding, from the charecrestics of phenomenon understand, diffinitions, local
commonsense constructs and from personal experiences.
Scrutiny Techniques: Things look for themes involves searching texts and proof
reading.Boyden&Biklen (1982) suggest reading the text the twice.
Repetitions: It is the one of most easies way to identify theme. Some of the themes in texts are
those words who are repetitively they occur and re-occur.
Indigenous typologies on categories: Look for local terms they may sound unfamiliar or used
in unfamiliar ways,.Patlon (1990) called it as indigenous categories while
Grounded theorists refer to it as local terms (Strauss & Corbin; 1990) Ethnographers call this
typologies (Bodgan & Taylor ; 1975) or cultural domain.
Metaphors and analogies
Lakoff and Johnson (1980) observed that people often represent their thoughts, behaviors and
experiences with analogies and metaphors.
Transition
Naturally occurring shifts in content may be the identification of theme. In text new paragraphs
may indicate shifts in topics. In speech pause changes in voice tones or the presence of particular
phrases may indicate transitions.
Similarities and differences
It involves comparisons of similarities and differences in a systematic way across units of data.
Linguistic connectors
Looking carefully at the words and phrases such as “because “since” and “as a result’” which are
the indicators of causal relationship among concepts also helps in identifying themes.
Missing data

4. This is the reverses of identification of themes. Researchers agree that much can be learned from
qualitative data by what is not mentioned in the data.
Theory related material
Themes that characterized the experience of informants are theory related material. Researchers
are interested in understanding haw qualitative data illuminate questions of importance to social
sciences
Processing techniques
Cutting and sorting
After searching and marking of text, cutting and sorting involves identifying quotes or
expressions that seems important and arranging them into piles of thing that go together.
MDS (multi dimensional scaling)
John and Doucet(1997) interpreted these dimensions as (1) open versus resistance to change (2)
situational causes versus individual traits (3) high versus low resolution potential based on trust
and finally (4) high versus low resolution potential based on patience
In scaling the interacultural similarity data identified four different dimensions (1) high versus
low cooperation (2) high versus low confrontation (3) problem solving versus accepting (4)
resolved versus ongoing
Words and key words in context (KWIC)
This technique draws on a simple observation; if you want to understand what people are talking
about look closely at the words they use. To generate word lists researchers first identify all the
unique words in a text and counts the number of times each occur.
Word co occurrence
It is based on the idea that a word’s meaning is related to the concept which it is connected.
Metacodes
It examines the relationship among a priori themes to discover potentially new themes and
overarching metatheses’. The technique requires a fixed set of priori themes.
Selecting among techniques
Given the variety of methods available for coding texts, the obvious questions, when are the
various techniques most appropriate? Clearly, there is no one right way to find themes, but some
techniques are more effective under some conditions than others. Below, we evaluate the
techniques on five dimensions:(1) kind of data types, (2) required expertise, (3) required labor,
(4) number and types of themes to be generated, and (5) issues of reliability and validity.