Actually, if you want to do thematic analysis and process with data collection, you eventually intend to invent high quality stories that unintentionally keeping narrative material. On the other hand, thematic analysis is highly general in application, whereas narrative analysis has various different approach. 

In my opinion, thematic analysis and narrative analysis is not incompatible entirely. However, I suggest you first proceed with thematic and use your full data to cover the broad aspect and later make narrative analysis with only specific and interesting findings in more deep. 

Narrative analysis or narrative inquiry is a qualitative research approach whereby the researcher analyses the stories people create, engaging in an inquiry of asking a given question of the narrative 'texts' for a given purpose. This approach can help us to understand how people are representing themselves, or their experiences, to themselves and to others. It comes under the umbrella of social constructionism.

Conducting a thematic analysis is somewhat different. It is essentially a coding exercise. It still comes under social constructionism and it is a qualitative research approach. The difference is that we often engage in thematic analyses with deductive reasoning - that is we are testing or confirming hypotheses. We often have ideas of what may find in the content from a group of qualitative interviews, for example, due to knowledge from a review of relevant literature. Our close reading and subsequent analysis will reveal the absence or presence of the expected themes. Other themes may be present and be noticed by us (the researcher). A thematic analysis lets us state the main topics or ideas that an interview or focus group transcript turns out to be about. A narrative analysis on the other hand might enable us to glean insights into how and even why topics or ideas are being presented.

In broad terms then a thematic analysis typically asks WHAT, whereas a narrative analysis typically asks HOW and WHY. Both are seeking new levels of (tentative) meaning to be derived. There is typically a greater amount of inductive reasoning though overall in narrative inquiry.

In general, I think both approaches can be combined. The important question to me is, like Melis Petrakis mentioned, the way you are looking for themes. If you start with pre-existing themes you are on a deductive path but analysing the narrations is an inductive approach. I think you could use a deductive oriented thematic analysis to search your data for cases where the themes you are interested in are represented and then analyse these cases with narrative analysis. So thematic analysis would have the function of identifying the relevant cases and could be seen as part of the sampling.

I would recommend reading

Langley A. (1999), “Strategies for Theorizing From Process Data”, Academy of Management Review, 24(4): 691-710.

which illustrates very well how to deal with the "How" questions...

In my view, both narrative and thematic analysis rely on abductive approach (if one considers that pure inductive approach does not exist, as one cannot abstract itself from prior knowledge or categories). The main difference between narrative and thematic, then, rests in the fact that time (process) lies at the heart the narrative approach, while thematic analysis focus on the content of what people says. They can be combined if one analyzes how a particular event, with its characters, context etc. unfolds over time... Thematic analysis would help identifying these various aspects of the narration in time.

Hello,

Yes you could do both but be aware of the fact that, to collect both, the interviews might be different and they are on two very different/levels. Thematic analysis will confirm that your five elements are present, how they actualize in patients' experiences, and possibbly how they connect to one another. Narrative analysis will seek how patients arrange them to build narrative, some will be context, other actants, or causes. You will see how patients combine these elements in order to make sense, to build a story from their experience.

In any case, if you want to have both, I would first make the thematic analysis, since it is probably closer to your theoretical framework (you derived the themes from framework), and then, in a second and separate time, the narrative analysis in search for answers to different questions. 

Besides, I would advise not to stick to the five themes, and look if some other themes are emerging. For the narrative analysis, if you're looking just for a method of analysing data, use Barbara Czarniawska. If the narratives are to be linked to a broader meaning, or critical analysis, you'd better use David Boje or Yianis Gabriel

Dear Dr. Jean-Luc Moriceau, thank you very much for your answer. 

Dear Mr. Iftekhar Ahmed, Dr. Christoph Stamann, Dr. Melissa Petrakis, and Dr. Florence Allard-Poesi, thank you very much t

I am thankful to all of you for your feedback !!

Heartiest Regards 

Sanaullah!

I have the same research aim as you! And I have used narrative inquiry to elicit stories from my participants. These have been analysed thematically to build a narrative. Additionally, I have included a case study.

Aqua Y Hastings I am trying to do the same thing as ou! Can you tell me how you presented the data in a narrative way?

