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3.3 Qualitative Textual Analysis

Last modified by leppalm2@aalto_fi on 2024/01/16 08:08

On this page different qualitative analysis methods that  aim to structure or categorize textual data are briefly introduced.

There are various kinds of qualitative content analysis methods: below you can see some that belong to the family of qualitative content analysis.

Qualitative iterative content analysis: The method combines and alternates between deductive and inductive research approaches, i.e., it iteratively combines data and previous theory. The method “focuses on more narrow aspects of the data that have potential to extend specific theories or address practical problems” (Tracy 2018, 63).
Tracy, S. J.(2018). A phronetic iterative approach to data analysis in qualitative research. 질적연구, 19(2), 61–76.

Document analysis: This article discusses the collection and analysis of policy and industry documents in the field of media policy. 
Karppinen, K. and Moe, H. (2019). Texts as data I: Document analysis, in Van den Bulck, H., Puppis, M., Donders, K., and Van Audenhove L. (eds) The Palgrave handbook of methods for media policy research (pp. 249–262). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.


Another qualitative method that is used to textual data is qualitative thematic analysis. This method differs from qualitative content analysis by being less systematic and less aiming at quantifying the themes.

Qualitative thematic analysis: The method is used to identify, analyze and report patterns (themes) in qualitative data. It emphasizes the richness and depth of the data. It suits to sense-making and exploring experiences of the study participants.  

Relevant literature:
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis. Qualitative Psychology, 9(1), 3.

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International journal of qualitative methods, 16(1).