Thematic Analysis with Atlas.TI (Braun and Clarke approach)

 In this article I’m going to explain how to conduct thematic analysis using Atlas.ti.

This is a step-by-step article, that means that we are going to follow the six steps proposed by Braun and Clarke to conduct thematic analysis,so that we are able to go from raw transcripts such as this.

to a complete findings report like this.

 The steps that we’re going to be following to conduct thematic analysis were proposed by Braun and Clarke in their 2022 book titled Thematic Analysis A Practical Guide.

These steps include:

1. Familiarizing with the data
2. Generating initial goals.
3. Generating themes.
4. Reviewing themes.
5. Defining and naming themes.
6. Producing the report.

My name is Bernard Mugo, I like to refer to myself simply as an academic.

In the past three years, I’ve helped more than 250 PhD students analyze qualitative data and finally complete their thesis or dissertations.

In the course of helping such a large number of students, I’ve gained invaluable experience in the best practices that you can use to perform qualitative analysis of your interviews and be able to retrieve quality findings.

It is considered important to follow a framework when conducting thematic analysis because a framework ensures that we never get overwhelmed when analyzing qualitative data.

 For example when using the Braun and Clarke approach to conduct thematic analysis we will become aware of every stage that we need to take to move from raw data to findings.

 For the purposes of this article the example study that I’m going to use is student views on teaching strategies used in a college.

We are going to analyze at least two transcripts from this study and see how we can move from getting codes all the way to getting themes in Atlas.ti.

Now the first step is to familiarize with the transcripts.

 We’re going to go through the transcripts and read them like a story once we read the transcripts, we are going to get the nuance of what’s being provided by the respondents and how we can code that.

Once we are done with that we go and open Atlas.ti.

I have my Atlas.ti 25.

The version doesn’t matter that much the foundation of analysis is what matters how do we analyze? and why do we analyze?

Ideally we’re using the interpretivist philosophy.

Interpretivist philosophy is about ensuring that we consider the different perspectives of our participants.

 Let’s click on start atlas.ti I go to new projects.

The project name is “sample project three”.

 Then we create the project in Atlas ti.

So how does this sample project work? .

This sample project is where we are going to import our documents.

 We’re gonna import our documents in the document section.

And our codes in the codes section.

Looking at Atlas.ti there are main menus that you should look at.

There’s this menu that has file, home, search &code, analyzing, import&export, tools and help.

And there’s another menu to the left.

 Remember we are conducting thematic analysis following the Braun and Clarke six-steps.

 That means we’re going to use only a few sections of this software.

We’re going to use the document section and the codes section.

So how does this work?

For the document section, we are going to click on the documents then drag and drop the documents in the document section.

Or import them through the import button which is on the top menu.

 Once we import the documents, remember the first step of the Braun and Clarke is to familiarize the data.

Once we familiarize with the data and import the documents into Atlas.ti, we go to the second step which is generating initial codes.

Before we begin coding, I like to show a sample of what I am referring to as a code.

Let’s read this short paragraph together then see examples of code.

 Then I will define what’s a code, and then we are going to conduct some coding in Atlas.ti.

 He cares about me he has never told me, but he does. He’s always been there for me, even when my parents were not. He’s one of the few things that I hold as a constant in my life, so it’s nice. I really feel comfortable around him.

Let’s just read the first sentence.

He cares about me he has never told me, but he does. That is interpreted as sense of self worth.

Then we have number two, He’s always been there for me even when my parents were not he’s one of the few things that I hold as a constant in my life so it’s nice. So that’s stability.

Then number three, I really feel comfortable around him. That’s comfortable.

Basically this are codes.

 So with this sample in mind, let me define a code for you.

A code is a label or an interpretive statement to any information that’s important to our research question.

And before we begin coding the three transcripts, another thing we need to do is if you go to my transcripts and you look at student number one, I have come up with a way of managing codes so that I can know where the questions that this codes came from so that when we are combining codes to form themes it becomes a bit easier for us.

What do I mean?

 For example, question one I have color coded it as red.

 Question two I color coded it as light green.

Question three colored it as light blue or blue.

Question four dark blue.

 Question five purple.

And question six kind of gold.

That’s how I’ve color coded all the questions.

 These colors are what we’re going to use to mark codes when we code the data so let’s go and do that.

