Content and Thematic Analysis Techniques in Qualitative Research: Purpose, Process and Features

Abstract

It has been observed that qualitative research methodologies are increasingly used in educational research. However, many errors can occur in qualitative research at various stages, from planning the study to collecting data, from selecting participants to writing the findings. One of the processes where novice qualitative researchers experience the most problems is data analysis. At this stage, researchers often do not know how to structure and code the data, and they lack confidence in their knowledge and skills regarding the processes of developing categories and themes. Another significant issue for researchers is their inability to understand the purposes and usage of the techniques applied in qualitative data analysis. It is even observed that in some studies, the processes of one analysis technique are replaced with those of another technique with similar characteristics. The continued increase of these problems negatively affects the robustness of qualitative research. The present study has been prepared to contribute to solving these issues observed in the literature. The study explains the characteristics, purposes, differences, and necessary steps of content analysis and thematic analysis approaches, which are frequently used in the analysis of qualitative data. Additionally, the study highlights the principles that should be considered in conducting content and thematic analyses, with the hope of assisting researchers in carrying out a rigorous and robust process.