Essay Three – Thematic Analysis

Guthrie – English 1302 – Spring 2014

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For essay three you perform an eight page thematic analysis over a collection of poems by the same author. I recommend that you use an author that we study in class; however, you may choose whatever poet you wish so long as you get your choice approved by me. The deadline for choosing a poet not addressed in class is Friday, April 4^th. Your choice of poet must be accompanied by a list of the poems you wish to use for your essay.

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For a thematic analysis you will use at least three poems by your chosen poet to illustrate their focus on a particular theme, or two themes working together, and thereby reveal a new way of looking at the poet’s work. Your conclusions must be supported by at least three scholarly secondary sources, and you will be allowed to use up to two block quotes of no more than five lines each.

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The rough draft will consist of a three page draft accompanied by a three column analysis for each poem you wish to use that was not discussed in class. The rough draft must be submitted in class and must be stapled.

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Thematic Analysis
Interview transcript plus 1500 word report on your analysis

In this assignment you will explore meanings and motivations attached to choosing to go to university. To do this you will interview one student at the University of Brighton (any course – as long as you record what it is) and carry out a short thematic analysis of the interview.
Prior to the interview you need to make some preparations:

1. Devise a research question based on ‘Why do people choose to go to university?’ (You can use this wording if you like or come up with different wording based on your approach). Choose a theoretical framework that you think can help us to understand students’ choices. This could be an identity-based theory, a structural theory (e.g. class, gender, etc.) or a discourse-based model (e.g. governmentality). Construct a research question that will link the theory and the topic.
2. Reflecting on the research question you are considering think about what form the interview should take – structured, semi-structured, unstructured, narrative? You should evidence your choice of method with references.
3. Write the interview questions.
4. Identify your research participant and tell them what this exercise entails. Consider any ethical implications that may attend to the research process: is the participant vulnerable, likely to disclose criminal activity or potentially distressed by the topic and research question? Remember that you should maintain confidentiality and anonymity and therefore the participant should not be named in your report.
5. Carry out the interview. Make sure you have an appropriate recording device. Take notes as you listen to the responses; your thoughts about what is being said, how it is being said and what your role in the interview process is are important.
6. Transcribe the interview. You are not doing conversation analysis, so you only need to transcribe all of the words.
7. Carry out a thematic analysis of the interview. You will need to code the transcript, using either an inductive process where the codes emerge from the data, or a deductive process where you construct a coding framework using your theory. The next stage is to identify themes and then link them to the research question. Finally, show how you address the research question drawing from the thematic analysis.
8. Write your report. This should include:
• Introduction – what this report is about.
• Research question including the theory that informs it
• Sampling – who did you get to participate and why
• Methodology and method – what is your methodological approach and why did you choose the interview method that you did, and how does this relate back to theory.
• Ethical considerations
• Interview process – what happened?
• Thematic analysis – what was the process of analysis that you carried out and what did you find?
• Critical reflection – look back at the process and your role and provide a brief assessment of the process as a whole.
• Summary and conclusion
• Appendix: interview transcript.

Read through your report to check spelling, grammar and style.

Assessment criteria:

1 Demonstrate that you can design and carry out an interview
2 Identify an appropriate theoretical framework to inform and structure the interview
3 Demonstrate an ability to analyse interview data using thematic analysis
4 Present your research in an appropriate report format with introduction, methods and methodology, ethics, analysis, and a conclusion that summarises your argument.

Information of the student getting interviewed:
Name: Ahmed Fakhroo
Nationality: Qatari
Course: Politics and Social Policy
Year in university: Second year
CHECK THE ADDITIONAL FILES IT WILL SHOW YOU WHAT MUST BE IN THE REPORT

1500 words NOT MORE than that.

Thematic Analysis
Interview transcript plus 1500 word report on your analysis

In this assignment you will explore meanings and motivations attached to choosing to go to university. To do this you will interview one student at the University of Brighton (any course – as long as you record what it is) and carry out a short thematic analysis of the interview.
Prior to the interview you need to make some preparations:

1. Devise a research question based on ‘Why do people choose to go to university?’ (You can use this wording if you like or come up with different wording based on your approach). Choose a theoretical framework that you think can help us to understand students’ choices. This could be an identity-based theory, a structural theory (e.g. class, gender, etc.) or a discourse-based model (e.g. governmentality). Construct a research question that will link the theory and the topic.
2. Reflecting on the research question you are considering think about what form the interview should take – structured, semi-structured, unstructured, narrative? You should evidence your choice of method with references.
3. Write the interview questions.
4. Identify your research participant and tell them what this exercise entails. Consider any ethical implications that may attend to the research process: is the participant vulnerable, likely to disclose criminal activity or potentially distressed by the topic and research question? Remember that you should maintain confidentiality and anonymity and therefore the participant should not be named in your report.
5. Carry out the interview. Make sure you have an appropriate recording device. Take notes as you listen to the responses; your thoughts about what is being said, how it is being said and what your role in the interview process is are important.
6. Transcribe the interview. You are not doing conversation analysis, so you only need to transcribe all of the words.
7. Carry out a thematic analysis of the interview. You will need to code the transcript, using either an inductive process where the codes emerge from the data, or a deductive process where you construct a coding framework using your theory. The next stage is to identify themes and then link them to the research question. Finally, show how you address the research question drawing from the thematic analysis.
8. Write your report. This should include:
• Introduction – what this report is about.
• Research question including the theory that informs it
• Sampling – who did you get to participate and why
• Methodology and method – what is your methodological approach and why did you choose the interview method that you did, and how does this relate back to theory.
• Ethical considerations
• Interview process – what happened?
• Thematic analysis – what was the process of analysis that you carried out and what did you find?
• Critical reflection – look back at the process and your role and provide a brief assessment of the process as a whole.
• Summary and conclusion
• Appendix: interview transcript.

Read through your report to check spelling, grammar and style.

Assessment criteria:

1 Demonstrate that you can design and carry out an interview
2 Identify an appropriate theoretical framework to inform and structure the interview
3 Demonstrate an ability to analyse interview data using thematic analysis
4 Present your research in an appropriate report format with introduction, methods and methodology, ethics, analysis, and a conclusion that summarises your argument.

Information of the student getting interviewed:
Name: Ahmed Fakhroo
Nationality: Qatari
Course: Politics and Social Policy
Year in university: Second year
CHECK THE ADDITIONAL FILES IT WILL SHOW YOU WHAT MUST BE IN THE REPORT

1500 words NOT MORE than that.