Using Digital Technology to Address Confirmability and Scalability in Thematic Analysis of Participant-Provided Data

This article presents a technique for analyzing large-scale qualitative data to address considerations for scalability and confirmability in thematic analysis of participant-provided data. A network approach provides a consistent means of coding that scales with the size of the dataset and is verifiable using standardized methods. This form of data analysis can be used with smaller data sources including interview transcripts as well as large data sources such as open-ended survey responses. A constructivist (inductive) approach is maintained and needed, however, to aid in interpretation of latent constructs. In this article, we provide both a conceptual overview of the co-word analysis method and a practical example. Keywords: Qualitative Research, Network Analysis, Co-Word Analysis, Thematic Analysis, College Students, Technology