2. Outline
1. Code, category, theme
2. Text analysis process (A brief overview)
3. Where do themes come from
4. Themes identification techniques
5. Selecting among themes (considerations)
6. Validity and relability
3. Codes
A code is a word phrase or a sentence that represents
aspect of a data or captures the essence of features of a
data
Priori codes: can be identified from a range of source
Previous research or theory
Research questions
Questions and topics from your interview
Your gut feelings about the data
Grounded cades: emerge from the data
4. What can be coded?
Behaviors
Events
Activities
Strategies
Stages
Meanings
Symbols
Participations
Relationships/interactions
conditions./constraints
Consequences
Settings
Norms, values etc.
5. Category
Grouping of codes
Purpose is to reduce numbers
For example people in public life covering codes as
politicians, celebrities, sports people etc.
Should be conceptual
6. Themes
A higher level of categorization
Usually used to identify a major element of your entire
text analysis
Usually research questions, hypotheses and objectives
form the main themes of the study
8. Text Analysis Involves:
1. Discovering themes and subthemes
2. Describing the core and peripheral elements of
themes
3. Building hierarchies and codebooks
4. Applying themes ( Attaching to the chunks of actual
data)
5. Linking themes into theoretical model
9. Different terms for themes
Categories
Codes
Labels
Expressions
Incidents
Segments
Thematic units
Data-bits
Chunks
Units concepts
10. Where do themes come from
From data (an inductive
approach)
From priori theoretical
understanding which
comes from
a) Characteristics of
phenomenon under study
b) Already agreed upon
professional definitions
11. Theme identifying techniques in
qualitative data
Widely used 12 techniques can be classified under four
categories
1. Analysis of words
1. Word repetition
2. Indigenous categories
3. KWIC
2. A careful reading of large blocks of text
4. Compare and contras
5. Social science queries
6. Missing information
12. Theme identifying techniques in
qualitative data (cont.)
3. An intentional analysis of linguistic features
7. Metaphors
8. Transitions
9. connectors
4. The physical manipulation of the text
10. Un marked text
11. Pawing (Handling)
12. Cutting and sorting
13. Words repetitions
Words that occurs a lot are consider relevant in the
mind of respondent
Formal mode: counting frequency of words
Informal mode: synonyms, ideas behind words (love,
greed, money etc.)
14. Indigenous categories
Local terms
Terms with a particular meaning in respondents
setting (specialized vocabulary)
15. KWIC
Search key words then corpus of text for further
illustration
Search range of sentences in which key words occure
16. Compare and contrast
Constant comparison to find similarities and
differences in the text.
What are similarities and differences?
How is similar?
How is different?
Compare answers to questions across people space and
time.
17. Social science queries
How textual data illuminate questions of importance
to social science.
Search specific social and cultural themes.
Explain conditions, actions, interactions and
consequences of phenomenon
18. Missing information
Get an idea of what is not being done or talked about
Searching for themes that are missing
Reasons:
Avoid sensitive issues
Assume that researcher already knows
May not speak in the presence of others
Do not understand the question
19. Metaphors
The way people feel about things
Metaphors
Similes
analogies
20. Transitions
Look for naturally occurring shifts in thematic
content.
Oral speech: pause, change in tune, particular phrase
(then, now then, now again)
Written speech: therefore, however, similarly, lastly,
next, in brief, in short, conclusion etc.
21. Connectors
Indicate relationship
Causal (because, since, as a result)
Conditional (if, then, rather than, as a result)
Time oriented (before, after, next)
Logical (implies, mean, is one of)
Negative (not, no, none)
Attribute (X is Y)
22. Connectors (cont.)
Contingencies (if X then Y)
Function (X is a mean of affecting Y)
Spatial (X is close to Y)
Operational (X is a tool for doing Y)
Comparison (X resembles Y)
Class (X is a member of Y)
Provenience ( X is source of Y) etc.
23. Un marked text
Examine for the text which has not been coded before
for themes.
Require multiple reading
Initially mark obvious themes with colored pencils
Secondly search for new less obvious themes
24. Pawing
Marking the text and eyeballing the text.
Circle words, underline, use color highlighters, run
lines down to the margin indicate meaning and
coding.
Then look for patterns and significance
25. Cutting and sorting
Traditional techniques of cutting up transcripts
Coded them into piles, envelops or folders
Or past them on cards
Finally read and process
26. Selection among techniques
Required following considerations.
1. Kind of data you have
2. How much skill is required
3. How much labor is required ( cost, time, effort)
4. Number and types of themes to be generated
5. Reliability and validity of the theme
27. Kinds of data
Lengthy narratives: All techniques
Audio and video: Repetitions, similarities and
differences, missing data
Shorter and less complex data: transitions,
metaphors and connectors are inappropriate
Short response to open ended questions: missing
information is not appropriate
28. Skills
Language skills: metaphors, connectors, indigenous
typologies, missing data
Other language: repetitions, transitions, similarities
and differences, world list, co-occurance, metacoding
With less Computational skills: cutting and sorting,
world list, KWIC
29. labor
Use of computer software is easy in word count and co-
occurance. Learning software require time and effort.
Observation based techniques are more labor oriented
30. Number and kinds of themes
More is better. All themes are not equally important
More themes are generated by repetitions,
similarities and differences, transitions, connectors,
cutting and sorting, world lists and KWIC
Less themes generated by metaphors, indigenous
categories and missing data.
33. Internal Validity/Credibility
It is achieved when the results are seen as believable by
the participants.
Techniques involved
1. Prolong engagement
2. Persistent observation
3. Triangulation
4. Peer debriefing
5. Negative case analysis
6. Referential adequacy
7. Member checking
34. External Validity/ Transferability
It is exist when the results can be applied to other
contexts.
The researcher should decide and explain the results
in detail
35. Reliability/Dependability
Emphasize the stability of data over time
The researcher should describe the changes in the
context of research and how these changes affect the
research.
36. Objectivity/Conformity
Demonstrates that enquiry is free of bias, Values and
prejudice.
Research results should not be the imagination of
researcher.
Procedures should be documented for other researchers to
verify.
Techniques involve:
1. Prolong engagement
2. Persistent observation
3. Triangulation
4. Peer debriefing
5. Negative case analysis