Inductive/Deductive Hybrid Thematic Analysis in Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

Inductive/deductive hybrid thematic analysis offers significant opportunities for researchers, but its application within integrative mixed methods research has yet to be fully explored. Firstly, this article contributes by demonstrating the compatibility of inductive/deductive hybrid thematic analysis with quantitative work in a mixed methods approach to research. Secondly, the article then innovates by highlighting the value of this approach within a critical realist meta-theoretical perspective. Here, the critical realist concepts of abduction and retroduction are crucial, both in terms of facilitating the convergence of methods and in the generation of new theory. This article will be of relevance to researchers interested in integrating inductive/deductive hybrid thematic analysis with quantitative methods within a coherent and enabling philosophical paradigm.