two granddaughters when I get the chance!! I enjoy most
music except for Rap! I keep fit by jogging, walking, and bicycling(at least three times a week). I have travelled to many places and RVD the South-West U.S., but I would now like to find that special travel partner to do more travel to warm and interesting countries. I now feel it’s time to meet a nice, kind, honest woman who has some of the same interests as I do; to share the happy times, quiet times and adventures together.
Profile No. | Data Item | Initial Codes |
---|---|---|
2 | I enjoy photography, lapidary & seeking collectables in the form of classic movies & 33 1/3, 45 & 78 RPM recordings from the 1920s, ’30s & ’40s. I am retired & looking forward to travelling to Canada, the USA, the UK & Europe, China. I am unique since I do not judge a book by its cover. I accept people for who they are. I will not demand or request perfection from anyone until I am perfect, so I guess that means everyone is safe. My musical tastes range from Classical, big band era, early jazz, classic ’50s & 60’s rock & roll & country since its inception. | HobbiesFuture plans Travel Unique Values Humour Music |
At this stage, you have to make the themes. These themes should be categorised based on the codes. All the codes which have previously been generated should be turned into themes. Moreover, with the help of the codes, some themes and sub-themes can also be created. This process is usually done with the help of visuals so that a reader can take an in-depth look at first glance itself.
Now you have to take an in-depth look at all the awarded themes again. You have to check whether all the given themes are organised properly or not. It would help if you were careful and focused because you have to note down the symmetry here. If you find that all the themes are not coherent, you can revise them. You can also reshape the data so that there will be symmetry between the themes and dataset here.
For better understanding, a mind-mapping example is given here:
You need to review the themes after coding them. At this stage, you are allowed to play with your themes in a more detailed manner. You have to convert the bigger themes into smaller themes here. If you want to combine some similar themes into a single theme, then you can do it. This step involves two steps for better fragmentation.
You need to observe the coded data separately so that you can have a precise view. If you find that the themes which are given are following the dataset, it’s okay. Otherwise, you may have to rearrange the data again to coherence in the coded data.
Here you have to take into consideration all the corpus data again. It would help if you found how themes are arranged here. It would help if you used the visuals to check out the relationship between them. Suppose all the things are not done accordingly, so you should check out the previous steps for a refined process. Otherwise, you can move to the next step. However, make sure that all the themes are satisfactory and you are not confused.
When all the two steps are completed, you need to make a more précised mind map. An example following the previous cases has been given below:
Now you have to define all the themes which you have given to your data set. You can recheck them carefully if you feel that some of them can fit into one concept, you can keep them, and eliminate the other irrelevant themes. Because it should be precise and clear, there should not be any ambiguity. Now you have to think about the main idea and check out that all the given themes are parallel to your main idea or not. This can change the concept for you.
The given names should be so that it can give any reader a clear idea about your findings. However, it should not oppose your thematic analysis; rather, everything should be organised accurately.
If not, we can help. Our panel of experts makes sure to keep the 3 pillars of Research Methodology strong.
Also, read about discourse analysis , content analysis and survey conducting . we have provided comprehensive guides.
You need to make the final report of all the findings you have done at this stage. You should include the dataset, findings, and every aspect of your analysis in it.
While making the final report , do not forget to consider your audience. For instance, you are writing for the Newsletter, Journal, Public awareness, etc., your report should be according to your audience. It should be concise and have some logic; it should not be repetitive. You can use the references of other relevant sources as evidence to support your discussion.
What is meant by thematic analysis.
Thematic Analysis is a qualitative research method that involves identifying, analyzing, and interpreting recurring themes or patterns in data. It aims to uncover underlying meanings, ideas, and concepts within the dataset, providing insights into participants’ perspectives and experiences.
Action research for my dissertation?, A brief overview of action research as a responsive, action-oriented, participative and reflective research technique.
This article provides the key advantages of primary research over secondary research so you can make an informed decision.
In correlational research, a researcher measures the relationship between two or more variables or sets of scores without having control over the variables.
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What is theme? Here’s a quick and simple definition:
A theme is a universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature. One key characteristic of literary themes is their universality, which is to say that themes are ideas that not only apply to the specific characters and events of a book or play, but also express broader truths about human experience that readers can apply to their own lives. For instance, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (about a family of tenant farmers who are displaced from their land in Oklahoma) is a book whose themes might be said to include the inhumanity of capitalism, as well as the vitality and necessity of family and friendship.
Some additional key details about theme:
Here's how to pronounce theme: theem
Every work of literature—whether it's an essay, a novel, a poem, or something else—has at least one theme. Therefore, when analyzing a given work, it's always possible to discuss what the work is "about" on two separate levels: the more concrete level of the plot (i.e., what literally happens in the work), as well as the more abstract level of the theme (i.e., the concepts that the work deals with). Understanding the themes of a work is vital to understanding the work's significance—which is why, for example, every LitCharts Literature Guide uses a specific set of themes to help analyze the text.
Although some writers set out to explore certain themes in their work before they've even begun writing, many writers begin to write without a preconceived idea of the themes they want to explore—they simply allow the themes to emerge naturally through the writing process. But even when writers do set out to investigate a particular theme, they usually don't identify that theme explicitly in the work itself. Instead, each reader must come to their own conclusions about what themes are at play in a given work, and each reader will likely come away with a unique thematic interpretation or understanding of the work.
Writers often use three literary devices in particular—known as symbol , motif , and leitwortstil —to emphasize or hint at a work's underlying themes. Spotting these elements at work in a text can help you know where to look for its main themes.
Symbol, motif and leitwortstil are simply techniques that authors use to emphasize themes, and should not be confused with the actual thematic content at which they hint. That said, spotting these tools and patterns can give you valuable clues as to what might be the underlying themes of a work.
A work's thematic concept is the broader topic it touches upon—for instance:
while its thematic statement is the particular argument the writer makes about that topic through his or her work, such as:
Some people argue that when describing a theme in a work that simply writing a thematic concept is insufficient, and that instead the theme must be described in a full sentence as a thematic statement. Other people argue that a thematic statement, being a single sentence, usually creates an artificially simplistic description of a theme in a work and is therefore can actually be more misleading than helpful. There isn't really a right answer in this debate.
In our LitCharts literature study guides , we usually identify themes in headings as thematic concepts, and then explain the theme more fully in a few paragraphs. We find thematic statements limiting in fully exploring or explaining a the theme, and so we don't use them. Please note that this doesn't mean we only rely on thematic concepts—we spend paragraphs explaining a theme after we first identify a thematic concept. If you are asked to describe a theme in a text, you probably should usually try to at least develop a thematic statement about the text if you're not given the time or space to describe it more fully. For example, a statement that a book is about "the senselessness of violence" is a lot stronger and more compelling than just saying that the book is about "violence."
One way to try to to identify or describe the thematic statement within a particular work is to think through the following aspects of the text:
After you've thought through these different parts of the text, consider what their answers might tell you about the thematic statement the text might be trying to make about any given thematic concept. The checklist above shouldn't be thought of as a precise formula for theme-finding, but rather as a set of guidelines, which will help you ask the right questions and arrive at an interesting thematic interpretation.
The following examples not only illustrate how themes develop over the course of a work of literature, but they also demonstrate how paying careful attention to detail as you read will enable you to come to more compelling conclusions about those themes.
Fitzgerald explores many themes in The Great Gatsby , among them the corruption of the American Dream .
Gatsby pursues the American Dream, driven by the idea that hard work can lead anyone from poverty to wealth, and he does so for a single reason: he's in love with Daisy. However, he pursues the dream dishonestly, making a fortune by illegal means, and ultimately fails to achieve his goal of winning Daisy's heart. Furthermore, when he actually gets close to winning Daisy's heart, she brings about his downfall. Through the story of Gatsby and Daisy, Fitzgerald expresses the point of view that the American Dream carries at its core an inherent corruption. You can read more about the theme of The American Dream in The Great Gatsby here .
