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Using Thematic Analysis to Facilitate Meaning‐Making in Practice‐Led Art and Design Research
Author(s) -
Lin Fabia LingYuan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of art and design education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.312
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1476-8070
pISSN - 1476-8062
DOI - 10.1111/jade.12177
Subject(s) - thematic analysis , context (archaeology) , thematic map , construct (python library) , meaning (existential) , interpretation (philosophy) , sociology , process (computing) , bridge (graph theory) , engineering ethics , epistemology , qualitative research , computer science , engineering , social science , medicine , philosophy , cartography , programming language , geography , operating system , paleontology , biology
This article argues that thematic analysis could aid artist‐researchers in enhancing the arguments they construct in their fields of interest as they move through research projects. It discusses some of the distinctive features and obstacles of practice‐led research in art and design and relates them to the use of thematic analysis. Artistic research often includes acts of interpretation, where the artist‐researcher reflects on his or her artistic work process and the context of the artefacts created during the process. A systematic thematic approach is important for the whole process, because it supports the separate work periods of artmaking and conceptualising and binds them to the study. In its theoretical freedom, thematic analysis provides a flexible and useful research tool that can bridge the two realms of knowing in practice‐led research, potentially providing a rich and synthesised account of the creative experience. The benefits of thematic analysis will be demonstrated by examining two examples.