Let’s double click on a transcript to open it inside Atlas.ti and let’s get codes.

All our codes are going to go to the code section in Atlas.ti.

Now let’s do some coding together.

 I like to read the whole paragraph before I begin coding.

And as usual I’m going to do two transcripts then we can go and create some themes.

So what is your experience as a student at the institution?

The college is nice, they make a new paint job in the beginning of the year.

They redo the roof also because it was bad here in the winter.

The classrooms leak but the toilet it’s not nice.

Toilet is always dirty yes also classrooms are not clean all the time.

But I think its the students they eat in class and they leave paper there on the desk or on the floor

Why at this institution must I buy textbooks? At other institutions they get textbooks for free. They get all the drawing equipment and calculator here I must pay.

Management is a problem and they don’t communicate.

The timetable is very confusing when I came here in N four, I didn’t know where I needed to be in class. Nobody explains it to me I wasn’t sure if I was in group A or group B I just follow the class.

Sometimes I sit here the whole day and there is no class.

 Let’s do some codes here.

 So what’s your experience as a student at the institution? 

The college is nice they make a new painting job in the beginning of the year. They re-do the roof also because it was bad here in winter the classrooms leak but the toilet is not nice.

I would like to highlight where this person is talking about maintaining facilities. 

I want to right click then apply codes.

Then say repairing facilities.

 Repairing facilities is one of the codes.

 But the toilet is not nice toilet is always dirty yes. Also classrooms are not clean all the time but it is I think students they eat in the class and they leave the paper on the desk or on the floor.

But the toilet is not nice toilet is always dirty yes.

We also see that although they repair facilities they have untidy washrooms and classrooms.

 I want to highlight that sentence and code this as dirty classrooms and toilets.

Remember I said all the codes that will come from question one should be marked as red.

So right click, go to change color.

Change color to red.

Why at this institution must I buy textbooks? At other institutions they get textbooks for free. They get all the drawing equipment and calculator here I must pay.

Another issue inadequate textbooks then  mark that code as red.

 Management is a problem and they don’t communicate.

The timetable is very confusing when I came here in N four, I didn’t know where I needed to be in class. Nobody explains it to me I wasn’t sure if I was in group A or group B I just follow the class.

Sometimes I sit here the whole day and there is no class.

 Another experience here this person is saying is poor communication from the management.

 So I highlight all that statement and I right click create code.

And code Poor communication from the management and remember that code should be color red.

Let’s go to the second question to see how these codes will differ from the second set.

So question two what’s your current experience as a student with teaching strategies used in the classroom?

So I read the paragraph first.

The lecturers don’t explain very nicely sometimes I leave class not knowing what is going on.

I feel sometimes the lecturers are not just understanding at all when we ask them to explain.

Again lecturers don’t follow the right timetable.

Sometimes I’m not sure if it has changed but lecturers say that they had class beforehand or after the period that they were supposed to have class.

Most times I think lecturers arrive late to class then change the timetable.

After a lesson, it’s difficult to know whether we are understanding the work or not as it seems.

lecturers assume that we understand lecturers fail to give relevant feedback after we come with homework that was given. 

 let’s read this together and see.

 What’s your current experience as a student in teaching strategies?

The lecturers don’t explain very nicely sometimes I leave class not knowing what’s going on. I feel sometimes lecturers are just not understanding at all when I ask them to explain again.

 This person is saying they have experienced insufficient explanations from the lectures.

So let us code that as experienced insufficient explanations from the lecturer.

Right Click Change color that code will be marked as light green.

 Let’s keep going.

Again lecturers don’t follow the right timetable.

Sometimes I’m not sure if it has changed but lecturers say that they had class beforehand or after the period that they were supposed to have class.

Most times I think lecturers arrive late to class then change the timetable.

 So there’s an issue of lack of punctuality among the lecturers.

I highlight that I go apply code then say lack of punctuality among the lecturers.

 Then I go to change color and change to light green.

Then after a lesson it’s difficult to know whether we understanding the work or not as it seems lecturers assume that we understand.

Lecturers fail to give relevant feedback after we come with homework that was given.

So feedback from lecturers highlight that and code it as  poor feedback from lecturers.

 So what do we see here?

We see that I’m trying to code based on the research questions and objectives meaning I’m coding things that I believe are important.

 Now let us focus on the third transcript.

What’s your experience as a student at the institution?

