Thematic Trajectory Analysis: A Temporal Method for Analysing Dynamic Qualitative Data

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel, temporally sensitive analytical method for qualitative researchers. This approach is simultaneously timely and necessary given increasing recognition of the fundamental, yet curiously neglected, part of organisational life and scholarship. As a result of this recognition, research designs considering temporality have substantially increased over the past decade. However, while methods for qualitative data collection using longitudinal and ‘shortitudinal’ designs, in particular qualitative diary methods, have become increasingly common, analytical methods capable of fully exploiting the temporal nature of the data collected have arguably lagged behind their quantitative counter-parts, where we see marked progression in analytical methods and procedures. In this paper, we argue that this lack of progression in approaches for analysing such data, hinders our knowledge and theoretical development when it comes to incorporating temporality, particularly for those seeking to embed temporality in their exploration of phenomena at individual-/micro-levels. We respond to these challenges by introducing a novel, step-by-step analytical approach that facilitates rigorous incorporation of temporality into the analysis and theorisation of micro-level qualitative data, termed Thematic Trajectory Analysis (TTA).