Thematic Analysis
Business Research Methods
RESE1170
Workshop 5
February 2023
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
By the end of today, you will have:
1. Completed a thematic analysis of a
sample interview, and:
2. Reviewed the criteria for the first
assignment.
Today’s learning
outcomes
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Activity 1: Coding analysis
Break.
Activity 2: Developing themes
Activity 3: Preparation for
assignment 1.
Schedule
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Over the last few weeks you have:
1. Designed an interview schedule
2. Conducted 1x short research interview
This week we will conduct a thematic
analysis.
Important notice!
Important note:
Part 4 of the first assessment requires
you to demonstrate your ability to
conduct a basic analysis of qualitative
data.
This workshop will be directly relevant for
this learning outcome.
Your transcript of your own interview,
which you will code, becomes evidence
within your first assessment, added as an
Appendix.
Assessment
information!
Important note:
Questions?
Lecture Recap
1. What is a ‘transcript’
2. What is a ‘thematic analysis’?
3. What are ‘codes’ in thematic analysis?
4. How do you identify codes?
5. What are ‘themes’?
Warm-up questions
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
1. A transcript is a document that reproduces the spoken word into
a written account. Within research interviews, this is usually a
verbatim account of everything that was said between the
interviewer and the participant.
2. A thematic analysis is the search for key ‘themes’, patterns, or
recurring ideas, thoughts, experiences, accounts, etc. that are
expressed by the participants. They are identified through a
systematic coding of the data.
3. A ‘code’ is a label or very brief description of what the
participant is saying. Codes might be actions, attitudes,
behaviours, beliefs, events, ideas, interactions, or relationships.
Warm-up answers, I
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
4. There are two ways to identify a code: “A prioi” (from the
literature) and “In Vivo” (the words of the participant). Thematic
analysis can use one or both of these approaches in creating
codes.
5. Codes which share similar attributes or characteristics can be
organised together into a “theme”. “themes” are usually
Warm-up answers, II
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Activity 1: Coding
This activity will help you practice the process of thematic analysis.
You will be given an transcript (‘Arjun’) which records an interview
between the module leader, Dr Scott Tindal, and a supermarket
employee who was working during the start of the Covid-19 crisis. The
interview took place in April 2020.
We will use this transcript to practice thematic analysis under the
guidance of your tutor.
You will do this exercise again with your own transcript as part of the
assessment.
Activity 1: Close reading and coding
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Codes can be:
1. Accounts of events
2. Beliefs and viewpoints of various issues.
3. Reflections on their emotions
4. Their observations of things around them
5. Descriptions of their relationships with others
6. Their experiences
7. Many other things.
Reminder: what is a code?
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Over the next 30 minutes you will work in pairs/triads to carefully read the
interview transcript.
❖Step 1: Carefully read the transcript.
❖Step 2: Write out notes/points of interest as you’re reading.
❖Step 3: In your pairs/triads, discuss and code the transcript using
highlighters / pens / pencils (if in-person) OR using the highlighter /
comment function (if online). Codes are usually in the margins and just 1-4
words.
Activity 1: Tips
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
❖What stands out for you in your reading?
❖What codes have you developed?
Codes are the essential ‘bricks’ for thematic analysis. We now need
to turn this pile of bricks into a thematic wall.
Activity 1: Discussion
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2023
Activity 1: Building themes
Themes are built from codes. Codes that have some sort of
commonality may come together to form a larger ‘theme’
Not every code may fit into themes, and not every theme may form
part of an analysis.
There’s many things to consider when creating themes from codes,
one of which is what the over purpose of your research is, and the
research question.
Activity 2: Building themes from codes
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Thematic analysis
Building themes
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2023.
What question we’re trying to answer will shape how we build
themes from codes. Consider the following questions:
▪ How does the participant describe their working life?
What do they like about their work?
What don’t they like about their work?
▪ What is the participant’s views of their managers?
▪ How did the participant describe their work during the Covid-19
crisis?
Activity 2: How might this look?
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
To help you see how codes link to themes, let’s consider this
question:
“How does Arjun (or any respondent) talk about their managers?
See Handout (Coding example) on Moodle for an example for how
we might create themes which we can use as the basis for
analysis.
Activity 2: Example of a theme from codes
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Over the next 30 minutes, continue to examine the transcript,
trying to group your codes into ‘themes’
❖What themes have you developed?
❖What are your ‘findings’
❖What sort of recommendations can you make from these
findings?
Activity 2: Thematic analysis
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
For next week, transcribe your own interview, and develop
themes in the same way as we did in today’s workshop.
Both assessments of this module both require you to
demonstrate evidence of data analysis. The fourth part of the
assessment requires you to:
4. Conduct a basic analysis of data (thematic).
You will use the thematic coding that you’ve done today as an
appendix to evidence this learning outcome. It does not have to
be perfect, but you should be able to identify themes.
Homework
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Saunders, M.N.K., Lewis, P. and Thornhill. A (2019) Research
Methods for Business Students. 8th Edition. Pearson Education.
Harlow, UK. Chapter 13 on thematic analysis.
King, N. (2018) The SAGE handbook of qualitative business and
management research methods. (Edited by Cassell, C.) SAGE
Publications, London, UK. Chapter 14 for thematic analysis.
Ryan, G. and Bernard, R. (2003) Techniques to identify themes.
Field Methods 15 (1): 85-109.
Resources to help you (and you can cite for your assessment)
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022
Further
help with
studying
1. Study skills:
https://libguides.gre.ac.uk/academicskil
ls
2. Referencing:
https://libguides.gre.ac.uk/referencing
3. Proof-reading and feedback:
https://libguides.gre.ac.uk/studiosity
4. Wellbeing, mental health and
counselling:
Your personal tutor, or
https://www.gre.ac.uk/studentservices/support/student-wellbeing
Created by: Dr Scott Tindal, 2022