Angela Sanchez, after considerable time spent working with the data in different ways. I ended up using 'big stories' and 'small stories' that backed up statements about the themes which emerged from the data. The use of 'small stories' allowed me to include ethnographic detail without narrating a full chronological story of events around participant's lives.

Aqua Y Hastings thank you so much for your reply! Was this your dissertation or a published paper? If public would you mind sharing the link? I am in the middle of my dissertation and struggling!

Dear Aqua and Angela. We wish you the best for your researches. Just a note, that may not apply to your specific cases. When narrative analyses are used, and developments on narratives and stories are provided, the committee or evaluators are usually requiring a reflection on: 1/ your own text as a story , 2/ the theories you used as stories, or as containing a narrative dimension, 3/ the possible distinction between stories and narratives. These points can be central, or addressed in a short development, but avoiding them will probably raise questions from your evaluators...

Thankyou Jean-Luc Moriceau. I'm not entirely sure I've understood what you mean....

Angela Sanchez, I've used the work of Ollerenshaw and Creswell (2002), Sools (2013), Georgakopoulou and Bamberg (2006), and Grbich (2013) to justify the use of narrative and thematic analysis. This was for a dissertation.

Hi,

Sorry if I was unclear or too allusive.

The question is what is the fundamental demarcation between your research and a narrative, as you studied them (there is a beginning, an end, a plot, a narrator, you may have had 'tales of the field', use literary devices, etc.)? And how much theory is there in the narrative you analyzed?

This is not an attack on your research (I have not read it), but a lead to extend the reflection. Otherly said, and to refer back to the intitial question, you can use the narratives as one more analysis strategy, or you may enter in a narrative turn in qualitative studies. In a narrative 'turn', the question of the narratives may go far further than the stories you collected. You have probably already received a few questions in that direction.

Jean-Luc Moriceau I am doing research of folk beliefs and practices, I am not using a theory to guide my work. Because it is communal information I am wanting to use the narratives of participants and their experiences with folk beliefs and practices, but I want to analyse the narratives using thematic analysis

Hi Angela,

It is difficult to respond without knowing more of your work, and the link between folk beliefs and narrative seems very interesting. A concern however could be that thematic analysis might destroy the strength and interest of stories, narratives and folk beliefs. I would be very attentive of thematic analysis not to kill the plots, characters, structures, intertextuality, teller skills, etc... A story or a narrative deserves to be treated as a story or narrative before being cut in thematic pieces, that would reduce connections, interferences, complementarity of the parts.

Narrative analysis is a genre of analytic frames whereby researchers interpret stories that are told within the context of research and/or are shared in everyday life. while thematic Analysis is a flexible data analysis plan that qualitative researchers use to generate themes from interview data.The purpose of this step is to get the qualitative researcher engaged with the data and begin thinking about prevalent topics discussed by participants

I would like to ask, if possible a question around narrative analysis and thematic analysis. I have completed biographical narrative interviews and restoried each narrative separately. Two questions on this:

a) Would it be advisable to perform a narrative or thematic analysis there after for a dissertation or would a re-story for each be acceptable.

b) I have looked at extracting themes which substantiate the research question, how would this then be represented?

Robyn-Ann Coleman I've found myself in a similar dilemma as you. This thread is truly affirming. The field of narrative inquiry being underdeveloped and so multidisciplinary, there seems to be no one 'right' way. From my understanding of literature read so far, restorying is one step of narrative analysis... so in a way you've already begin there. Re: extracting themes- would this be from your raw data or the restoried narratives? And I find that I agree with arguments made before that the deductive approach of extracting themes some what wars with the inductive essence of narratives. I am struggling with that myself so looking forward to any help you can offer.

Hi,

I agree there is no one right way. Stories are very rich material, you can choose different strategies to learn something with them, the worst strategies being those that reduce or transform stories into something else, easier to analyze but no longer stories.

The danger of a thematic analysis after having restoried the informant's stories, is that you 'stangely' find back the themes and connections between the themes that you might have squeezed in by your re-storying.

