what is thematic analysis

Thematic analysis is a method of analyzing qualitative data that involves identifying, analyzing, and interpreting patterns of meaning (or "themes") within the data. It is a common form of analysis within qualitative research and is often used to examine themes or patterns of meaning within data. Thematic analysis is a flexible approach to qualitative analysis that enables researchers to generate new insights and concepts derived from data. It is a versatile technique that can be utilized for both exploratory research (where you don’t know what patterns to look for) and more deductive studies (where you see what you’re searching for) . Thematic analysis involves an active process of reflexivity, where a researcher’s subjective experience plays a central role in meaning making from data. The process of thematic analysis involves identifying patterns, creating codes, and arranging codes into themes. Researchers iterate on themes by merging, re-arranging, and re-naming codes. Thematic analysis is highly beneficial when working with large bodies of data, as it allows researchers to divide and categorize large amounts of data in a way that makes it easier to digest. However, it also involves the risk of missing nuances in the data.