In Things Fall Apart , Chinua Achebe explores the theme of the dangers of rigidly following tradition .
Through the tragic story of Okonkwo, Achebe is clearly dealing with the theme of tradition, but a close examination of the text reveals that he's also making a clear thematic statement that following traditions too rigidly leads people to the greatest sacrifice of all: that of personal agency . You can read more about this theme in Things Fall Apart here .
Poem's have themes just as plot-driven narratives do. One theme that Robert Frost explores in this famous poem, The Road Not Taken , is the illusory nature of free will .
Frost's speaker has reached a fork in the road, which—according to the symbolic language of the poem—means that he or she must make an important life decision. However, the speaker doesn't really know anything about the choice at hand: the paths appear to be the same from the speaker's vantage point, and there's no way he or she can know where the path will lead in the long term. By showing that the only truly informed choice the speaker makes is how he or she explains their decision after they have already made it , Frost suggests that although we pretend to make our own choices, our lives are actually governed by chance.
Themes are a huge part of what readers ultimately take away from a work of literature when they're done reading it. They're the universal lessons and ideas that we draw from our experiences of works of art: in other words, they're part of the whole reason anyone would want to pick up a book in the first place!
It would be difficult to write any sort of narrative that did not include any kind of theme. The narrative itself would have to be almost completely incoherent in order to seem theme-less, and even then readers would discern a theme about incoherence and meaninglessness. So themes are in that sense an intrinsic part of nearly all writing. At the same time, the themes that a writer is interested in exploring will significantly impact nearly all aspects of how a writer chooses to write a text. Some writers might know the themes they want to explore from the beginning of their writing process, and proceed from there. Others might have only a glimmer of an idea, or have new ideas as they write, and so the themes they address might shift and change as they write. In either case, though, the writer's ideas about his or her themes will influence how they write.
One additional key detail about themes and how they work is that the process of identifying and interpreting them is often very personal and subjective. The subjective experience that readers bring to interpreting a work's themes is part of what makes literature so powerful: reading a book isn't simply a one-directional experience, in which the writer imparts their thoughts on life to the reader, already distilled into clear thematic statements. Rather, the process of reading and interpreting a work to discover its themes is an exchange in which readers parse the text to tease out the themes they find most relevant to their personal experience and interests.
Intended for healthcare professionals
Qualitative research methods explore and provide deep contextual understanding of real world issues, including people’s beliefs, perspectives, and experiences. Whether through analysis of interviews, focus groups, structured observation, or multimedia data, qualitative methods offer unique insights in applied health services research that other approaches cannot deliver. However, many clinicians and researchers hesitate to use these methods, or might not use them effectively, which can leave relevant areas of inquiry inadequately explored. Thematic analysis is one of the most common and flexible methods to examine qualitative data collected in health services research. This article offers practical thematic analysis as a step-by-step approach to qualitative analysis for health services researchers, with a focus on accessibility for patients, care partners, clinicians, and others new to thematic analysis. Along with detailed instructions covering three steps of reading, coding, and theming, the article includes additional novel and practical guidance on how to draft effective codes, conduct a thematic analysis session, and develop meaningful themes. This approach aims to improve consistency and rigor in thematic analysis, while also making this method more accessible for multidisciplinary research teams.
Through qualitative methods, researchers can provide deep contextual understanding of real world issues, and generate new knowledge to inform hypotheses, theories, research, and clinical care. Approaches to data collection are varied, including interviews, focus groups, structured observation, and analysis of multimedia data, with qualitative research questions aimed at understanding the how and why of human experience. 1 2 Qualitative methods produce unique insights in applied health services research that other approaches cannot deliver. In particular, researchers acknowledge that thematic analysis is a flexible and powerful method of systematically generating robust qualitative research findings by identifying, analysing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data. 3 4 5 6 Although qualitative methods are increasingly valued for answering clinical research questions, many researchers are unsure how to apply them or consider them too time consuming to be useful in responding to practical challenges 7 or pressing situations such as public health emergencies. 8 Consequently, researchers might hesitate to use them, or use them improperly. 9 10 11
Although much has been written about how to perform thematic analysis, practical guidance for non-specialists is sparse. 3 5 6 12 13 In the multidisciplinary field of health services research, qualitative data analysis can confound experienced researchers and novices alike, which can stoke concerns about rigor, particularly for those more familiar with quantitative approaches. 14 Since qualitative methods are an area of specialisation, support from experts is beneficial. However, because non-specialist perspectives can enhance data interpretation and enrich findings, there is a case for making thematic analysis easier, more rapid, and more efficient, 8 particularly for patients, care partners, clinicians, and other stakeholders. A practical guide to thematic analysis might encourage those on the ground to use these methods in their work, unearthing insights that would otherwise remain undiscovered.
Given the need for more accessible qualitative analysis approaches, we present a simple, rigorous, and efficient three step guide for practical thematic analysis. We include new guidance on the mechanics of thematic analysis, including developing codes, constructing meaningful themes, and hosting a thematic analysis session. We also discuss common pitfalls in thematic analysis and how to avoid them.
Qualitative methods are increasingly valued in applied health services research, but multidisciplinary research teams often lack accessible step-by-step guidance and might struggle to use these approaches
A newly developed approach, practical thematic analysis, uses three simple steps: reading, coding, and theming
Based on Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, our streamlined yet rigorous approach is designed for multidisciplinary health services research teams, including patients, care partners, and clinicians
This article also provides companion materials including a slide presentation for teaching practical thematic analysis to research teams, a sample thematic analysis session agenda, a theme coproduction template for use during the session, and guidance on using standardised reporting criteria for qualitative research
In their seminal work, Braun and Clarke developed a six phase approach to reflexive thematic analysis. 4 12 We built on their method to develop practical thematic analysis ( box 1 , fig 1 ), which is a simplified and instructive approach that retains the substantive elements of their six phases. Braun and Clarke’s phase 1 (familiarising yourself with the dataset) is represented in our first step of reading. Phase 2 (coding) remains as our second step of coding. Phases 3 (generating initial themes), 4 (developing and reviewing themes), and 5 (refining, defining, and naming themes) are represented in our third step of theming. Phase 6 (writing up) also occurs during this third step of theming, but after a thematic analysis session. 4 12
Step 1: reading.
All manuscript authors read the data
All manuscript authors write summary memos
Coders perform both data management and early data analysis
Codes are complete thoughts or sentences, not categories
Researchers host a thematic analysis session and share different perspectives
Themes are complete thoughts or sentences, not categories
For use by practicing clinicians, patients and care partners, students, interdisciplinary teams, and those new to qualitative research
When important insights from healthcare professionals are inaccessible because they do not have qualitative methods training
When time and resources are limited
Steps in practical thematic analysis
We present linear steps, but as qualitative research is usually iterative, so too is thematic analysis. 15 Qualitative researchers circle back to earlier work to check whether their interpretations still make sense in the light of additional insights, adapting as necessary. While we focus here on the practical application of thematic analysis in health services research, we recognise our approach exists in the context of the broader literature on thematic analysis and the theoretical underpinnings of qualitative methods as a whole. For a more detailed discussion of these theoretical points, as well as other methods widely used in health services research, we recommend reviewing the sources outlined in supplemental material 1. A strong and nuanced understanding of the context and underlying principles of thematic analysis will allow for higher quality research. 16
Practical thematic analysis is a highly flexible approach that can draw out valuable findings and generate new hypotheses, including in cases with a lack of previous research to build on. The approach can also be used with a variety of data, such as transcripts from interviews or focus groups, patient encounter transcripts, professional publications, observational field notes, and online activity logs. Importantly, successful practical thematic analysis is predicated on having high quality data collected with rigorous methods. We do not describe qualitative research design or data collection here. 11 17
In supplemental material 1, we summarise the foundational methods, concepts, and terminology in qualitative research. Along with our guide below, we include a companion slide presentation for teaching practical thematic analysis to research teams in supplemental material 2. We provide a theme coproduction template for teams to use during thematic analysis sessions in supplemental material 3. Our method aligns with the major qualitative reporting frameworks, including the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). 18 We indicate the corresponding step in practical thematic analysis for each COREQ item in supplemental material 4.
