Further Explorations on the Use of Large Language Models for Thematic Analysis. Open-Ended Prompts, Better Terminologies and Thematic Maps

There is a nascent area, where scholars are approaching thematic analysis (TA) using LLMs, following the six phases developed by BRAUN and CLARKE (2006). TA is a qualitative method of analysis where the researcher labels (codes) portions of data with relevant meaning and then organises these codes/labels into patterns (the themes). BRAUN and CLARKE stipulated that TA encompasses the following phases: 1. familiarisation with the data; 2. initial coding; 3. identification of themes; 4. revision of themes; 5. renaming and summarising of themes; and 6. write-up of the results.