It is impossible to answer to the questions without knowing the research intent, the context and reading the stories themselves. However a very productive step is usually to really listen to the stories, the use of phrases, the way they bounce from one theme to another, how they connect with other issues, personal, collective or fictions. In what ways the stories differ from the theory (wich is also in a way a story)? What are the differences in themes, connections, speed, style, characters, context, etc. and what this could theoretically mean? Do these differeneces repeat accross stories? What do the storytellers seem to know or take for granted that you don't know?

The restorying step will help you to restore and possibily compare the plots, beginning, end, charaters... but do not lose what in gthe initial tales exceeded the restoyring.

As a conclusion, a possibility is to follow one method (there are numerous books on narrative analysis - for example Boje provides you with many). But the advice is to conduct parallely a more immediate reading of the stories and note all what you feel is interesting, wierd, intriguing. Here often hides some golden nuggets... If something hot is clearly told by an informant, no one can accuse you of being too subjective or lacking of method. Taking seriously an element told by your informant is for sure a display of rigor.

Jean-Luc Moriceau you have been a great resources person! I had a breakthrough in line with your suggestion yesterday and reading your comment now makes me feel like I was on the right track. I too hated the idea of thematically analyzing restoried data. It felt like I was analysing what I had taken away- too much of myself. Bordering on meta-analysis. I looked up other research which had employed (or claimed to) employ narrative analysis and focused particularly on research which outlined itself as narrative inquiry- not merely qualitative research using narrative methods. In this way, I've made a shortlist of 4 possible ways I can go about my analysis. I doubt I'll be able to try out each one given deadlines. But I am going to present the options to my supervisor and mull it over. Thank you!

Hi to Jean-Luc Moriceau Jean-Luc Moriceau or Aqua Y Hastings '@Melissa Petrakis

I have just come across this thread. It is really what I needed to read. I am writing my dissertation. I am on analysis part and using narrative analysis. Methodology written. I interviewed 2 participants. I am looking at educational policies in Early Years ed. in England of last 20 years with experienced teachers. thought I was doing ok but my supervisor has asked me am i writing a thematic narrative analysis? This has thrown me.

My participants created timelines duruing their interviews. Which I will use as part of the analysis. I drew my own timeline too. I have kept a research journal etc. I have created a short story for the beginning of the analysis from the answers given by both participants at the end of the interview. this has worked well. I would have happily gone on and written the entire thing this way but I dont think that is what is wanted.

My aim is to springboard from the current situation now of both teachers and then look back. my research question is unfortunately a 'what' but I do ask the question at the end of the little story a 'how did we get here?' to then go back and look at their journeys. Their are many similiarities and intertwinings...so to speak.

Please is there anyone who can help me? I have read the other replies but I am panicking now. Its been a bad day.

Hi Anne,

Panic seems to be a standard part of the dissertation experience for most!

I haven't entirely understood your issue.

You are using narrative method to collect data from teachers and including a timeline to illustrate chronology of events. This will build a nice thick narrative of your participants' experiences and perceptions. You are also keeping careful records of your method process.

One supervisor has inquired if you intend to use thematic narrative analysis. This method of analysis would explore the narratives for reiterative themes. As the themes emerge you would start to make sense of how these patterns are occurring. Alternatively, instead of allowing themes to emerge from the narratives you might have pre-determined themes that you are searching for in the narratives.

Thus - you are collecting narratives from your interviewees. Your task now is to decide how to analyse them. Will you search for repeating patterns of themes in the narratives? If so, you would be using thematic narrative analysis.

Best wishes!

Hi,

Thanks you for these interesting exchanges.

Again, I am too far away from the topic, context, etc, so it is just an impression.

I guess that by asking two experiences teachers to tell their 20 year long story, you're not looking for a general pattern (2 people), but you want to know how these two persons are perceiving and telingl about these turbulent 20 years. The idea is to go deeper and see how they tell the story. A thematic analysis is always possible, to identify the themes they find important, but limiting oneself to this may lead to a disappointing, probably banal, result. And in this case, what is the purpose of having a story rather than asking for a list of important themes?

What history will add are the main plots, the important actors, the ways of organizing events, the expressions used, the ellipses and allusions, the connections with stories of high or popular culture, myths, imaginaries, fears, what have they been through, the challenges, passages, etc.

