#Codebook thematic analysis software#
#Codebook thematic analysis code#

Do I have to use software for my qualitative analysis?ĭefinitely not – while I generally recommend the use of qualitative software such as NVivo, it’s not necessarily the best choice for every project. If you’re new to the idea of a coding framework, you might like to read DeCuir-Gunby, Marshall and McCulloch’s (2010) article on developing and using a codebook for the analysis of interview data.

They’re particularly important if you’re working in a qualitative team – if multiple people are coding on a project, they all need to have the exact same understanding of the codes being used – otherwise the analysis will just be a disaster! If you don’t define codes clearly, later down the track you may either completely forget what they mean, or your understanding may shift which may introduce inconsistent coding. Having a clear coding framework is important as codes are often quite abstract/fuzzy concepts. It’s sometimes referred to by other names such as a codebook or analysis framework. What’s a “coding framework” and why do I need one?Ī coding framework is a list of all the codes or labels that you’ll use in your analysis. So – think of codes as the building blocks of your larger themes.

#Codebook thematic analysis code#

In their book Successful Qualitative Research (2013), Braun and Clarke use an analogy of a brick wall where a code is an individual brick, while a theme is the actual wall. Braun and Clarke define a theme by saying it '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' (2006, p. Themes generally represent bigger picture findings that emerge from your coding. What’s the difference between a code and a theme?Ĭodes are defined above – they’re usually a smaller unit of analysis. Note that the purpose of being able to retrieve this data is not necessarily so that you can “count it”, but to allow you to identify patterns and interpret ideas. The text that you code could be single words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs. Each piece of text is marked with a label, which means that you can easily retrieve all the text that relates to that label – think of a recipe index that helps you easily find the cake recipes versus the soup recipes. The process of coding involves sifting through your data and identifying topics, ideas, concepts, terms, phrases or keywords. At a very simple level, codes are just labels.

What is coding?Ĭoding is a central process in all qualitative methodologies, although researchers use the term in different ways. Often people feel like they’re asking “stupid” questions, but I firmly believe it’s only a stupid question if you don’t ask it! In case you’ve been too shy to ask – here’s a round up of some of the common questions beginners ask me about qualitative data analysis. If you’re feeling a bit lost as to what’s involved, be assured that you’re likely not the only one! I’ve been busy facilitating NVivo courses recently and have been asked a lot of questions that relate more widely to qualitative analysis. It’s that time of year when many of you are in the thick of analysing qualitative data.