We encourage all manuscript authors to review the full dataset (eg, interview transcripts) to familiarise themselves with it. This task is most critical for those who will later be engaged in the coding and theming steps. Although time consuming, it is the best way to involve team members in the intellectual work of data interpretation, so that they can contribute to the analysis and contextualise the results. If this task is not feasible given time limitations or large quantities of data, the data can be divided across team members. In this case, each piece of data should be read by at least two individuals who ideally represent different professional roles or perspectives.
We recommend that researchers reflect on the data and independently write memos, defined as brief notes on thoughts and questions that arise during reading, and a summary of their impressions of the dataset. 2 19 Memoing is an opportunity to gain insights from varying perspectives, particularly from patients, care partners, clinicians, and others. It also gives researchers the opportunity to begin to scope which elements of and concepts in the dataset are relevant to the research question.
The concept of data saturation ( box 2 ) is a foundation of qualitative research. It is defined as the point in analysis at which new data tend to be redundant of data already collected. 21 Qualitative researchers are expected to report their approach to data saturation. 18 Because thematic analysis is iterative, the team should discuss saturation throughout the entire process, beginning with data collection and continuing through all steps of the analysis. 22 During step 1 (reading), team members might discuss data saturation in the context of summary memos. Conversations about saturation continue during step 2 (coding), with confirmation that saturation has been achieved during step 3 (theming). As a rule of thumb, researchers can often achieve saturation in 9-17 interviews or 4-8 focus groups, but this will vary depending on the specific characteristics of the study. 23
Braun and Clarke discourage the use of data saturation to determine sample size (eg, number of interviews), because it assumes that there is an objective truth to be captured in the data (sometimes known as a positivist perspective). 20 Qualitative researchers often try to avoid positivist approaches, arguing that there is no one true way of seeing the world, and will instead aim to gather multiple perspectives. 5 Although this theoretical debate with qualitative methods is important, we recognise that a priori estimates of saturation are often needed, particularly for investigators newer to qualitative research who might want a more pragmatic and applied approach. In addition, saturation based, sample size estimation can be particularly helpful in grant proposals. However, researchers should still follow a priori sample size estimation with a discussion to confirm saturation has been achieved.
We describe codes as labels for concepts in the data that are directly relevant to the study objective. Historically, the purpose of coding was to distil the large amount of data collected into conceptually similar buckets so that researchers could review it in aggregate and identify key themes. 5 24 We advocate for a more analytical approach than is typical with thematic analysis. With our method, coding is both the foundation for and the beginning of thematic analysis—that is, early data analysis, management, and reduction occur simultaneously rather than as different steps. This approach moves the team more efficiently towards being able to describe themes.
Coders are the research team members who directly assign codes to the data, reading all material and systematically labelling relevant data with appropriate codes. Ideally, at least two researchers would code every discrete data document, such as one interview transcript. 25 If this task is not possible, individual coders can each code a subset of the data that is carefully selected for key characteristics (sometimes known as purposive selection). 26 When using this approach, we recommend that at least 10% of data be coded by two or more coders to ensure consistency in codebook application. We also recommend coding teams of no more than four to five people, for practical reasons concerning maintaining consistency.
Clinicians, patients, and care partners bring unique perspectives to coding and enrich the analytical process. 27 Therefore, we recommend choosing coders with a mix of relevant experiences so that they can challenge and contextualise each other’s interpretations based on their own perspectives and opinions ( box 3 ). We recommend including both coders who collected the data and those who are naive to it, if possible, given their different perspectives. We also recommend all coders review the summary memos from the reading step so that key concepts identified by those not involved in coding can be integrated into the analytical process. In practice, this review means coding the memos themselves and discussing them during the code development process. This approach ensures that the team considers a diversity of perspectives.
The recommendation to use multiple coders is a departure from Braun and Clarke. 28 29 When the views, experiences, and training of each coder (sometimes known as positionality) 30 are carefully considered, having multiple coders can enhance interpretation and enrich findings. When these perspectives are combined in a team setting, researchers can create shared meaning from the data. Along with the practical consideration of distributing the workload, 31 inclusion of these multiple perspectives increases the overall quality of the analysis by mitigating the impact of any one coder’s perspective. 30
Qualitative analysis software facilitates coding and managing large datasets but does not perform the analytical work. The researchers must perform the analysis themselves. Most programs support queries and collaborative coding by multiple users. 32 Important factors to consider when choosing software can include accessibility, cost, interoperability, the look and feel of code reports, and the ease of colour coding and merging codes. Coders can also use low tech solutions, including highlighters, word processors, or spreadsheets.
To draft effective codes, we recommend that the coders review each document line by line. 33 As they progress, they can assign codes to segments of data representing passages of interest. 34 Coders can also assign multiple codes to the same passage. Consensus among coders on what constitutes a minimum or maximum amount of text for assigning a code is helpful. As a general rule, meaningful segments of text for coding are shorter than one paragraph, but longer than a few words. Coders should keep the study objective in mind when determining which data are relevant ( box 4 ).
Similar to Braun and Clarke’s approach, practical thematic analysis does not specify whether codes are based on what is evident from the data (sometimes known as semantic) or whether they are based on what can be inferred at a deeper level from the data (sometimes known as latent). 4 12 35 It also does not specify whether they are derived from the data (sometimes known as inductive) or determined ahead of time (sometimes known as deductive). 11 35 Instead, it should be noted that health services researchers conducting qualitative studies often adopt all these approaches to coding (sometimes known as hybrid analysis). 3
In practical thematic analysis, codes should be more descriptive than general categorical labels that simply group data with shared characteristics. At a minimum, codes should form a complete (or full) thought. An easy way to conceptualise full thought codes is as complete sentences with subjects and verbs ( table 1 ), although full sentence coding is not always necessary. With full thought codes, researchers think about the data more deeply and capture this insight in the codes. This coding facilitates the entire analytical process and is especially valuable when moving from codes to broader themes. Experienced qualitative researchers often intuitively use full thought or sentence codes, but this practice has not been explicitly articulated as a path to higher quality coding elsewhere in the literature. 6
Example transcript with codes used in practical thematic analysis 36
Depending on the nature of the data, codes might either fall into flat categories or be arranged hierarchically. Flat categories are most common when the data deal with topics on the same conceptual level. In other words, one topic is not a subset of another topic. By contrast, hierarchical codes are more appropriate for concepts that naturally fall above or below each other. Hierarchical coding can also be a useful form of data management and might be necessary when working with a large or complex dataset. 5 Codes grouped into these categories can also make it easier to naturally transition into generating themes from the initial codes. 5 These decisions between flat versus hierarchical coding are part of the work of the coding team. In both cases, coders should ensure that their code structures are guided by their research questions.
A codebook is a shared document that lists code labels and comprehensive descriptions for each code, as well as examples observed within the data. Good code descriptions are precise and specific so that coders can consistently assign the same codes to relevant data or articulate why another coder would do so. Codebook development is iterative and involves input from the entire coding team. However, as those closest to the data, coders must resist undue influence, real or perceived, from other team members with conflicting opinions—it is important to mitigate the risk that more senior researchers, like principal investigators, exert undue influence on the coders’ perspectives.
