The implementation of the thematic network analysis followed Attride-Stirling’s (2001) three-stage model:
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Stage One: Reduction and Breakdown of Interview Texts
Reading the translated transcriptions of the data more than one time was the initial step in the process of coding the interview texts. This step aimed at identifying the initial codes from the data corpus (interview texts). It was very important to highlight the meaningful text segments in which codes could be applied. Guided by the research questions in general and the interview questions in particular, the coding process focused on recurrent words and phrases in the text.
The texts, interviews data, were fragmented into a number of segments. These fragmentations were words, or phrases or sentences. They were given labels and coded with salient topics guided by the research questions. The researcher tried to limit the codes with explicit boundaries. This helped the researcher not to code every single sentence and to focus on the main ones. Once all interview data was coded, a number of themes were identified from the coded text segments. An example of the process of coding is provided in the table (5.4) below. It is an extract from an interview with a mother.
An example of a coded text segment
Coding was carried out manually by writing notes on the text segments and using highlighters to indicate potential patterns. The process of coding was carried out in a cyclical way, where all the data were initially coded and collated. The codes were then matched with data extracts that represent them. The codes identified from the three categories of interview transcripts were combined in one list in the appendices.
B. Identifying themes
After the whole data were analyzed systematically for all potential codes, the data from the three groups of interview texts with the same codes were collated
Data Extract Codes Basic
Themes
Organizing Themes
I have 2 boys; four years and two
and half years old. I am a house
wife, recently registered in an open
education program to get a
university degree and to find a good job. I have 2 years intermediate Higher Education degree .My husband is the sole source of income.
I try to do all my responsibilities
towards my family and my study does not affect my husband and children. I have lectures two days a
week. I usually leave my children
with my mum, but she is not available at all times. She is also an old woman and children sometimes make her feel tired. Sometimes my
husband has to stay with them or to
leave them with a friend. But this is
again just temporarily and not every week. children Wife Education Domestic Granny Husband Friend Basic Demographic Information Domestic Caring Informal Care Participant Characteristics Childcare arrangement
together to form basic themes. The aim of this step was to reduce the amount of data and organize them in a more manageable set of basic "themes" that precisely summarized the whole text (please refer to the appendices). During this process, the researcher discarded some themes which were not relevant and did not serve the purpose of the research, such as:
- Child-centered teaching techniques, - Syllabus themes and topics, and - Bullying at nursery or school
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Stage Two: The Exploration of the Text Stage
This stage is characterised by describing and exploring themes. It has two steps: A. Organizing themes
In this step all the basic themes were put together in groups of organizing themes. The themes were organized on the basis of tackling similar issues. The organizing themes enhanced the meaning of the basic themes and helped in forming the main assumptions (please see table 5.4 above).
B. Identifying the global themes and constructing the thematic networks
The global themes were identified by further abstracting from the organizing themes. They “distill the overarching point of the text into a single statement…. And they articulate the deeper meaning and complexity of the data” (Martin & Hanington, 2012, p.178). The following table (5.5) summarizes the four global themes which emerged from the study and their organizing themes.
Global and organizing themes of the participants' interview texts
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Stage Three: The Integration of the Exploration Stage
In this stage thematic networks emerged. They were developed starting from the basic themes, moving to organizing themes, and ending with global themes. The thematic networks were then presented graphically as a web-like structure emphasizing the integration and relationships among the themes to interpret the patterns and draw conclusions.
Applying this three stages model in the current study produced five global themes, which can be described as interrelated and interconnected as visualized in the figure below (Figure 5.1).
Global Themes Organizing Themes
Salient socio-demographic (SD) factors Child factors Family factors Context factors Care ECCE services Education Recreation
Obstacles to quality ECCE services
Parenting
Domestic / Physical care
Social, Intellectual, and Emotional care
Policy response
Budget and subsidies ECCE program
Figure 5.1 Global themes emerged in the current study