Applying Thematic Analysis to Analyse Qualitative Data: A Researcher’s Experience

The employment of qualitative descriptive approaches, for example, descriptive phenomenology, content analysis, and thematic analysis, are appropriate for researchers who want to use a comparatively low level of explanation, in contrast to grounded theory or hermeneutic phenomenology, which requires a higher level of interpretive complications. Sri Lankan low socio-economic students’ motivation and engagement was examined employing the Motivation and Engagement Scale-Junior School. According to the Scale’s guidelines least motivated and engaged 24 students, and 12 teachers and 12 principals were selected using purposive sampling method to conduct interviews to identify the school-related conditions impacting their motivation and engagement in learning. Those interview responses were analysed using thematic analysis. Therefore, how thematic analysis was undertaken to anlayse qualitative data is discussed in this paper. There are two objectives; to examine the thematic analysis approach employed to analyse qualitative data and to examine the stages of thematic analysis employed to analyse qualitative data. Accordingly, data driven (inductive) and semantic approach was employed. Adhering to the six main stages of thematic analysis, four main themes were identified; students: quality of classroom relationships, quality of curriculum and resources, teachers, and principals: quality of participants in the system, and quality of curriculum resources. Findings of this study will be helpful for researchers when conducting their own research to identify the themes in relation to the school-related conditions impacting early adolescents’ motivation and engagement in learning in low socio-economic contexts.