Developing a Method of Critical Thematic Analysis for Qualitative Communication Inquiry

This case study elucidates a method of critical thematic analysis that the authors argue is useful as a methodological tool used to code and interpret in-depth, qualitative interview discourses. They extend Owen's (1984) articulation of thematic analysis via recurrence, repetition, and forcefulness by adding a method of closed coding that identifies the prominence of ideologies, power relations, and status-based hierarchies. This method is demonstrated through a case study of interviews with female immigrant faculty members. Critically informed themes are purposefully selected and explained, and implications for this methodological development are discussed.