In practical thematic analysis, coders begin codebook development by independently coding a small portion of the data, such as two to three transcripts or other units of analysis. Coders then individually produce their initial codebooks. This task will require them to reflect on, organise, and clarify codes. The coders then meet to reconcile the draft codebooks, which can often be difficult, as some coders tend to lump several concepts together while others will split them into more specific codes. Discussing disagreements and negotiating consensus are necessary parts of early data analysis. Once the codebook is relatively stable, we recommend soliciting input on the codes from all manuscript authors. Yet, coders must ultimately be empowered to finalise the details so that they are comfortable working with the codebook across a large quantity of data.
After developing the codebook, coders will use it to assign codes to the remaining data. While the codebook’s overall structure should remain constant, coders might continue to add codes corresponding to any new concepts observed in the data. If new codes are added, coders should review the data they have already coded and determine whether the new codes apply. Qualitative data analysis software can be useful for editing or merging codes.
We recommend that coders periodically compare their code occurrences ( box 5 ), with more frequent check-ins if substantial disagreements occur. In the event of large discrepancies in the codes assigned, coders should revise the codebook to ensure that code descriptions are sufficiently clear and comprehensive to support coding alignment going forward. Because coding is an iterative process, the team can adjust the codebook as needed. 5 28 29
Researchers should generally avoid reporting code counts in thematic analysis. However, counts can be a useful proxy in maintaining alignment between coders on key concepts. 26 In practice, therefore, researchers should make sure that all coders working on the same piece of data assign the same codes with a similar pattern and that their memoing and overall assessment of the data are aligned. 37 However, the frequency of a code alone is not an indicator of its importance. It is more important that coders agree on the most salient points in the data; reviewing and discussing summary memos can be helpful here. 5
Researchers might disagree on whether or not to calculate and report inter-rater reliability. We note that quantitative tests for agreement, such as kappa statistics or intraclass correlation coefficients, can be distracting and might not provide meaningful results in qualitative analyses. Similarly, Braun and Clarke argue that expecting perfect alignment on coding is inconsistent with the goal of co-constructing meaning. 28 29 Overall consensus on codes’ salience and contributions to themes is the most important factor.
Themes are meta-constructs that rise above codes and unite the dataset ( box 6 , fig 2 ). They should be clearly evident, repeated throughout the dataset, and relevant to the research questions. 38 While codes are often explicit descriptions of the content in the dataset, themes are usually more conceptual and knit the codes together. 39 Some researchers hypothesise that theme development is loosely described in the literature because qualitative researchers simply intuit themes during the analytical process. 39 In practical thematic analysis, we offer a concrete process that should make developing meaningful themes straightforward.
According to Braun and Clarke, a theme “captures something important about the data in relation to the research question and represents some level of patterned response or meaning within the data set.” 4 Similarly, Braun and Clarke advise against themes as domain summaries. While different approaches can draw out themes from codes, the process begins by identifying patterns. 28 35 Like Braun and Clarke and others, we recommend that researchers consider the salience of certain themes, their prevalence in the dataset, and their keyness (ie, how relevant the themes are to the overarching research questions). 4 12 34
Use of themes in practical thematic analysis
After coding all the data, each coder should independently reflect on the team’s summary memos (step 1), the codebook (step 2), and the coded data itself to develop draft themes (step 3). It can be illuminating for coders to review all excerpts associated with each code, so that they derive themes directly from the data. Researchers should remain focused on the research question during this step, so that themes have a clear relation with the overall project aim. Use of qualitative analysis software will make it easy to view each segment of data tagged with each code. Themes might neatly correspond to groups of codes. Or—more likely—they will unite codes and data in unexpected ways. A whiteboard or presentation slides might be helpful to organise, craft, and revise themes. We also provide a template for coproducing themes (supplemental material 3). As with codebook justification, team members will ideally produce individual drafts of the themes that they have identified in the data. They can then discuss these with the group and reach alignment or consensus on the final themes.
The team should ensure that all themes are salient, meaning that they are: supported by the data, relevant to the study objectives, and important. Similar to codes, themes are framed as complete thoughts or sentences, not categories. While codes and themes might appear to be similar to each other, the key distinction is that the themes represent a broader concept. Table 2 shows examples of codes and their corresponding themes from a previously published project that used practical thematic analysis. 36 Identifying three to four key themes that comprise a broader overarching theme is a useful approach. Themes can also have subthemes, if appropriate. 40 41 42 43 44
Example codes with themes in practical thematic analysis 36
After each coder has independently produced draft themes, a carefully selected subset of the manuscript team meets for a thematic analysis session ( table 3 ). The purpose of this session is to discuss and reach alignment or consensus on the final themes. We recommend a session of three to five hours, either in-person or virtually.
Example agenda of thematic analysis session
The composition of the thematic analysis session team is important, as each person’s perspectives will shape the results. This group is usually a small subset of the broader research team, with three to seven individuals. We recommend that primary and senior authors work together to include people with diverse experiences related to the research topic. They should aim for a range of personalities and professional identities, particularly those of clinicians, trainees, patients, and care partners. At a minimum, all coders and primary and senior authors should participate in the thematic analysis session.
The session begins with each coder presenting their draft themes with supporting quotes from the data. 5 Through respectful and collaborative deliberation, the group will develop a shared set of final themes.
One team member facilitates the session. A firm, confident, and consistent facilitation style with good listening skills is critical. For practical reasons, this person is not usually one of the primary coders. Hierarchies in teams cannot be entirely flattened, but acknowledging them and appointing an external facilitator can reduce their impact. The facilitator can ensure that all voices are heard. For example, they might ask for perspectives from patient partners or more junior researchers, and follow up on comments from senior researchers to say, “We have heard your perspective and it is important; we want to make sure all perspectives in the room are equally considered.” Or, “I hear [senior person] is offering [x] idea, I’d like to hear other perspectives in the room.” The role of the facilitator is critical in the thematic analysis session. The facilitator might also privately discuss with more senior researchers, such as principal investigators and senior authors, the importance of being aware of their influence over others and respecting and eliciting the perspectives of more junior researchers, such as patients, care partners, and students.
To our knowledge, this discrete thematic analysis session is a novel contribution of practical thematic analysis. It helps efficiently incorporate diverse perspectives using the session agenda and theme coproduction template (supplemental material 3) and makes the process of constructing themes transparent to the entire research team.
We recommend beginning the results narrative with a summary of all relevant themes emerging from the analysis, followed by a subheading for each theme. Each subsection begins with a brief description of the theme and is illustrated with relevant quotes, which are contextualised and explained. The write-up should not simply be a list, but should contain meaningful analysis and insight from the researchers, including descriptions of how different stakeholders might have experienced a particular situation differently or unexpectedly.
In addition to weaving quotes into the results narrative, quotes can be presented in a table. This strategy is a particularly helpful when submitting to clinical journals with tight word count limitations. Quote tables might also be effective in illustrating areas of agreement and disagreement across stakeholder groups, with columns representing different groups and rows representing each theme or subtheme. Quotes should include an anonymous label for each participant and any relevant characteristics, such as role or gender. The aim is to produce rich descriptions. 5 We recommend against repeating quotations across multiple themes in the report, so as to avoid confusion. The template for coproducing themes (supplemental material 3) allows documentation of quotes supporting each theme, which might also be useful during report writing.
Visual illustrations such as a thematic map or figure of the findings can help communicate themes efficiently. 4 36 42 44 If a figure is not possible, a simple list can suffice. 36 Both must clearly present the main themes with subthemes. Thematic figures can facilitate confirmation that the researchers’ interpretations reflect the study populations’ perspectives (sometimes known as member checking), because authors can invite discussions about the figure and descriptions of findings and supporting quotes. 46 This process can enhance the validity of the results. 46
In supplemental material 4, we provide additional guidance on reporting thematic analysis consistent with COREQ. 18 Commonly used in health services research, COREQ outlines a standardised list of items to be included in qualitative research reports ( box 7 ).
