Thematic Analysis © Virginia Braun, Victoria

Transcript:Thematic Analysis © Virginia Braun, Victoria:
Thematic Analysis © Virginia Braun, Victoria Clarke Transcribing audio data for thematic analysis Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke Overview Transcription is not a straightforward process of translation, but an active process of transformation. Factors that contribute to (orthographic) transcript quality. Ethics and transcription. Transcription notation system for orthographic transcription (revised from Braun and Clarke, 2013) - also available as a handout. The transcription process. Transcription exercise. 3 Transcription is not a straightforward process of translation(1 of 2) The point of transcription is to produce a written record of an audio recording – and that transcript usually serves as the foundation for analysis, the material you predominantly work with in coding, theme development and interpretation. But transcription is not straightforward. Whole books have been written about transcription – it is far from a simple ‘technical’ concern. 4 Transcription is not a straightforward process of translation(2 of 2) For a start, spoken and written language are very different. We speak in really messy ways, without ‘grammatical’ punctuation, and it’s often a jumble of pauses, repetition, and hesitations. We regularly change things like the pace, tone or volume of our speech. This means a transcript of speech looks nothing like written language – or what you might expect from dialogue as it appears in say a play, or a novel. For much qualitative research, and thematic analysis, it’s important the transcript captures ‘real’ speech – what was said and (to a greater or lesser extent) how it was said. 5 Transcription is an active process of transformation(1 of 2) Transcription is better understood as a process of transformation rather than replication. Sandelowski (1994 ) suggested that transcription turns “raw” data (for example, audio recordings) into “partially cooked” data (the transcript thereof) – some processing of the data and change has occurred. The process of transcription involves a range of decisions about what information to include and what to exclude, and things are lost and gained in the process. 6 Transcription is an active process of transformation(2 of 2) Transcription, then, is an active process, and it’s important to treat it as such, rather than a neutral technology to deliver information into a more easily analysable form. The most common form of transcription for thematic analysis is ‘orthographic’ or verbatim, which focuses primarily on producing a ‘complete’ record of the spoken words, including partial words or stutters, along with some other features such as