Workshop

From Codes to Themes

Lumivero Virtual Conference 2024
Presenter
Johnny Saldaña is Professor Emeritus
from Arizona State University’s
Herberger Institute for Design and
the Arts. He is the author of
Fundamentals of Qualitative
Research, The Coding Manual for
Qualitative Researchers, Thinking
INSERT YOUR PHOTO
Qualitatively: Methods of Mind,
Ethnotheatre: Research from Page
to Stage, Writing Qualitatively: The
Selected Works of Johnny Saldaña,
Developing Theory Through
Qualitative Inquiry, co-author with
the late Miles and Huberman for
Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods
Sourcebook, and co-author with Matt
Omasta for Qualitative Research:
Analyzing Life. Saldaña’s qualitative Johnny Saldaña, Professor Emeritus
methods works have been cited and
referenced in more than 43,000
research studies conducted in over
135 countries.
From Codes to Themes
Johnny Saldaña
Slides Copyright 2024 by Johnny Saldaña
Materials from other sources used exclusively for educational purposes
Understandings
◼ The primary purpose of this workshop is to introduce
qualitative thematic analysis.
◼ The presentation assumes that participants are relatively
new to qualitative data analysis.
◼ You will receive a full PDF set of these slides after the
workshop.

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Terms: The $100,000 Pyramid
◼ For each subject (category or theme), one player
gives her partner a list of clues (codes).
◼ From the list of clues (codes), the other player must
determine what they have in common (their pattern)
and deduce the subject (category or theme).
◼ The clues (codes) cannot contain any words in the
subject (category or theme) or be overtly descriptive.
◼ The round (qualitative data analysis) must be
completed in 60 seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isardp38vtg
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Terminology
◼ Code - a word or short phrase that symbolically assigns
a summative, salient, essence-capturing, and/or
evocative attribute for a portion of language-based or
visual data ("pigeons, seagulls")
◼ Pattern - repetitive, regular, or consistent occurrences of
action/data ("private, lieutenant, sergeant")
◼ Category - a word or phrase labeling a grouped pattern
of codes (Military Ranks [Army])
◼ Theme - an extended phrase or sentence that organizes
and identifies what a group of repeating ideas is about
and/or what it means ("Something a pregnant woman
would say.")
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8

Hlava, P., & Elfers, J. (2014). The Lived Experience of

Gratitude. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 54(4), 434-
455. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167813508605
A Data Analysis Analogy
A Data Analysis Analogy
Quantitative analysis calculates the mean,
but qualitative analysis calculates meaning.
Codes and Coding
◼ A code in qualitative inquiry is most often a
word or short phrase that symbolically assigns
a summative, salient, essence-capturing,
and/or evocative attribute for a portion of
language-based or visual data
◼ Coding is not a precise science; it's primarily
an interpretive act.
◼ Coding is just one way of analyzing qualitative
data, not the way.

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Goals of Coding

◼ to reflect deeply on the meaning of each

qualitative datum
◼ to condense (not "reduce") the data
◼ to find and construct patterns in the data
◼ to develop categories, concepts,
themes, assertions, and other analytic
findings

1111
Categories and Categorizing
◼ Categories are composed of codes that "look
alike" and "feel alike" (Lincoln & Guba).
◼ Categories embody and label the patterns
you've found and constructed from QDA.
◼ A category label, like a code, is a word or
short phrase that symbolically assigns a
summative, salient, essence-capturing,
and/or evocative attribute of the data.

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The Difference Between a
Category and a Theme

Think of a category as a word or phrase

describing some segment of your data that is
explicit, whereas a theme is an extended
phrase or sentence describing more subtle and
tacit processes or meanings.

Category: KITCHEN
Theme: A KITCHEN IS THE "SOUL" OF A
HOME

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Post in the Chat Box: single words or
short phrases of things or actions
(i.e., codes) that would be located or
occur in this room

18
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Post in the Chat
Box:
complete
sentences or
extended phrases
that describe the
visual theme of this
kitchen to someone
who may not have
access to the photo
20
Post in the Chat
Box:
complete
sentences or
extended phrases
that describe the
visual theme of this
kitchen to someone
who may not have
access to the photo
21
QDA is Like Decorating a Room…
Data:

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QDA is Like Decorating a Room…
Codes:

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QDA is Like Decorating a Room…
Categories:

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QDA is Like Decorating a Room…
Themes:

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FIRST CYCLE CODING SECOND CYCLE CODING

DATA THEMES/
CONCEPTS

ASSERTIONS/
CODES THEORY

CATEGORIES

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From Codes to Themes
Data Analyst
Codes Themes

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Happiness Is….

