My research is on the socialisation of international students in seminars and I'm collecting data via classroom observation. From the classroom observations, I obtained two types of data which are the field notes and recordings which I have transcribed.
Thanks!
Dear Zurina
Yes You can use thematic analyses with observation and field notes.
I share with you same bibliography:
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Sage.
Stella, A., & Woodhouse, D. (2007). Benchmarking in Australian higher education: A thematic analysis of AUQA audit reports. Melbourne, VIC: Australian Universities Quality Agency.
Regards
Maria Joao C Teixeira
I completely agree. Thematic analysis is a very common analytic approach for qualitative inquiry, so there are a variety of resources available to you. I'd suggest beginning with an introductory text like Glesne Becoming Qualitative Researchers or the Sage Handbook because those broad resources can point you to additional resources that might specifically relate to the kind of analysis most appropriate to your field and your specific project. Like any other analytic strategy, there are many, many ways to engage in thematic analysis, so you'll likely have to do quite a bit of reading to get a broad sense of thematic analysis as well as how specific scholars have taken it up and implemented it in the context of specific projects.
I agree with Maria and Jessica that this should not be a problem. Still, most of the work that has been on thematic analysis emphasizes interviews, so I can see why you might some doubts about using it with observational methods.
I personally have doubts about the part of Braun and Clarke's 6-step process where you wait to do any coding, memoing, etc. until after the data is fully collected. That strikes me as unnecessary in any form of data qualitative data collection, and particularly in observational studies where you are continually writing field notes.
Just to give some variety from Braun & Clarke, I have attached a recent article by some other authors.
I agree with the general comments that of course you can use thematic analysis.
I also agree with David's comment that one should start analysing observational data immediately. There are two aspects to that. During the observation of events you will notice connections and questions that you will forget if you don't make a note of them immediately. It's a good idea to have a column for themes and questions in your field notes. Second, if you review your field notes straight away, within a few hours of the events, you will make more connections and see themes you had not noticed during the observation phase but that you will forget if you don't make a note of them. Perhaps more importantly the questions and themes help sensitize you to issues you may need to pay attention to in later observation. Indeed as Malinowski pointed out, you need to start organising and putting down your ideas as soon as possible because it is only when you do so you realise that you have missed hugely important questions and issues.
"To anyone who reflects on the subject it will be clear that the information about a phenomenon of such high complexity and of so many ramifications, could not be obtained with any degree of exactitude and completeness without a constant interplay of constructive attempts and empirical checking. In fact I have written up an outline of the Kula institution at least half a dozen times while in the field …" (1972: 13)
You have to start thinking about the meanings and themes straight away. Indeed Malinowski organised his material into thematic tables and kinship diagrams as son as possible an then kept testing and re-working them.
See also
Caulley, D. Qualitative Methodology: Qualitative Data Analysis in Program Evaluation. Evaluation News and Comment, 3, 2, 68-73.
Bogdan, Robert C, & Biklen, Sari K 1982, Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to Theory and Methods, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.
Zurina Khairuddin , out of curiosity, did you use direct quotations from field notes? If yes, how? (I assume that the field notes were taken by you)
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