Thematic analysisI

Inductive and deductive orientation

Two ways into the data: an inductive orientation starts from the data itself, and a deductive orientation starts from existing theory or concepts.

On this page
  1. In more detail
  2. In Themescape
  3. Where to read more

In more detail

An inductive orientation develops codes and themes from the data, without fitting them to a framework decided in advance. A deductive orientation uses existing theory or concepts as a lens for coding and theme development.

In practice the two are often combined, and Braun and Clarke treat them as ends of a spectrum rather than a choice of one or the other. A method section that states the orientation helps readers understand where the themes came from.

In Themescape

The orientation is a choice about the analysis, not the software. A Theoretical connection is one way to mark a link that comes from theory rather than from shared codes in the data.

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The viewer with a theme selected, its codes around it and its definition in the panel. Sample data.

Where to read more

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE.

Related terms

The words that sit closest to this one.

Back to the A to Z
Thematic analysisSemantic and latent codingTwo levels of coding: semantic codes capture what participants explicitly said, and latent codes capture meanings and assumptions the researcher reads beneath the surface.Read the entryThemescapeTheoretical connectionA link between two themes, codes or sub-codes that the researcher proposes from theory or interpretation, with no shared code between them yet, drawn as a dashed line.Read the entryThematic analysisReflexive thematic analysisBraun and Clarke's approach to thematic analysis, in which the researcher actively develops themes through six recursive phases and treats their own interpretation as a resource rather than a bias.Read the entryThemescapeBuild modeA Parent mode, in beta, for turning a figure style into a finished figure, reshaping it and exporting it.Read the entryThematic analysisCandidate themeA provisional theme generated in phase 3, held loosely while the researcher reviews whether it works against the coded data and the whole dataset.Read the entryThematic analysisCodeA short label the researcher gives to a segment of data to capture something meaningful about it. Codes are the building blocks themes are developed from.Read the entry

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