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A Scene from You're a Good Man,
Charlie Brown ("Happiness")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YooEW1pgoBI
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In Vivo Coding
[in vivo is Latin for "in that which is alive"]

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Happiness is…
◼ Finding a pencil ◼ Being alone every now and then
◼ Knowing a secret ◼ Coming home again
◼ Telling the time ◼ Morning and evening
◼ Learning to whistle ◼ Daytime and nighttime too
◼ Tying your shoe for the very first ◼ Anyone and anything at all that's loved by you
time ◼ Having a sister
◼ Playing the drum in your own ◼ Sharing a sandwich
school band ◼ Getting along
◼ Walking hand in hand ◼ Singing together when day is through
◼ Two kinds of ice cream ◼ Those who sing with you
◼ Pizza with sausage ◼ Morning and evening
◼ Climbing a tree ◼ Daytime and nighttime too
◼ Five different crayons ◼ Anyone and anything at all that's loved by you
◼ Catching a firefly
◼ Setting him free

32
Alphabetize the Codes to Eyeball
for Possible Patterns
◼ Finding a pencil ◼ Being alone every now and then
◼ Knowing a secret ◼ Coming home again
◼ Telling the time ◼ Morning and evening
◼ Learning to whistle ◼ Daytime and nighttime too
◼ Tying your shoe for the very first ◼ Anyone and anything at all that's loved by you
time ◼ Having a sister
◼ Playing the drum in your own ◼ Sharing a sandwich
school band ◼ Getting along
◼ Walking hand in hand ◼ Singing together when day is through
◼ Two kinds of ice cream ◼ Those who sing with you
◼ Pizza with sausage ◼ Morning and evening
◼ Climbing a tree ◼ Daytime and nighttime too
◼ Five different crayons ◼ Anyone and anything at all that's loved by you
◼ Catching a firefly
◼ Setting him free

33
Alphabetized Codes
◼ Anyone and anything at all that's ◼ Learning to whistle
loved by you ◼ Morning and evening
◼ Anyone and anything at all that's ◼ Morning and evening
loved by you ◼ Pizza with sausage
◼ Being alone every now and then ◼ Playing the drum in your own school band
◼ Catching a firefly ◼ Setting him free
◼ Climbing a tree ◼ Sharing a sandwich
◼ Coming home again ◼ Singing together when day is through
◼ Daytime and nighttime too ◼ Telling the time
◼ Daytime and nighttime too ◼ Those who sing with you
◼ Finding a pencil ◼ Two kinds of ice cream
◼ Five different crayons ◼ Tying your shoe for the very first time
◼ Getting along ◼ Walking hand in hand
◼ Having a sister
◼ Knowing a secret
34
Cluster Related Happiness Codes Into
Groups That "Look Alike" and "Feel Alike"

◼ Anyone and anything at all that's ◼ Learning to whistle

loved by you ◼ Morning and evening
◼ Anyone and anything at all that's ◼ Morning and evening
loved by you ◼ Pizza with sausage
◼ Being alone every now and then ◼ Playing the drum in your own school band
◼ Catching a firefly ◼ Setting him free
◼ Climbing a tree ◼ Sharing a sandwich
◼ Coming home again ◼ Singing together when day is through
◼ Daytime and nighttime too ◼ Telling the time
◼ Daytime and nighttime too ◼ Those who sing with you
◼ Finding a pencil ◼ Two kinds of ice cream
◼ Five different crayons ◼ Tying your shoe for the very first time
◼ Getting along ◼ Walking hand in hand
◼ Having a sister
◼ Knowing a secret
35
Themeing the Data
◼ Coding provides detail, but themeing provides
nuance. Themeing is "coding on steroids."
◼ A theme is an extended phrase or sentence that
identifies what a unit of data is about and/or what it
means.
◼ The analytic goals are to winnow down the number
of themes to explore in a report, and to develop an
overarching theme from the data corpus, or an
integrative theme that weaves various themes
together into a coherent narrative.
◼ Themes serve phenomenology, the study of lived
experiences.
36
Themeing the Data
◼ "Sometimes your data will tell you how they want to
be analyzed." (Victoria Clarke)
◼ Themes do not "emerge"—they are constructed by
the analyst.
◼ "A theme captures a 'moment'; it tells a story." (Braun &
Clarke, 2021, p. 137)
◼ "A theme is nothing more than a song title." (anecdotal)

37
Post In the Chat Box:
Post 1, 2, or 3 thematic statements from your
preliminary analysis of the song lyrics:
"Happiness is _______."

