Open Text Box Analysis: A Pragmatic and Reflexive Guide

This guide provides a philosophical framework and practical advice for gathering, analysing and reporting qualitative data obtained from open text boxes in survey-style studies. While many studies currently collect such data, they often either fail to report or analyse it, or they conduct unstructured analyses with limited detail, often mistakenly referring to it as ‘thematic analysis’. As we demonstrate, there are numerous degrees of freedom for researchers when analysing this type of data, necessitating a systematic process. The guide adopts a ‘mixed methods’ philosophy, integrating concepts such as reflexivity from qualitative research, while aligning with the typical scientific mindset. It begins by outlining the guide’s philosophy before offering advice on collecting high-quality data, developing a coding scheme, recruiting and collaborating with a second coder, and writing your report. Additionally, it provides a checklist for reviewers to evaluate the quality of a qualitative analysis. Throughout the guide, a running example is used to demonstrate the implementation of the provided advice, accompanied by extensive example materials in the online repository which can be used to practise the qualitative coding method.