Theme
In qualitative analysis, a theme goes beyond individual codes, combining several codes into a broader conceptual category. It involves interpreting both the codes and data to capture something significant about the data in alignment with the evaluation questions. A theme represents patterns or relationships across the entire data set. The process of identifying themes is iterative, requiring a back-and-forth exploration between codes to uncover commonalities and connections within the data.
See also: code, coding, thematic analysis