We note that use of COREQ or any other reporting guidelines does not in itself produce high quality work and should not be used as a substitute for general methodological rigor. Rather, researchers must consider rigor throughout the entire research process. As the issue of how to conceptualise and achieve rigorous qualitative research continues to be debated, 47 48 we encourage researchers to explicitly discuss how they have looked at methodological rigor in their reports. Specifically, we point researchers to Braun and Clarke’s 2021 tool for evaluating thematic analysis manuscripts for publication (“Twenty questions to guide assessment of TA [thematic analysis] research quality”). 16
Awareness of common mistakes can help researchers avoid improper use of qualitative methods. Improper use can, for example, prevent researchers from developing meaningful themes and can risk drawing inappropriate conclusions from the data. Braun and Clarke also warn of poor quality in qualitative research, noting that “coherence and integrity of published research does not always hold.” 16
An important distinction between high and low quality themes is that high quality themes are descriptive and complete thoughts. As such, they often contain subjects and verbs, and can be expressed as full sentences ( table 2 ). Themes that are simply descriptive categories or topics could fail to impart meaningful knowledge beyond categorisation. 16 49 50
Researchers will often move from coding directly to writing up themes, without performing the work of theming or hosting a thematic analysis session. Skipping concerted theming often results in themes that look more like categories than unifying threads across the data.
Because data collection for qualitative research is often semi-structured (eg, interviews, focus groups), not all data will be directly relevant to the research question at hand. To avoid unfocused analysis and a correspondingly unfocused manuscript, we recommend that all team members keep the research objective in front of them at every stage, from reading to coding to theming. During the thematic analysis session, we recommend that the research question be written on a whiteboard so that all team members can refer back to it, and so that the facilitator can ensure that conversations about themes occur in the context of this question. Consistently focusing on the research question can help to ensure that the final report directly answers it, as opposed to the many other interesting insights that might emerge during the qualitative research process. Such insights can be picked up in a secondary analysis if desired.
Presenting findings quantitatively (eg, “We found 18 instances of participants mentioning safety concerns about the vaccines”) is generally undesirable in practical thematic analysis reporting. 51 Descriptive terms are more appropriate (eg, “participants had substantial concerns about the vaccines,” or “several participants were concerned about this”). This descriptive presentation is critical because qualitative data might not be consistently elicited across participants, meaning that some individuals might share certain information while others do not, simply based on how conversations evolve. Additionally, qualitative research does not aim to draw inferences outside its specific sample. Emphasising numbers in thematic analysis can lead to readers incorrectly generalising the findings. Although peer reviewers unfamiliar with thematic analysis often request this type of quantification, practitioners of practical thematic analysis can confidently defend their decision to avoid it. If quantification is methodologically important, we recommend simultaneously conducting a survey or incorporating standardised interview techniques into the interview guide. 11
Researchers should concertedly consider group dynamics in the research team. Particular attention should be paid to power relations and the personality of team members, which can include aspects such as who most often speaks, who defines concepts, and who resolves disagreements that might arise within the group. 52
The perspectives of patient and care partners are particularly important to cultivate. Ideally, patient partners are meaningfully embedded in studies from start to finish, not just for practical thematic analysis. 53 Meaningful engagement can build trust, which makes it easier for patient partners to ask questions, request clarification, and share their perspectives. Professional team members should actively encourage patient partners by emphasising that their expertise is critically important and valued. Noting when a patient partner might be best positioned to offer their perspective can be particularly powerful.
Researchers must allocate enough time to complete thematic analysis. Working with qualitative data takes time, especially because it is often not a linear process. As the strength of thematic analysis lies in its ability to make use of the rich details and complexities of the data, we recommend careful planning for the time required to read and code each document.
Estimating the necessary time can be challenging. For step 1 (reading), researchers can roughly calculate the time required based on the time needed to read and reflect on one piece of data. For step 2 (coding), the total amount of time needed can be extrapolated from the time needed to code one document during codebook development. We also recommend three to five hours for the thematic analysis session itself, although coders will need to independently develop their draft themes beforehand. Although the time required for practical thematic analysis is variable, teams should be able to estimate their own required effort with these guidelines.
Practical thematic analysis builds on the foundational work of Braun and Clarke. 4 16 We have reframed their six phase process into three condensed steps of reading, coding, and theming. While we have maintained important elements of Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, we believe that practical thematic analysis is conceptually simpler and easier to teach to less experienced researchers and non-researcher stakeholders. For teams with different levels of familiarity with qualitative methods, this approach presents a clear roadmap to the reading, coding, and theming of qualitative data. Our practical thematic analysis approach promotes efficient learning by doing—experiential learning. 12 29 Practical thematic analysis avoids the risk of relying on complex descriptions of methods and theory and places more emphasis on obtaining meaningful insights from those close to real world clinical environments. Although practical thematic analysis can be used to perform intensive theory based analyses, it lends itself more readily to accelerated, pragmatic approaches.
Our approach is designed to smooth the qualitative analysis process and yield high quality themes. Yet, researchers should note that poorly performed analyses will still produce low quality results. Practical thematic analysis is a qualitative analytical approach; it does not look at study design, data collection, or other important elements of qualitative research. It also might not be the right choice for every qualitative research project. We recommend it for applied health services research questions, where diverse perspectives and simplicity might be valuable.
We also urge researchers to improve internal validity through triangulation methods, such as member checking (supplemental material 1). 46 Member checking could include soliciting input on high level themes, theme definitions, and quotations from participants. This approach might increase rigor.
We hope that by providing clear and simple instructions for practical thematic analysis, a broader range of researchers will be more inclined to use these methods. Increased transparency and familiarity with qualitative approaches can enhance researchers’ ability to both interpret qualitative studies and offer up new findings themselves. In addition, it can have usefulness in training and reporting. A major strength of this approach is to facilitate meaningful inclusion of patient and care partner perspectives, because their lived experiences can be particularly valuable in data interpretation and the resulting findings. 11 30 As clinicians are especially pressed for time, they might also appreciate a practical set of instructions that can be immediately used to leverage their insights and access to patients and clinical settings, and increase the impact of qualitative research through timely results. 8
Practical thematic analysis is a simplified approach to performing thematic analysis in health services research, a field where the experiences of patients, care partners, and clinicians are of inherent interest. We hope that it will be accessible to those individuals new to qualitative methods, including patients, care partners, clinicians, and other health services researchers. We intend to empower multidisciplinary research teams to explore unanswered questions and make new, important, and rigorous contributions to our understanding of important clinical and health systems research.
All members of the Coproduction Laboratory provided input that shaped this manuscript during laboratory meetings. We acknowledge advice from Elizabeth Carpenter-Song, an expert in qualitative methods.
Coproduction Laboratory group contributors: Stephanie C Acquilano ( http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1215-5531 ), Julie Doherty ( http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5279-6536 ), Rachel C Forcino ( http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9938-4830 ), Tina Foster ( http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6239-4031 ), Megan Holthoff, Christopher R Jacobs ( http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5324-8657 ), Lisa C Johnson ( http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7448-4931 ), Elaine T Kiriakopoulos, Kathryn Kirkland ( http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9851-926X ), Meredith A MacMartin ( http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6614-6091 ), Emily A Morgan, Eugene Nelson, Elizabeth O’Donnell, Brant Oliver ( http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7399-622X ), Danielle Schubbe ( http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9858-1805 ), Gabrielle Stevens ( http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9001-178X ), Rachael P Thomeer ( http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5974-3840 ).