38
Post In the Chat Box:
Post in the Chat box the one major/key theme
from your preliminary analysis of the song
lyrics: "Happiness is _______."

39
Thinking About Data, Codes,
Categories, and Themes
"Good research is not about good methods
as much as it is about good thinking."
(Robert Stake)

40
Beyond List Making
Timmermans and Tavory (2022) caution, "We are not
in the business of compiling lists. If the takeaway of
your analysis is 'we identified three themes in the
interviews . . . ,' you have more work ahead. A
taxonomy of topics does not constitute an argument" (p.
114). Just as coding is in service to thinking through
analytic memoing, themeing is in service to developing
an analytic narrative that explicates the data's
meanings and Interrelationships.

Timmermans, S., & Tavory, I. (2022). Data analysis in qualitative research: Theorizing with
abductive analysis. University of Chicago Press.
41
Analytic Memos
◼ There is a reciprocal relationship between the
development of a coding system and the
evolution of understanding a phenomenon.
◼ Codes are prompts or triggers for writing about
the deeper meanings they evoke.
◼ Memos are "intellectual workspace," sites of
conversation with ourselves about our data.
◼ Writing is thinking; it documents our analytic
reflections about the data.

42
Compose an Analytic Memo About
Your Themes Thus Far
1. how you personally relate to the participants and/or the
phenomenon
2. what you find intriguing, surprising, or disturbing
3. emergent patterns, categories, themes, concepts,
assertions, and propositions
4. the possible networks (links, connections, overlaps,
flows) among the codes, patterns, categories, themes,
concepts, assertions, and propositions
5. an emergent or related existent theory

43
The Solar System as a Metaphor for the
Central Theme, Related Themes/Categories, and
Their Subthemes/Subcategories/Codes

44
Visual Arrays for Themes

45
Dailey, D., Cotabish, A., Buchanan, M., & Marshall, L. (2024). Interrupted programming: The impact of school shutdown
on gifted student identification and services. Journal of Advanced Academics, 35(2), 263-289.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X241232724
46
Abrams, L. S., Canlione, K. C., & Washington, D. M. (2023). "I wouldn't change who I've become": Released juvenile
lifers on joy, shame, and the journey to an integrated self. Crime & Delinquency, 69(2), 367-391.
https://doi.org/10.1177/00111287221104045 47
Stievano A, Marinis MGD, Russo MT, Rocco G, Alvaro R. Professional dignity in nursing in clinical and community
workplaces. Nursing Ethics. 2012;19(3):341-356. doi:10.1177/0969733011414966
48
Bunch, N., & Cianfrone, B. A. (2022). "Posting More than Just a Black Square": National
Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athletes' Perceptions of the Athletic Department's
Role in Social Media, Racial Justice, and the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Communication & Sport, 10(6), 1023-1052. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795221091814

49
Abdulmohdi N, McVicar A. Student Nurses' Perceptions of the Role of High-Fidelity Simulation
in Developing Decision-Making Skills for Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Research Study. SAGE
Open Nursing. 2024;10. doi:10.1177/23779608241255299

50
Knekta, E., & McCartney, M. (2021). What Can Departments Do to Increase Students' Retention? A Case Study of
Students' Sense of Belonging and Involvement in a Biology Department. Journal of College Student Retention:
Research, Theory & Practice, 22(4), 721-742. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025118788351 51
Lopez-Gonzalez, H., Jiménez-Murcia, S., & Griffiths, M. D. (2021). The erosion of nongambling spheres by
smartphone gambling: A qualitative study on workplace and domestic disordered gambling. Mobile Media &
Communication, 9(2), 254-273. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157920952127
52
Meskill, C., Anthony, N., & Sadykova, G. (2022). Learning how to teach languages online:
Voices from the field. Online Learning, 26(4), 494-518.
https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i4.2964

