Thematic Analysis: Making Values Emerge from Texts

Abstract

This chapter explains how thematic analysis can be used to make values emerge from texts. Taking reflexive thematic analysis as its starting point, it begins by giving a general overview of the processes of coding and generating themes from codes. The chapter then presents three ways of generating themes from coded values: Grouping synonyms, grouping based on value type, and grouping based on semantic meaning. It also distinguishes between and gives examples of thematic coding of values at the explicit, implicit, and latent level. Overall, the chapter presents a five-step approach to thematic analysis of values: (1) assigning codes, (2) generating themes, and if possible (3) organizing themes, (4) identifying aggregate dimensions, and (5) making visual representations of codes and themes.