| name | kappa-thematic-analysis |
| description | Thematic analysis with Cohen's/Fleiss' Kappa intercoder reliability. Supports agent-only, human-only, or agent+human coding with reliability measurement. |
| metadata | {"istara":{"phase":"define","type":"qualitative","version":"1.0.0"}} |
Kappa Intercoder Thematic Analysis
Rigorous thematic analysis with Cohen's/Fleiss' Kappa intercoder reliability measurement.
Modes
- Agent-only — Istara generates two independent codings and measures agreement
- Agent + Human — Human codes, Istara codes independently, Kappa measured between them
- Multi-coder — Fleiss' Kappa for 3+ coders
Kappa Interpretation (Landis & Koch 1977)
| Kappa | Interpretation |
|---|
| < 0.00 | Poor |
| 0.00–0.20 | Slight |
| 0.21–0.40 | Fair |
| 0.41–0.60 | Moderate |
| 0.61–0.80 | Substantial |
| 0.81–1.00 | Almost perfect |
Target: ≥ 0.60 (moderate) minimum, ≥ 0.80 (excellent) preferred.
Workflow
- Develop codebook (inductive, deductive, or hybrid)
- Pilot coding round → measure Kappa
- Refine codebook for low-agreement codes
- Full coding with reliability reporting
- Theme development from validated codes
Output
- Codebook with definitions and examples
- Per-code Kappa scores
- Overall reliability metrics
- Coding disagreement analysis
- Final themes with prevalence data
