Table 1.
Phases of thematic analysis.
| Step | Phases | Description of the process | 
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Familiarizing yourself with your data | Transcribing data (if necessary), reading and re-reading the data, noting down initial ideas | 
| 2 | Generating initial codes | Coding interesting features of the data in a systematic fashion across the entire data set, collating data relevant to each code | 
| 3 | Searching for themes | Collating codes into potential themes, gathering all data relevant to each potential theme | 
| 4 | Reviewing themes | Checking if the themes work in relation to the coded extracts (Level 1) and the entire data set (Level 2), generating a thematic “map” of the analysis | 
| 5 | Defining and naming themes | Ongoing analysis to refine the specifics of each theme, and the overall story the analysis tells, generating clear definitions and names for each theme | 
| 6 | Producing the report | The final opportunity for analysis. Selection of vivid, compelling extract examples, final analysis of selected extracts, relating back of the analysis to the research question and literature, producing a scholarly report of the analysis |