Qualitative data can be analysed in a range of ways, with different approaches to QLDA reflecting different research assumptions.

One term that is commonly used is ‘thematic’ analysis, which implies a search for themes assumed to be inherent in the data being analysed (cf grounded theory research). This raises the question of how the analyst can identify such themes, as this suggests a process of ‘induction’ - how does the analyst have the necessary ‘theoretical sensitivity’ (to borrow a term form grounded theory).

The analyst has to interpret the data in terms of categories, at different levels of generality, that both (a) relate to the research objectives and questions; and (b) reflect the content of the data set.

An example from medical education

Darbyshire and Baker (2012) report a “systematic review and thematic analysis of cinema in medical education”.

Purpose:

“The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature on the use of cinema in healthcare education.”

“Using thematic analysis, the review also considers the areas examined by the literature and the extent to which they are covered in order to identify topics that have already been investigated and gaps that can be explored in further study.” p.28

Analysis

"Each article was read at least once to determine relevance and then again to gather information pertinent to the review question and including: …theme (eg, chronic illness or the doctor patient relationship)… This information was collated and each component thematically analysed.” p.29

[The identification of themes by reading seems to be treated as a relatively unproblematic issue - yet this relies on processes of induction]

Themes identified:

“Four of the 12 articles published up to 1999 focused on mental health related topics.

Other themes were

1. •the technical aspects of using cinema for teaching
   

2. •human sexuality
   

3. •clinical pharmacology
   

4. •paediatrics
   

5. •general medicine
   

6. •AIDS
   

7. •group counselling
   

From 2000 onwards…

Clinical pharmacology again featured

…mental health topics dominated. Areas examined including

1. •adolescent psychiatry
   

2. •biopsychosocial formulation and the Mental State Examination
   

3. •family and marriage counselling
   

4. •personality disorders
   

5. •psychiatry and the media
   

6. •schizophrenia.
   

Some of the social determinants of health

1. •alcohol
   

2. •poverty
   

3. •domestic violence
   

Topics around professionalism such as

1. •ethics
   

2. •the end of life
   

3. •bereavement
   

4. •the doctor patient relationship
   

5. •empathy and altruism
   

The more general topics

1. •using cinema for instruction
   

2. •medical humanities and narrative medicine
   

received considerable attention during the 10-year period from 2000.

Examination of the themes of articles published by the Journal of Medicine and Movies showed an equally diverse selection of topics

1. •Medical microbiology
   

2. •Social aspects of biology
   

3. •Virology
   

4. •Addiction
   

5. •Doctor patient relationship
   

6. •Palliative care and ethics
   

7. •Education theory
   

8. •Research theory
   

Darbyshire, D., & Baker, P. (2012). A systematic review and thematic analysis of cinema in medical education. Medical Humanities, 38