VL28 - Thematic analysis of Qualitative Data (with examples of coding): Made simple - (PART 1 of 2)

The video introduces thematic analysis, a method for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns or themes within qualitative data. It emphasizes its widespread use in qualitative research for uncovering meaningful insights from textual or visual data, such as interview transcripts and focus group discussions.

The discussion focuses on the six-step procedures outlined by Braun and Clark in 2006. The first step is to familiarize yourself with the data by conducting interviews or focus group discussions, transcribing the data, and reading it repeatedly to become familiar with its content. It is recommended to have multiple transcribers for accuracy.

The second step involves generating initial codes from the transcribed data. A code is a word or short phrase that summarizes the essence of a piece of data. Coding is the systematic process of going through the data line by line or segment by segment and applying relevant codes, which can be done manually or with software. The video introduces descriptive coding as a common method.

An example demonstrates descriptive coding using a research question: "How do students perceive online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic?" The interviewee's response is analyzed for key phrases like 'challenging,' 'missed face-to-face interactions,' and 'harder to ask questions and get immediate feedback.' These phrases are then coded as 'challenges of online learning,' 'miss face-to-face interactions,' and 'difficulty in asking questions and getting feedback.' Each response from participants should be transcribed per question to ensure clarity and organization.

The video provides a detailed manual coding demonstration. It shows how to assign participant codes (e.g., P1), record research questions, and note the date and time of the interview for transparency. For the question "How did you find the transition to online teaching last year?", the participant's answer is analyzed. Phrases like "not all students had reliable internet" are coded as "issues with internet connectivity," and "unfamiliar to me and the kids" is coded as "unfamiliarity with the software." Another question, "What strategies did you use to overcome these challenges?", leads to codes such as "creating step-by-step guides" and "recording lessons for asynchronous classes," highlighting practical tips for conducting descriptive coding effectively.