Description

This Master Prompt would focus on establishing the philosophical, epistemological and theoretical positioning underpinning thematic analysis and making the researcher’s interpretive role explicit. It would guide researchers in identifying the assumptions about knowledge, meaning and reality that shape the analysis; aligning the research question, qualitative design and analytical approach; and documenting how researcher backgrounds, disciplinary perspectives, theoretical commitments and interactions with the data influence interpretation.

A major emphasis would be placed on reflexivity rather than attempted researcher neutrality. Researchers would examine positionality, assumptions, prior knowledge, insider-outsider relationships, power relations and interpretive decisions throughout the research process. Reflexive journals, analytic memos, reflexive anchors and decision trails could be incorporated to make the development of interpretations transparent. This theme directly addresses methodological concerns evident in the uploaded literature, including the ‘missing researcher,’ residual positivist assumptions and insufficient reflexive reporting, which can result in thematic analyses that remain descriptive rather than genuinely interpretive.