Contributors: Practical thematic analysis, an approach designed for multidisciplinary health services teams new to qualitative research, was based on CHS’s experiences teaching thematic analysis to clinical teams and students. We have drawn heavily from qualitative methods literature. CHS is the guarantor of the article. CHS, AS, CvP, AMK, JRK, and JAP contributed to drafting the manuscript. AS, JG, CMM, JAP, and RWY provided feedback on their experiences using practical thematic analysis. CvP, LCL, SLB, AVC, GE, and JKL advised on qualitative methods in health services research, given extensive experience. All authors meaningfully edited the manuscript content, including AVC and RKS. The corresponding author attests that all listed authors meet authorship criteria and that no others meeting the criteria have been omitted.
Funding: This manuscript did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at https://www.icmje.org/disclosure-of-interest/ and declare: no support from any organisation for the submitted work; no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years; no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.
Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
So, a thematic analysis essay. This kind of essay might be not the most complicated one. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to be confident and peaceful. You aren’t a professional writer and being worried is a normal human condition. And this is normal. People are different.
There are people that don’t like writing, you know. There are people that like writing but don’t have much experience in doing that. As well, some people want to learn how to write. That’s why, we have selected the most useful tips, which will be extremely helpful if you decide to write your essay on your own. So, just check how to do it, how to write a thematic analysis essay, and do it!
But first of all, let us check exactly what kind of paper you should write. So, the definition you can guess already from the title: a thematic essay is an essay about some themes or concepts. When you are working on this kind of essay, you should consider the following moments:
The thematic analysis essay structure is the same as for any other kind of essay. Make sure you follow the standard and don’t invent anything new. So, the general structure of a thematic analysis essay is the following:
Here, introduce your theme or concept. Make it as strong as possible — the impression should be unforgettable! Only then, your reader might consider reading it till the end just out of interest and give you a good grade. So, if you are thinking about how to start a thematic analysis essay efficiently, start it with a question or a personal story. Then, the introduction will rock! The thematic analysis essay introduction is one of the most important parts of your paper.
In the main part, analyze the given themes. Pay attention to all aspects of your theme or concept. Provide not only your opinions but the ideas and opinions of experts or even just some other people who have been working with the same topic.
Now, it is time to check how to end a thematic analysis essay. The rules are like everywhere, like any other conclusion. You should make the final statement, the conclusions based on your analysis. Well, your conclusion should be impressive, as well. You know, a weak conclusion of a thematic analysis essay can spoil the impression from the entire work, and that is definitely not what you are looking for.
The thematic analysis essay outline doesn’t differ much from a standard essay outline. The same parts, the same structure. Like in the case with any other essay, you should be precise, logical, and try to make all parts of your essay as strong and impressive as you can.
However, there are some writing tips that you shouldn’t ignore. For this kind of essay, the preparation process is essential. You cannot analyze a theme if you don’t know what experts think about it. How can you compare ideas and views, if you don’t know them?
So prepare yourself to the writing process very carefully. Select the most reliable sources. If they are recommended for schools and universities, it is perfect. But even if not, just make sure they provide reliable information. In most cases, they should be published in reputable journals or websites.
When you are writing a theme analysis essay, it is important to be very attentive to the smallest detail. That’s why it is an analysis essay, you know. Other than that, the essay is just like any different kind of paper. You give your opinions, discuss them, compare them with the opinions of other people and so on.
For years now, i’ve been puzzled—and annoyed—by the way people seem to insist on labeling what type of person one can be. i’ve finally solved my problem..
Recently, after I did a silent retreat, I was trapped on a five-hour car journey (long story) with someone who was obsessed with labeling everything. People have “math brains” or “creative brains,” there are “boy chores” and “girl chores,” and in any relationship you will have “the person who reads the map” and “the one who is social.”
I hate this tendency. But I notice myself fielding these kinds of conversations not infrequently. This labeling tic is all over the internet too; indeed, much of the content I see online seems premised upon the idea that everything can be better understood if we simply group it as a type. Sometimes morbid curiosity gets the better of me and I find myself trawling all the content related to the various attachment styles, for example. There are endless posts of grids showing how to find which type you are, with bullet-pointed lists of symptoms. In therapy, this kind of framework might be a useful introductory point to help you think through certain patterns that you’d like to change. But the stunted nature of how this content lives online means that finding your type, having a label, is presented as the end of the process rather than the start. The groupings feel as deterministic as the idea of having or not having a “math brain.” The relief in the comments is palpable: Oh, I’m that label! Everything makes sense now.
Usually when I find myself dealing with a “labeler” in real life, it’s because this idea of there being two types of brains has come up. I find this happens quite a lot because I work as a writer but I did a degree in physics and mathematics. In a normal conversation, the other person will say: Huh, that’s interesting . Or: Ah, how did you get into writing, then? And I will say: Oh, I wanted to do something that would definitely lead to a job, then I decided to screw that up, didn’ t I?
At which point the other person will realize I don’t really want to talk about it much, so our conversation will move along. But with a labeler, a script of our interaction will run something like this. (I am forced to reproduce it here in full to most accurately convey the maddening frustration it engenders.)
Them: Me? I can’t do math! I have a creative brain! [ Accusatory face ] That’s weird you write if you have a math brain.
Me: I don’t think that’s how brains work.
Them: No, it’s left and right brain. One is math and one is creative.
Me: But we each have two halves, which together form one complete brain.
Them: But either you’re good at math or you’re creative. That’s the whole thing about the two types of brains.
Me: I don’t think it works like that.
Them: There’s studies. Right and left. [ Here, they might tap their head, as if I am unaware of where in the body the brain is housed. ] One side is math. I’m creative, so I can’t do math.
Me: Yeah. I don’t think it works like that. I think math is creative.
Them: No, the thing with math is there is a right or wrong answer. You just have to learn it. I can’t think like that. I have a creative brain.
Me: No, I think it’s the opposite. I think the enjoyable thing about math is you don’t have to rote learn anything if you understand how certain rules work. I think writing is basically the same.
Them: I can’t do math.
Me: I know what you mean about finding things harder or easier. Because when I was at school, I thought I couldn’t learn foreign languages. Now I think, Well, there are bilingual babies all over the world. So it seems like something we all can do at some point. I doubt that vanishes as we grow up, even if it seems harder. I think math is probably the same for some people.
Them: I can’t do math. I don’t have a math brain.
At this point, though, they are looking around, trying to find me, because I have climbed out a nearby window. Later, I will lie in my bed, thrashing around under my covers, as I rerun the conversation over in my head. The stubbornness of it. The idea that we are all going about the world with only one-half of our brain fully operational.
Then, for the sake of my sanity, I force myself to forget about it entirely. I file it on the shelf of my brain where I put all the things I can’t think about regularly so that I’m able to function. The texts I have sent while drunk. The embarrassing things I have said during sex. That I once cried at the ending of Sweet Home Alabama . All filed together, a few shelves above the box where all the math lives.
Until I meet one again. Or until I come across one of the various pop culture iterations of this, the psychology disseminated on TikTok and Instagram and elsewhere. It’s not just attachment styles. All over those platforms, you see vlogs and infographics declaring that people can be understood best as bundles of fixed, unchanging symptoms, related to corresponding bundles of trauma, grouped neatly under buzzy labels.
This kind of therapy content feels only one step removed from the kinds of quizzes that help you find out which Girls or Sex and the City character you are (yet another labeling instinct that is weirdly rife at present). Then there is the enormous popularity of astrology meme accounts. I find it hard to take exception with this iteration of labeling, though, because my star sign is Aquarius, so the @costarastrology account (with its 2 million followers) always presents me with flattering personality reads that position me as a cool, aloof, intellectual sort. My small talk , for example, is “explaining the science behind the weather we’re having,” whereas a Cancer is “wary of anyone who tries to approach them at parties.”
Elsewhere, there are the pieces (I can’t call them literary criticism, sorry) that address novels not in terms of their content or style but with labels that appear to refer to either an imagined reader or the imagined personality of the author. Sad-girl novels. Cool-girl novels.
