Introduction:
Research paradigms and methods in the field of adult education are diverse. Phenomena can be explored from several theoretical or methodological viewpoints that all offer differing assets in gaining a deeper understanding of the phenomenon in question. At times it is challenging to choose which method is the most suitable for the research topic. In our studies we have examined the competencies of physiotherapists that have undergone a continuing education that aims to enhance and deepen the skills of experienced physiotherapists working in musculoskeletal direct access physiotherapy. We have utilized both theory-driven and data-driven qualitative content analysis to examine interview data gathered from physiotherapists and their educators to gain a more profound insight of the physiotherapists’ competencies.

Aim:
The aim of this presentation is to offer practical perspectives to data-driven and theory-driven qualitative content analysis that are drawn from our research experiences.

Methods:
This presentation introduces the data-driven and the theory-driven qualitative content analysis as methods and explores their utilization in practice. The exploration is set in the context of examining physiotherapists’ competencies after they have undergone a continuing education. The interviews of physiotherapists were analysed with theory-driven qualitative content analysis and the interviews of their educators were analysed with data-driven reflexive thematic analysis.

Results:
The differing approaches, data-driven and theory-driven qualitative content analysis, both presented their distinct strengths and limitations. Theory-driven analysis enabled to focus on the phenomenon under scrutiny through the chosen theoretical lense. This approach sharpened the analysis, yet some of the gathered data was left outside of the final analysis simultaneously narrowing the analysis. Data-driven analysis enabled a comprehensive consideration of all gathered data. As all aspects of the phenomenon were examined, an in-depth analysis was enabled. However, the data-driven approach was a more time-consuming method, where the researcher had to be aware of their preconceptions or jumping into conclusions.

Conclusion:
The complementary use of data-driven and theory-driven qualitative content analysis enriched the understanding of physiotherapists’ competencies after continuing education. Utilizing of only the theory-driven qualitative content analysis would have resulted in a narrower analysis although it also enabled viewing of a specific area of competence with more focus.

Keywords: Research methodologies, data-driven, theory-driven, physiotherapy, continuing education.