With the COVID-19 pandemic I feel that the college does not have enough ventilation in the classroom.

At the classroom in room number 61 all the windows cannot open.

They are all related closed.

 Also I have a big problem with the way the administration deals with students.

 I know students are scared to go in and inquire about anything at the admin.

 So lecturers do not respect other lecturers time slots they tend to teach over the time allocated.

 Not all students do all four subjects so when we get to class time is wasted waiting for the rest of the class to come before the lecture can start.

 So this person is saying the first sentence, lack of enough ventilation in the classroom.

Also I have a big problem with the way the administration deals with the student, I know students are scared to go to inquire about anything at the admin.  

This person is saying, lack of working relationship between admin and students.

That is another code.

Then some lecturers do not respect other lecturers time slots they tend to teach over the time allocated. Not all students do all four subjects so when we get to class time is wasted waiting for the rest of the class to come before the lecture can start.

If you remember there is a code I had that said lack of punctuality among the lecturers.

so I can highlight that statement and include it in this code.

I can go to apply codes.  

And apply this code here .

Then click on the plus sign.

If you double click, you can see this code now has two quotes that the lecturers are not punctual which affects the delivery of classes and the teaching experience.

So what’s your current experience as a student with teaching strategies used in the classroom.

I like Mr. X. He has a nice way of teaching.

 He is very considerate he takes us to workshops and shows us what the materials look like but some students take advantage of his goodness.

He’s always asking if you are okay, and if there’s anything that we need to talk to him about we should speak to him.

I think there are lecturers that are struggling financially they’re just teaching to put food on the table this might lead to lecturers giving unprepared lessons as they come to class not knowing where to start.

Lecturers not allow the student to grasp what has been taught.

 I think lecturers must allow time during class for a class discussion and this may allow lecturers to see if we understand what was being taught I think we also learn of each other.

What’s your current experience as a student with the teaching strategies used in the classroom?

 So, I think Mr. X has a nice way of teaching he is very considerate he takes us to workshops show us how materials look like but I think some student take advantage of his goodness. He always ask if you’re okay with anything you need to talk around we should speak to him.

Generally, this person has a practical approaches in classrooms.

 In this code I will say that this lecturer uses practical approaches in the classrooms.

Then go to change color then red.

Basically that’s how we get codes.

 Now how do we combine these codes?

 How do we move to the next step in the Braun and Clarke which is generating themes .

We simply look for a pattern of shared meaning across the codes.

 If you look at the first transcript the red codes are relate to the students’ experiences in this institution.

 When you look at these codes we can see they are talking about something we call status of facilities in the institution.

I can go to the code groups then new group.

I type this theme as status of facilities at the institution.

 I can also right click and add new memo, it’s a description of this and say that this theme relates to the views of the interviewees at the institution.

If you double click on the theme you’ll see the description I added.

 I can right click and go and rename it to theme 1.

 I am trying to form preliminary themes.

So this is the first theme I can now appoint all the red codes to that.

  Basically if you look at those three codes they relate to status of facilities at the institution.

Let’s try and find another theme.

And then if you look at what we’re trying to discuss.

There are different challenges or status of the facilities we also have issues related to management if you look at codes like:

1. Poor communication from the management.
2. Poor feedback from lecturers, that’s about teaching.
3.  Lack of working relationship between admin and students.
4. Lack of eventuality among lecturers.
5. lack of ventilation.
6. Experiencing sufficient explanation from the lecturers.

You can see these are experiences of students with teaching strategies

 Group them as theme 2 experiences of students with teaching strategies.

 Theme two experiences of students with teaching strategies.

What are the experiences with teaching strategies?

You drag and drop all the codes that are color coded as green because they are related and place them under theme 2.

So those codes relate to experiences of students with teaching strategies used in the classroom.

Basically that is how we develop codes.

 First we familiarize with the transcripts then we generate initial codes.

Then we combine codes based on shared meaning to form themes.

 I’m not saying that my themes are perfect no, I would do better when I’m doing this or I have time to do this.

 I would go read the transcripts do the coding more deeply then after that we can always go and revise the codes that is how we get themes.

 Now, the next step is we go and review and refine these themes.

We check the themes to see that they are made up of combined shared meaning then we review and revise themes which is the fourth step.

But basically this was just an article to just show how we get codes and themes in Atlas.ti.