Figure 4
Thematic Categories for Learning to Teach Languages Online

53
McDarby M, Russell D, King L, Kozlov E, Luth EA. Knowledge Gaps in End-Of-Life Family Caregiving for Persons
Living With Dementia: A Study of Hospice Clinician Perspectives. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative
54
Medicine®. 2024;41(3):270-280. doi:10.1177/10499091231176298
Liddiard KJ, Raynor AJ, Brown CA. The experience of occupational therapists and physiotherapists using a prototype,
evidence-informed online knowledge translation resource to learn about patient-defined, personally-meaningful chronic
pain rehabilitation. British Journal of Pain. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/20494637241241780 55
An Arts-Based Representation
of Thematic Findings

Idea adapted from: Devoe, Y. F., Holloway, E. L., & Essed, P. (2024). In pictures and words: Centering black women's experiences with their
bodies with narrative photovoice methodology. In J. McClinton, A. E. Hernandez, & A. L. Thornton (Eds.), Qualitative research with diverse and
underserved communities (pp. 151-60). Information Age Publishing.
ChatGPT and Thematic Analysis
◼ At this time, experiments with thematic analysis and
theme development by ChatGPT-4 net mixed results.
◼ ChatGPT-4 may serve well as an initial catalogue of the
data's contents, but the analyst will need to expand on
the program's categorical output to reach more
interpretive levels of thematic insight.
◼ Nevertheless, Christou (2024) asserts, "AI has the
potential to significantly alter the process used for
conducting thematic analysis, representing a notable
technological advancement" (p. 563).
Christou, P. A. (2024). Thematic analysis through artificial intelligence (AI). The Qualitative Report, 29(2), 560-576.
https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.7046 57
Caveats on ChatGPT
ChatGPT-4 can only go so far at this stage in its development.
Missing from the program's analyses are:

background contexts interpretive insights

higher level abstractions creative vocabulary use
evaluative judgment critical capacities
reflexive introspection experiential intuition
theory development ethnic/racial literacy
detailed literature reviews cultural nuance
data privacy/security astute emotional intelligence

Qualitative researchers experimenting with AI generally assert that

these programs can assist and supplement, but not replace, the
human researcher.
58
Remember…
◼ A theme is an extended phrase or sentence that
identifies what a unit of data is about and/or what it
means.
◼ The analytic goals are to winnow down the number
of themes to explore in a report, and to develop an
overarching theme from the data corpus, or an
integrative theme that weaves various themes
together into a coherent narrative.
◼ Themes serve phenomenology, the study of lived
experiences.

59
Remember…
◼ "Sometimes your data will tell you how they want to
be analyzed." (Victoria Clarke)
◼ Themes do not "emerge"—they are constructed by
the analyst.
◼ "A theme captures a 'moment'; it tells a story." (Braun &
Clarke, 2021, p. 137)
◼ "A theme is nothing more than a song title." (anecdotal)

60
61
Learn More About
Qualitative Data Analysis

62
Learn More About
Qualitative Thematic Analysis

63
Additional Resources in
Qualitative Thematic Analysis
Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis.
SAGE. Systematic qualitative and quantitative procedures for segmenting and analyzing
themes (in their broadest sense) for research reports; emphasizes team research
collaboration.
King, N., & Brooks, J. M. (2017). Template analysis for business and
management students. SAGE. A variant of thematic analysis, template analysis relies
on hierarchical ordering of codes qua [in the role of] themes and subthemes.
Smith, J. A., & Nizza, I. E. (2022). Essentials of interpretative phenomenological
analysis. American Psychological Association. Elegant overview of the process of
data collection and qualitative analysis for the development of themes or "experiential
statements."
Thomas, R. (2019). Little quick fix: Find the theme in your data. SAGE. A short
primer on basic qualitative data analysis, proceeding from interview transcription, to codes,
to categories, to themes.

64
Online Resources
◼ Braun & Clarke's resource page: thematicanalysis.net
◼ The Qualitative Report's selected list of thematic
analysis articles: tqr.nova.edu/thematic-analysis-
articles/

65
Slides and Materials Use
Workshop participants can use these slides any way
they wish for teaching purposes; no citation or credit to
Saldaña is needed. But for formal publications, please
cite/reference the content's source.
Slide images themselves should not be reproduced in a
publication because selected contents are derived from
third party sources for educational purposes only.
These slides are meant to be shown to others learning
qualitative research. It gives me great joy to know
they're being used by others to teach!
66
Q&A

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