Obviously the idea of grouping together works of art with stylistic or thematic similarities to discuss how they relate to one another is not a new, or counterproductive, instinct. But these labels, which force together works with clashing themes and styles under a janky, misshapen umbrella, serve essentially the opposite purpose of a term like modernism or naturalism . To call a novel an example of naturalism, a practice that refers to a coherently defined style of writing, acts as a shortcut to a more expansive understanding of the work by positioning certain style choices within, for example, the societal context in which the book was written. A label like “cool-girl novels” instead encourages only the most superficial reading. The protagonist is a woman. Yes, and? What does it mean to say that a certain book is read by cool girls? How might we better understand how to engage with the work if we declare that it was written by a sad girl?
Again, I see echoes of the senseless, impenetrable anti-logic of having or not having a “math brain.” I start to imagine myself trapped in a conversation with someone who would describe literature like this. I can’t help it.
I imagine them saying, happily: I don’t read cool-girl books.
Then I would say: What is that? What is a cool-girl book?
They would say: You like them because you’re a cool girl!
Me: But what is that? You haven’t said what it is.
Them: I don’t read cool-girl books.
Me: What is it, though? You haven’t said what it is.
On and on it would go. When I come across something like this, I have to get away as quickly as possible. I close all my tabs and turn the computer off and go straight outside.
On that five-hour car journey with the labeler, though, I could not simply go outside. They were always rushing to finish my sentences too, with an ending they expected might fit with the kind of thing I had been saying. There was a manic, frantic energy to every exchange. As if something terrible might happen if I were permitted to finish a sentence by myself. Then we would have these big back-and-forths because I’d been trying to say something different all along.
It drove me mad. But seeing it up close for that length of time gave me a different perspective from the one I usually have when I leave a conversation like this. And speaking about it, I should admit, to my psychoanalyst a few days later helped me clarify my thoughts further. (That’s right, my psychoanalyst. This essay was not eccentric and unhinged enough already.)
That car journey was a form of exposure therapy, in its way. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t hide. I sat there as it went on, pinned in place by my seat belt, examining every proposed dichotomy to within an inch of its nonsensical life. Like: Why would the social person not be able to read the map? When I was finished, rather than being cleansed, I was still right there in the middle of it. In the middle of a conversation about which jobs are done by introverts and which by extroverts. And then which kind of people wear shoes to a festival and which kind go barefoot, and how this depends on the kind of music they like.
But in the wake of the silent retreat, everything seemed bathed in a rosy glow of calmness and goodwill. My thoughts were infused with peace and love and so forth. So, after my frustration had exhausted itself (and, mind you, that did still take a while), I had a sort of epiphany. After all, wasn’t there some of the labeler in me? Even by calling this person a labeler, I was assigning them a type. Wasn’t I treating them much the same as the person who believes they do not have a math brain treats math? As something incomprehensible, undeserving of curiosity, and ideally to be avoided at all costs.
Anyway, back in the car, we were talking about how status-obsessed people in London can be, always asking everyone their job as a first question. I said I used to think I hated that because I didn’t have a very impressive answer. But then my work situation improved. They declared: Now you like it! I explained that no, I was going to say I still hated it. But we got stuck in a web with them explaining what they had expected and me explaining that that wasn’t what I wanted to say. We never got into why I still hate it. Round and round we went, and I thought: Why am I not allowed to say something different from what you expected? And then the question came into my head: Why do you need to see the world this way?
Up close, the quality I had read as stubbornness (repeating over and over again the same information even in the face of new and contradictory data) and the manic energy seemed like something else. Something that I couldn’t quite place.
A few days later, with it still bugging me, I relayed the encounter to my psychoanalyst. I explained that there is a kind of person I have met before but whom I avoid spending time around. I started to describe the labels. The back-and-forths. Oh, God! she practically shouted. One of these!
She explained that what I had read as manic, frantic energy could be better understood as anxiety. A desire to be in control, to fit everything into neat little boxes, and that, to this end, interactions must follow a certain script. This person registers ending a sentence with a different conclusion from what they expected (going off script) not as new information but as a loss of control. If they come to analysis, they come in with all these labels, explanations for why they have to do all the things they do. They are this type or that type, and because of this they are fixed—they have to behave a certain way in a group, for example, because they’re an extrovert. They have no choice. It takes months and months to ever get beyond that, my therapist said.
I had been so preoccupied with how the labelers do my head in. Given more time to think, I saw a new side of it: They do their own heads in much more. I feel I increasingly understand where it comes from too. You go about life, and you do notice certain patterns. Making certain assumptions based on these can be a way of making life feel safer. The kind of man who is rude to a waiter is not one I would pursue a relationship with, I can see that. The overdrive of it still strikes me as facile and not true to life at all: I know for a fact that many social people can also read the map. But I can relate to that instinct to make life feel more predictable, less like a thing that can never really be understood.
Recently, I found myself in the math-brain conversation. It started as it always does.
Me: Ah. I haven’t heard of that before. I’ll look that up.
And then we moved on to talk about other things.
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Nursing leadership in a post-pandemic elective orthopaedic theatre department: a detailed thematic analysis of an open-ended qualitative survey.
Graphical Abstract
2. materials and methods, 2.1. study design, 2.2. setting, recruitment, participants, and data collection, 2.3. data analysis, 3.1. immediate changes, 3.1.1. guidelines and policies, 3.1.2. personal protective equipment (ppe), 3.1.3. redeployment, 3.1.4. wellbeing, 3.2. delayed changes, 3.2.1. increased workload, 3.2.2. organisational pressure, 3.2.3. transfer or change of unit, 3.2.4. physical health, 3.3. pre-existing conditions, 3.3.1. staff shortage, 3.3.2. training, 3.3.3. development and support, 3.3.4. opportunities for promotion, 4. discussion, 4.1. implications for nursing practice, 4.2. limitations of the study, 5. conclusions, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, public involvement statement, guidelines and standards statement, use of artificial intelligence, conflicts of interest.
Click here to enlarge figure
Subjects | Questions |
---|---|
Exploring leadership | |
About your current experience | |
What the future should look like |
Themes | Sub-Themes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Immediate changes | Guidelines and Policies | Personal Protective Equipment | Redeployment | Wellbeing |
Delayed changes | Increased Workload | Organizational Pressure | Transfer/Change of unit | Physical health |
Pre-existing conditions | Staff shortage | Training | Development and support | Opportunities for promotion |
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Biz, C.; Buffon, L.; Scapinello, D.; Semple, S.; Belluzzi, E.; Batash, R.; Ruggieri, P. Nursing Leadership in a Post-Pandemic Elective Orthopaedic Theatre Department: A Detailed Thematic Analysis of an Open-Ended Qualitative Survey. Nurs. Rep. 2024 , 14 , 1541-1552. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14030116
Biz C, Buffon L, Scapinello D, Semple S, Belluzzi E, Batash R, Ruggieri P. Nursing Leadership in a Post-Pandemic Elective Orthopaedic Theatre Department: A Detailed Thematic Analysis of an Open-Ended Qualitative Survey. Nursing Reports . 2024; 14(3):1541-1552. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14030116
Biz, Carlo, Lisa Buffon, Davide Scapinello, Sean Semple, Elisa Belluzzi, Ron Batash, and Pietro Ruggieri. 2024. "Nursing Leadership in a Post-Pandemic Elective Orthopaedic Theatre Department: A Detailed Thematic Analysis of an Open-Ended Qualitative Survey" Nursing Reports 14, no. 3: 1541-1552. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14030116
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Analyzing fiction in demographic research. What can we learn? What are the specific challenges?
