Qualitative Coding and Thematic Analysis

Qualitative Coding and Thematic Analysis

Year 12 Psychology Research Methods UK National Curriculum 4.2.2

Learning Objectives - Lesson 1

Understand the principles of qualitative coding Distinguish between content analysis and thematic analysis Identify different types of coding approaches Apply basic coding techniques to sample data

Learning Objectives - Lesson 2

Conduct a complete thematic analysis Evaluate the reliability and validity of qualitative methods Compare qualitative and quantitative approaches Design a qualitative research study

What is Qualitative Research?

Think about your own experiences How would you describe your feelings about school? What words would you use? How is this different from rating school 1-10?

Qualitative vs Quantitative Data

Qualitative: Words, descriptions, meanings Quantitative: Numbers, measurements, statistics Qualitative explores 'why' and 'how' Quantitative measures 'how much' and 'how many'

Types of Qualitative Data

{"left":"Interview transcripts\nObservation notes\nDiary entries\nFocus group discussions","right":"Open-ended survey responses\nSocial media posts\nCase study reports\nEthnographic field notes"}

What is Coding?

Systematic organization of qualitative data Identifying patterns and themes Labeling segments of text with descriptive tags Foundation for deeper analysis

Quick Coding Practice

Read the sample interview excerpt Identify 3-5 key themes Give each theme a descriptive label Compare with a partner

Content Analysis Overview

Systematic examination of communication content Can be quantitative OR qualitative Counts frequency of words, phrases, or concepts Useful for media analysis and document review

Content Analysis Process

Content Analysis in Action

'Analysis of 500 newspaper articles revealed that 68% used negative language when discussing mental health, with words like 'burden' and 'dangerous' appearing 3x more frequently than positive terms.'

Thematic Analysis Overview

Identifies patterns of meaning across qualitative data More interpretive than content analysis Focuses on understanding experiences and perspectives Widely used in psychology research