And just as important if we remember how much telling one's story is part of an identity (see Paul Ricoeur oneself as another, Judith Butler making an account of oneself, Margareth Rago a aventura de contar-se), we want to see how the interlocutors construct their identity and their personal trajectories with regard to events, policies and structures, and also the elements of a collective identity.

So my advice would be: if a thematic analysis is requested (the supervisor just seems to ask if there will be one), and if it seems to bring something (why not do a quick one to see if it gives something interesting?), present it as a first level of analysis.

But then, I think you must try to identify what the tensions, sequences, twists and turns are, understand the plots and sub-plots, the crucial moments, and probably try to relate it to the more general context of the evolution of education in England and, rather than trying to find the classical themes and words, hunt for what is interesting, original. Try to restore the atmosphere that passes through history, sneak out the affects, and not only analyse them but make the reader understand (feel) them.

To fully grasp the power of stories, you often also have to love being a storyteller yourself. Story and history are often much closer than we pretend to believe (see Paul Veyne or Ricoeur)

Hi,

thanks for the clear distinction between the thematic analysis and narrative analysis. I would only add that narrative analysis requires creative openness from both researcher and the researched in order not to spoil the process of narrative research. Thus, the narrative analysis needs such a model in which the structure of narrative serves the contents

NA is a genre of analytic frames whereby researchers interpret stories that are told within the context of clinical research and shared in everyday life. TA is to do with topics or subject matter or topics that emerge from the narratives which could be in the form of text, prose, video-audio.

Wow, where am I? I seem to be about to be lost! Thank you all for these questions and answers. Narrative inquiry can be so confusing. The ideal narrative to me is a single in-depth storyline. I have some comments and questions:

Please Monique and Ann, how did your analysis go in the end, how did you two decide to progress? In my case, my research is also a narrative study, at the moment, I am extracting data, but from a 'cleaned' version of my interviews.

What does re-storying in a narrative approach entail, please?

Also, can someone explain to me the differences between narrative analysis and analysis of narratives? Thank you

Narrative data (people telling a story) can be analysed by just looking at the told stories by some sort of story/narrative analysis sub-procedure (e.g. extracting the 'themes' of the narrative).

But the telling of the told story can in addition be also interpreted by relating this telling of the told story to the person and/or the occasion on which the story was told and to whom and considering the purposes and functions of that particular telling.

This involves relating the narrating of the story (a discursive event) to the historical moment of the telling in the biography of teller and listener(s).

BNIM (biographic narrative interpretive method) involves such a double method of interpreting autobiographic story material: both the telling of the told story (in a carefully designed interview) and how it fits into the living of the lived life.

If such a 'double method' (Twin-Track) of looking at autobiographic story-telling is followed, then complex and very variable relations can exist between the pattern of the actual lived life and the pattern of the story told about that life at a particular phase of that life and in a particular interview interaction context.

I think you get more this way...

One (hopefully) illuminating way to enter into the previous debates is to take up the distinction in narratology between classical and post-classical approaches. Classical approaches insist on the distinction between genres and the organisation and structure of the narrative (see Barthes, Genette, Greimas). Post-classical approaches give greater importance to the context and circumstances of the narrative (including historical, geographical, cultural and of course the background of the author). There are then feminist and queer approaches (Lanser), rhetorical (Phelan), transmedial (Ryan), or questioning the narrator (Nünning) .Also read about natural narratology (including conversations - Fludernik).

On the topic of Thematic analysis and Narrative analysis, can you combine both in research ? I was going to use thematic analysis in my research and my supervisor advised that thematic analysis was not enough.

Yes, Eila, in my use of the terms you certainly can.

One way of thinking, is that

(i) 'thematic analysis' is taking all the words of what was said, and finding out what you see as the 'themes' of those said things (the discourse, as it might be called). 'All the words' might include arguments, descriptions, statements of attitude, and also stories.

(ii) 'narrative analysis' could be taking not all the words of what was said (as above) but only the words which carry narratives (the stories, the 'this happened and so that happened', whether of events outside the person, or thoughts feelings decisions happening inside the person).