30th International Population Conference (UIESP/IUSSP) 13-18 July 2025 Brisbane (Australia) https://ipc2025.iussp.org/
Thematic Session n°62
Theme: Data and methods
Organisers : Carole Brugeilles (Université Paris Nanterre), Mathieu Arbogast (Cresppa-GTM et CEMS), and Virginie Rozée (INED)
In its endeavor to understand populations, demography addresses the issue of studying social norms. Fiction plays an important role in building and reflecting these norms. People are heavily exposed to media contents and other publications (textbooks, literature, newspapers…) and to the social representations they convey. States even instrumented TV programs to influence the use of birth control in some countries. All of them rely on textbooks to promote specific social norms. The people on the screen or in books are not exactly the same as the people off-fiction. They do not exactly have the same bodies, families, fertility, sexual behaviors or sexualities. As early as television beginnings in the 1950s, researchers studied the basic demographics in the media contents, with the quantitative tools of content analysis. Only recently though researchers brought demographic analysis of fictional contents and characters to the next level, thus revealing methodological hardships. How can one categorize the gender of unidentified lifeforms as aliens in cartoons, books or textbooks? Is race categorization possible? If so, should one take only into account information on the characters or also biographic input about the actors? How is it possible to apply demographic indicators to a population of fiction? How can survival analysis be applied to multiple seasons TV series? What are the sexual health messages displayed in popular TV series? We call all the demographers working with fictional contents to share their findings and their methodological media-specific challenges.
Call for paper and posters:
Detailed information: https://ipc2025.iussp.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23171-IUSSP-IPC-2025-Brochure-beeldschermversie.pdf
COMMENTS
When to use thematic analysis. Thematic analysis is a good approach to research where you're trying to find out something about people's views, opinions, knowledge, experiences or values from a set of qualitative data - for example, interview transcripts, social media profiles, or survey responses. Some types of research questions you might use thematic analysis to answer:
A thematic essay is a type of analysis essay that focuses specifically on the central themes of a literary work. Unlike an essay that analyzes characters or plots, a thematic essay digs into the broader ideas and messages the author wants to communicate. It's your chance to explore how the author uses various elements like plot, characters, and ...
When undertaking thematic analysis, you'll make use of codes. A code is a label assigned to a piece of text, and the aim of using a code is to identify and summarise important concepts within a set of data, such as an interview transcript. For example, if you had the sentence, "My rabbit ate my shoes", you could use the codes "rabbit ...
An outline serves as the roadmap for your essay, helping you organize your thoughts and ideas in a logical manner. Step 1: Identify the Theme. Start by identifying the theme or central idea that you will explore in your essay. This theme will serve as the foundation for your entire piece. Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas.
What is Thematic Analysis? Thematic analysis is a qualitative research method used to identify, analyze, and interpret patterns of shared meaning (themes) within a given data set, which can be in the form of interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, or other textual data.. Thematic analysis is a useful method for research seeking to understand people's views, opinions, knowledge ...
There are various approaches to conducting thematic analysis, but the most common form follows a six-step process: Familiarisation. Coding. Generating themes. Reviewing themes. Defining and naming themes. Writing up. This process was originally developed for psychology research by Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke.
Thematic writing is a staple of high school English and college writing courses. The idea behind thematic writing is to create a piece that uses a theme to tie together different ideas or topics. Thematic writing can be used for essays, short stories, novels, and even non-fiction pieces. In academic writing, thematic essays often center on a ...
Proofread Your Thematic Analysis Essay. After completing theme essay, it is highly recommended to review it thoroughly, even several times if possible. The goal is to find mistakes and to spot logical gaps or missing details. Even best essays typically have inconsistencies left at the early stage. Taking a fresh look at your text often reveals ...
What is a thematic analysis? Thematic analysis is a broad term that describes an approach to analyzing qualitative data.This approach can encompass diverse methods and is usually applied to a collection of texts, such as survey responses and transcriptions of interviews or focus group discussions.
To write an outstanding theme essay, you should: Select a literary work to base your thematic analysis on. Choose a primary theme. Identify supporting evidence and literary devices used. Plan and outline the essay. Write the first draft. Edit and proofread your work for submission.
Introduction. Generally, to write a thematic essay you need to have an idea of what your thesis will be, how your body paragraphs will prove it, and how you are going to summarize all of the arguments detailed in the body of the essay in your conclusion. The introduction has to present the main subject of your essay as well as any necessary ...
Thematic analysis is a flexible method for qualitative research, accommodating various approaches based on the researcher's objectives, theoretical framework, and the nature of the data. Three notable approaches are inductive thematic analysis, deductive thematic analysis, and reflexive thematic analysis.
A thematic analysis is used in qualitative research to focus on examining themes within a topic by identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes) within the research topic. It is similar to a literature review, which is a critical survey and assessment of the existing research on your particular topic.
Thematic analysis is a highly flexible approach to qualitative data analysis that you can modify to meet the needs of many studies. It enables you to generate new insights and concepts from data. Beginner researchers who are just learning how to analyze data will find thematic analysis very accessible.
What Is a Thematic Analysis Essay? When a person faces a subject for the first time, the chances are high that they don't understand its essence. Hence, it seems justified to start the review with a thematic essay definition. Well, it represents a piece of writing that is spinning around a certain theme or question. An author reveals and ...
Select a relevant topic. First sentence should be a hook statement. A good hook statement will grab the reader's attention instantly. Provide necessary background information after the hook statement. This will help the readers to better understand your claims in the rest of the text. Now add a thesis statement.
How to Write an Essay about Theme Analysis. The Thematic Essay Introduction. The introductory paragraph of your thematic essay is crucial in setting the tone and capturing the reader's attention. Begin with a hook statement - an unexpected or intriguing question that piques the reader's interest. Then, provide the necessary background ...
Thematic analysis is a research method used to identify and interpret patterns or themes in a data set; it often leads to new insights and understanding (Boyatzis, 1998; Elliott, 2018; Thomas, 2006).However, it is critical that researchers avoid letting their own preconceptions interfere with the identification of key themes (Morse & Mitcham, 2002; Patton, 2015).
Thematic Analysis is a qualitative research method that involves identifying, analyzing, and interpreting recurring themes or patterns in data. It aims to uncover underlying meanings, ideas, and concepts within the dataset, providing insights into participants' perspectives and experiences.
A work's thematic concept is the broader topic it touches upon (love, forgiveness, pain, etc.) while its thematic statement is what the work says about that topic. For example, the thematic concept of a romance novel might be love, and, depending on what happens in the story, its thematic statement might be that "Love is blind," or that "You ...
Thematic analysis is one of the most common and flexible methods to examine qualitative data collected in health services research. This article offers practical thematic analysis as a step-by-step approach to qualitative analysis for health services researchers, with a focus on accessibility for patients, care partners, clinicians, and others ...
Thematic analysis is a relevant qualitative research method, yet little has been written to guide researchers in how to conduct a rigorous thematic analysis. What This Paper Adds? Thematic analysis is an apt qualitative method that can be used when working in research teams and analyzing large qualitative data sets.
So, the general structure of a thematic analysis essay is the following: An introduction, where you introduce the theme and explain its importance. The main part, where you provide detailed information and all the opinions that you consider relevant. A conclusion, where you actually make a conclusion for your analysis, for all your work.
Them: Me? I can't do math! I have a creative brain! [Accusatory face] That's weird you write if you have a math brain.Me: I don't think that's how brains work. Them: No, it's left and ...
Based on the thematic analysis of the qualitative data collected in the close-ended survey, it can be concluded that, according to the 20 participants, there are many aspects to consider when nursing management is leading a theatre team. Some important factors for nursing management are the need for constant communication with their staff ...
As early as television beginnings in the 1950s, researchers studied the basic demographics in the media contents, with the quantitative tools of content analysis. Only recently though researchers brought demographic analysis of fictional contents and characters to the next level, thus revealing methodological hardships.