First, there is no complete consensus on the stages of GT coding. For example, Chairman lists them as initial coding, focused coding, and theoretical coding. Second, I would not say that TA coding exactly matches this three-stage process. Instead, Braun and Clarke have 4 steps that relate to coding: Coding the data; Generating initial themes; Reviewing and developing themes; and Refining, defining and naming themes.

My own reading of Braun and Clarke's recent book is that their version of the initial coding of the data amounts to almost the same thing as open coding in GT, and their overall coding process is mostly different from GT in terms of labels rather than substance.

But, those labels are important to the practitioners of both GT and TA. So, if you were to write an article and claim that you used TA as your method and then described your process as using open, axial and selective coding, the reviewers would probably reject it out of hand.

Thematic analysis and grounded theory are two distinct qualitative research methods used in social sciences and other fields to analyze data. Here's a brief overview of the key differences in their coding processes:

1. **Theoretical Framework**:

- **Thematic Analysis**: Thematic analysis is a flexible and data-driven approach that does not start with a pre-existing theoretical framework. It focuses on identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within the data.

- **Grounded Theory**: Grounded theory, on the other hand, begins without a preconceived theory and aims to develop a theory from the data itself. It involves a more systematic process of coding to generate concepts and theories.

2. **Coding Process**:

- **Thematic Analysis**: In thematic analysis, coding involves identifying and labeling patterns or themes in the data. This can be done through open coding (creating initial codes), axial coding (developing categories and subcategories), and selective coding (refining and organizing themes).

- **Grounded Theory**: Grounded theory coding is more structured and iterative. It typically includes open coding (identifying concepts from the data), followed by constant comparison (comparing data and codes to refine concepts) and theoretical sampling (selecting new data based on emerging theory).

3. **Theoretical Sensitivity**:

- **Thematic Analysis**: Thematic analysis doesn't require researchers to be theoretically sensitive or to develop a comprehensive theory. It's more focused on identifying patterns in the data.

- **Grounded Theory**: Grounded theory emphasizes the development of a grounded theory that explains a phenomenon. Researchers need to be theoretically sensitive to generate concepts and theories that emerge from the data.

4. **Final Output**:

- **Thematic Analysis**: The output of thematic analysis is a set of themes or patterns that describe the data. It aims to provide a rich description of the data.

- **Grounded Theory**: Grounded theory aims to generate a theory that explains a specific phenomenon. The output includes a theoretical framework and concepts that help explain the data.

In summary, while both thematic analysis and grounded theory involve coding and qualitative data analysis, they differ in their approach to theory development, the level of structure in coding, and the ultimate output. Thematic analysis is more focused on identifying patterns, while grounded theory aims to develop a theory grounded in the data itself. The choice between these methods depends on the research objectives and the nature of the data being analyzed.

Andreemarie Bejjani, if you are going to copy and paste content from an AI, you should at least acknowledge the source.

Thanks Dr.David for a thorough explanation of the same.