Transforming Qualitative Information : Thematic Analysis and Code Development

Thematic analysis, a process for encoding qualitative information can be thought of as a bridge between the language of qualitative research and the language of quantitative research. Author Richard E. Boyatzis helps researchers understand thematic analysis a process that is a part of many qualitative methods and provides clear guidelines about learning to develop techniques to apply it to one's own research. Transforming Qualitative Information shows how to sense themes, the first step in analyzing information as well as how to develop codes, through the use of numerous examples from myriad research settings. Research design issues that are essential to rigorous and high-quality use of qualitative information are addressed, such as identifying, sampling, scoring and scaling, and reliability. This original volume confronts the debate between positivist and postmodernist looking at the research act in an innovative and fresh way. Boyatzis argues for an ecumenical approach to doing research. His book will be invaluable to researchers across a broad spectrum of disciplines and approaches.