Study Notes on Thematic Analysis from Online Dating Profiles

Introduction to Coding the Dataset

  • The lecture focuses on identifying initial codes from a dataset, specifically online dating profiles of older adults.

  • Research Question: How do older adults portray themselves to appear appealing to potential romantic partners?

  • Participants: Data is taken from the profiles of three older adults.

Dataset Overview

  • The dataset is presented in a Word document.

  • Each profile will be analyzed for key attributes that represent how each participant portrays themselves.

Participant One Profile

  • **Profile Summary: **

    • Attributes: tall, single, widowed, easygoing, honest, good listener, good sense of humor.

    • Interests: being handy around the house, following a hockey team, spoiling granddaughters, enjoying various music.

    • Fitness: jogging, walking, biking at least three times a week.

    • Travel desires: looking for a partner for travel to warm and interesting countries.

Initial Coding of Participant One

  • Identified Codes:

    • Characteristics:

    • Tall

    • Single

    • Widowed

    • Easygoing

    • Honest

    • Good Listener

    • Good Sense of Humor

    • Hobby Codes:

    • Handy person

    • Busy (working around the house)

    • Interests:

    • Hockey

    • Spoiling granddaughters

    • Music (all types except rap)

    • Fitness Activities:

    • Jogging

    • Walking

    • Bicycling

    • Travel aspirations:

    • Seeking a travel partner

    • Desire to explore warm countries

    • Time Sense:

    • Notion of "time" as important to the participant, indicating the desire for connection due to life changes.

Participant Two Profile

  • Profile Summary:

    • Interests: enjoys photography, lapidary, and collecting classic movies and music, especially records.

    • Current Status: retired and desires to travel to Canada, The USA, The UK, Europe, and possibly China.

    • Personal Qualities: expresses non-judgmental acceptance of others, does not demand perfection from partners. His musical interests span various genres.

Initial Coding of Participant Two

  • Identified Codes:

    • Activities/hobbies:

    • Photography

    • Lapidary

    • Collecting movies/records

    • Retirement code: Retired

    • Travel desires: Looking forward to traveling US, UK, and China (if time allows).

    • Personal Characteristics:

    • Uniqueness

    • Non-judgmental attitude

    • Musical tastes: classical, jazz, rock, country.

Participant Three Profile

  • Profile Summary:

    • Occupation: Works part-time, actively involved in community activities (dancer, dart member, lawn bowler).

    • Social life: lives alone but has family and friends nearby, enjoys socializing, and travels often (cruises and family in England).

    • Personal Interests: enjoys Sudoku, crosswords, and watching soccer, especially Liverpool FC.

Initial Coding of Participant Three

  • Identified Codes:

    • Work Status: Part-time

    • Community Activities:

    • Dancing

    • Dart club membership

    • Lawn bowling

    • Living situation: Alone with close family and friends

    • Travel: Cruises and family connections in England

    • Personal Interests: Sudoku, Crosswords, Watching Soccer.

    • Personal description: Displaced Scouse (from Liverpool).

Coding Process and Excel Organization

  • Once codes are identified, they will be transferred to an Excel spreadsheet.

  • Spreadsheet Structure:

    • Columns:

    • Quote from Participant

    • Code assigned to the quote

    • Separate tabs will be created for each participant, and an additional tab for final summary coding.

  • The purpose of organizing codes this way is to facilitate easier data summaries and results writing.

Thematic Analysis Process

  • After coding, the next step is to look for larger patterns (themes) across the dataset.

  • Themes should capture significant patterns related to the research question.

  • Questions for Theme Development:

    • Does it have a central organizing concept?

    • What does this theme tell us about patterns in our data?

    • How does it relate to other themes?

  • Aim for simplicity, clustering related codes into coherent themes.

Identified Themes from Profiles

  • Overarching themes will be identified based on common codes across profiles.

  • Potential Themes:

    • Positive Qualities:

    • Self and Partner Attributes

    • Activities:

    • Hobbies and community involvement

    • Time:

    • Future orientation reflecting the need for companionship.

Creating Thematic Maps

  • Themes can be visualized in a thematic map for clarity.

  • Hierarchy of Themes:

    • Main themes may have subordinate themes capturing more specific aspects.

  • Example of a Template:

    • Overarching Theme: Positive Qualities

    • Subthemes: Self Attributes, Partner Attributes

    • Overarching Theme: Activities

    • Subthemes: Hobbies, Travel, Socialization

    • Overarching Theme: Time

    • Subthemes: Future Integration, Past Experiences

Conclusion & Final Thoughts

  • The overarching research question is answered through theme identification and representation in the thematic map

  • Emphasis on how older adults express positivity, activity engagement, and a forward-looking perspective in their dating profiles, showcasing mechanisms for attractiveness in potential partners.