Elsevier

Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning

Methodology Matters

Thematic analysis of qualitative research data: Is it as easy as it sounds?

Abstract

Issue

We are seeing the use of qualitative research methods more regularly in health professions education as well as pharmacy education. Often, the term "thematic analysis" is used in research studies and subsequently labeled as qualitative research, but saying that one did this type of analysis does not necessarily equate with a rigorous qualitative study. This methodology review will outline how to perform rigorous thematic analyses on qualitative data to draw interpretations from the data.

Methodological Literature Review

Despite not having an analysis guidebook that fits every research situation, there are general steps that you can take to make sure that your thematic analysis is systematic and thorough. A model of qualitative data analysis can be outlined in five steps: compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding.

My Recommendations and Their Applications

Nine practical recommendations are provided to help researchers implement rigorous thematic analyses.

Potential Impact

As researchers become comfortable in properly using qualitative research methods, the standards for publication will be elevated. By using these rigorous standards for thematic analysis and making them explicitly known in your data process, your findings will be more valuable.

Section snippets

Issue

We are seeing the use of qualitative research methods more regularly in health professions education, as well as pharmacy education.1 Moreover, researchers recognize that qualitative methods provide "a source of well-grounded, rich descriptions and explanations of processes in identifiable local contexts"2 meaning the descriptions arise from the data but provide insight that goes beyond only numbers. Additionally, mixed-methods approaches combining qualitative and quantitative data analyses are

Methodological literature review

In pharmacy education, the most common type of qualitative data gathered is in the form of open-ended responses to questionnaires or reflections in written form. Additionally, content from interviews and focus groups can be gathered. Designing questions to gather the data in these multiple formats is integral to ensure collection of good data. While collecting the data can be very fun and exciting, the real fun begins when the data are analyzed.

Yin's book, Qualitative Research from Start to

Recommendations and their applications

1.

Surround yourself with a team of researchers with expertise in qualitative research. Whether you are just starting this type of research or have been conducting it for years, the power of a team and mentorship cannot be overstated.5

2.

To increase the consistency of the coding process, multiple coders should be used. This quality assurance process will ensure that your coding scheme and interpretations are illustrative of your data. If it is not possible to have multiple coders, keep detailed notes

Potential impact

By following these steps for TA of qualitative data, researchers can present work that is trustworthy and credible. An example of both using and explicitly describing sound qualitative analysis processes is found in Austin's article entitled "Continuous Professional Development: A Qualitative Study of Pharmacists' Attitudes, Behaviors, and Preferences in Ontario, Canada."31

In this study, forty-two pharmacists participated in small, 90-min focus group sessions with an experienced facilitator who

Disclosure

Authors have nothing to disclose in relation to this manuscript.

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