Enacting Reflexive Thematic Analysis in MAXQDA: A Method-First Approach

Join our forthcoming courses on this topic: Thematic Analysis using MAXQDA

For many researchers, the enacting the phases of Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) within the technical environment of MAXQDA can feel overwhelming. The primary challenge isn't just learning "where the buttons are," but ensuring the software supports—rather than dictates—your interpretive process.

At QDAS, informed by the Five-Level QDA method, we advocate for a method-first approach. RTA is a deeply iterative, subjective, and reflexive process. MAXQDA, with its highly visual architecture, is an ideal partner for this work, provided you treat it as a "creative workspace" that you are in control of, rather than just a container for data, or the architect of your analytic method.

MAXQDA is an inherently flexible software program, with many tools you can pick and choose from. Some tools are designed specifically for the kinds of analytic tasks that you will need as you work through the process. But there are usually several tools that can be used, so often the appropriate choice of tools is related to personal preferences, or the types and amounts of data you have.

For example, when familiarising with data - the initial phase of RTA (and in fact, most qualitative analysis methods) - you can choose amongst MAXQDA's tools, including:

• paraphrases (annotating selected segments with your initial analytic thoughts)

• memos (writing broader summaries about each data item, and the dataset as a whole)

• highlight coding (replicating the use of highlighter pens on paper, without the need to add a text label, so simply marking what appears initially relevant)

• text and phrase searching (to identify frequent and infrequent use of terms)

Importantly, it's not an either/or. One of the key benefits of using MAXQDA is that you can use a combination of tools to familiarise and capture your reflections whilst doing so. And the beauty is that everything is interconnected, meaning that during later phases of the analytic process you can easily access those earlier thoughts, to build on them as you progress.

Each subsequent phase of RTA - from coding, through initial theme development, and the review, refinement, and defining and naming of themes, to the production of the final report - can be enacted using your choice from a variety of MAXQDA tools. The creativity remains with you, the software never determines what you 'should' be doing, or how or when to do it. Instead, it stores what you choose to do so you can access and build upon it.

Technical skill requires methodological depth

When using any qualitative software, you'll get the most out of it by making sure that the needs of your analysis - your analytic strategies - drive the way you use tools - the software tactics. This is the core principle of the Five-Level QDA method, which we developed in response to the challenges researchers experienced with using qualitative software including MAXQDA.

It's really easy when learning MAXQDA, to get distracted by all the powerful and useful things it can help you with. Remembering that what you need to do for your analysis may not be the same as what someone else who's using MAXQDA may need to do, is useful. Fore-fronting your analytic needs, which are driven by your methodological context, rather than focusing on options within the software, or what everyone else appears to be doing, will help ensure you get closer more quickly to enacting your method appropriately and efficiently.

It's absolutely true that you need to develop technical skills with your chosen qualitative software program, but doing so within the context of your methodology is the route to enacting your method powerfully.

By integrating the Five-Level QDA method, we can help you bridge the gap between your conceptual intentions and the software’s operations. This ensures your analysis is methodologically sound, transparent, and ready for publication.

Take your analysis to the next level

Ready to move from theory to practice? Join our expert-led online, workshop to plan and enact your workflow.

Thematic Analysis using MAXQDA

What you’ll learn: How to implement the six phases of RTA specifically within the MAXQDA environment using our Five-Level QDA method.