(iia) you could do a 'thematic analysis' of just the stories in the text, not the rest

(iib) you could relate 'things said' -- either (i) or(ii) or both -- to a separate study of what you (not necessarily they) think happened in reality in the world to which they refer.

This (iib) is the method of BNIM (Biographic-Narrative-Interpretive Method) -- see my page on RESEARCHGATE -- which asks "How does a person who lived their life like THIS come in the interview to tell the story of their life (with whatever themes) like THAT?" and investigates each track separately to then ask the question quoted.

I attach my recent (by chance, just updated this morning) BNIM3 Quick Outline Sketch 333 which might be worth looking at. See p,26 and 35 perhaps....

Best wishes

Tom

Hello everyone, I am a Research Scholar doing my PhD in psychology from India.I aim to explore the nature of discrimination faced by the ethnic minority in work place.

I am afraid that given the pandemic and work from culture what qualitative approach should I adopt to for interviewing individuals from ethnic minorities and analyzing data as to best capture their discriminatory experiences. Or rather just focus on the current discriminatory experiences, from the time these individuals started working from home ( for almost a year now). But I do want to include narratives/themes from their recent past. Or it this something I am unnecessarily over-thinking about?

Dear Dr. Sanaullah Panezai,

I believe that nowadays, interacting between narrative analysis and thematic analysis implies knowing how to fit perfectly with the experience and the meaning of life experienced as a special and motivated fact in our case on a literary level. It is about interacting in the first person, where "Time" plays its important role, not only because of the importance we give to "information", but also because of the approach that is already being given to the "New Social Phenomenon" that we are living.

SEE THE SAME QUESTION, IN:

Cf. https://www.researchgate.net/post/Differences_between_narrative_analysis_and_thematic_analysis

Thanks Juana Maria Arcelus-Ulibarrena ! This really is helpful.@

please see this link :

https://www.manaraa.com/post/3683/%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B9%D9%8A-[%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB]

Hey! Thank you. But I am unable to access the link.

Thank you for your appreciation Dear Dr. Trisha Walia !

Please check the following papers and chapters:

Article Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implications for con...

https://nordopen.nord.no/nord-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2386408/Vaismoradi.pdf?sequence=3

http://westeastinstitute.com/journals/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/4-Mohammed-Ibrahim-Alhojailan-Full-Paper-Thematic-Analysis-A-Critical-Review-Of-Its-Process-And-Evaluation.pdf

Article What can "thematic analysis" offer health and wellbeing researchers?

https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.846799716151082

https://www.torrossa.com/en/resources/an/5017778#page=143

https://www.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=DcjLDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA265&dq=What+is+the+difference+between+narrative+analysis+and+thematic+analysis%3F+&ots=YalIzhRzvW&sig=uwpnW70YoAQ_eahy49P-VsqVHo4

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/22041451.2019.1677068

https://www.academia.edu/download/60533259/_Paula_Brough__Advanced_Research_Methods_for20190909-80496-18tab5h.pdf#page=224

Article Models of Narrative Analysis: A Typology

I think Narrative analysis goes beyond how the data is prepared and presented to how the report or data is discussed. It answers more of the 'HOW' questions and goes beyond the literal interpretation of experiences to explain how you attach meaning to it. So planning for a Narrative analysis may involve ensuring that data collection is holistic including field notes, prompts and clues etc. Also, despite having preconceived themes, You may need to consider looking out for inductively generated themes if combining TA with NA. It takes a bit of a constructionist standpoint to relate data interpretation and analysis with societal construction. Note they are both based on a constructivist philosophical standpoint. TA to me focuses more on literal interpretation of data and the alignments existing between components of the data set. A balance of both is more often applied in phenomenological research.

I'm currently working on a perspective and methodology that could be summarised as follows

Critical Eco-PsychoSocietal Realism (C-EPS-R) using

Triple Sub-Session BNIM3 interviewing and

Triple-Track Case BNIM3 case-interpretation and at least

TripleCase BNIM3 Cases-Typology Upwards) Description, Comparison and Reflexive (Abstractions-Downward)

Conceptualising and Theorising

I have used BNIM as my methodology in my research but find that I keep going between narrative analysis and thematic analysis to undertake my data analysis.