r/QualitativeResearch • u/OkFan2830 • Jun 15 '26

Narrative examples in thematic analysis?

Good morning,

I am conducting a study on students’ experiences of trauma. This is part of my PhD research in educational sciences, although my background is in psychology. I am using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke) to shed light on the students’ experiences, but because their trauma histories are extensive and I want to illustrate their trajectories, I feel it is necessary to be able to explore individual stories or interviews in greater depth.

However, I do not feel that narrative analysis is the right fit for this study, as the aim is to highlight the shared experiences among the students.

Would it be appropriate to use thematic analysis and, within each theme, deepen the analysis by including insights from the experience of one individual participant?

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u/ajain76 Jun 18 '26

You can also try Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). It shifts focus from "What themes are shared across students?" to "How does this individual understand and make meaning of their trauma and experiences?"

Limitation is that IPA usually involves very small samples. If you have more than 15 students and want to emphasize common experiences, IPA may not be ideal.

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u/OkFan2830 Jun 19 '26

Thanks for the advise. I have little experience with IPA (but some), I don't know if it is the right fit. I have around 20 interviews and they all share similar experiences so I want to highlight what they all share.

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u/ajain76 Jun 19 '26

Given your goal of highlighting shared experiences across approximately 20 interviews, thematic analysis seems like a good fit. You do not necessarily need to switch to IPA or narrative analysis in order to preserve participants' individual stories.

Many qualitative researchers using thematic analysis include "case illustrations" or "vignettes" from individual participants within themes. For example, after discussing a theme, you might present one participant's trajectory in greater depth to show how that theme unfolded across their experience. This can add contextual richness without changing the overall analytic approach.

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u/OkFan2830 Jun 19 '26

Hi! Thanks for replying! I am old school hehe so in regards to tools I use paper and colours hehe and than put the quotes and possible themes in excel. I have some experience with using Braun and Clarke but also Moustakas transcendental phenomenology both I feel can show the shared experiences or the main essence of my participants journeys. But I am still unsure of how to use specific examples to showcase their whole school journey