IB Psychology HL 2.4.4 Thematic analysis
Practise coding interview transcripts and grouping participants’ language into inductive, research-relevant themes in IB Psychology HL questions.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2027
- Course
- IB Psychology
- Level
- HL
Exam points
- Describe how interview transcripts are coded and grouped into inductive themes in a qualitative study.
- Explain how researchers move from participants’ language to research-relevant patterns and themes.
2.4.4—Thematic analysis question 1
[Maximum number: 10]
The stimulus material below is based on a research article that addresses the possible physical, social and psychological benefits of dog ownership for the elderly in the UK.
As the number of elderly people is expected to rise in the near future, it is important to ensure that they stay healthy as they get older. One way in which this can be done is through exercise. According to the researchers of this study, dog ownership may be a good way of encouraging the elderly to walk and stay fit.
The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate how elderly dog owners believe their physical and mental health is affected by having a dog. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 24 dog owners from popular dog-walking sites in the south of England. Seventy-five percent of the participants were female and the mean age was 60. They all signed informed consent before joining the study. The researchers conducted four focus group interviews, each with six different participants. The facilitator used an interview protocol with some prepared questions to encourage discussions. Examples of these questions are: “What does your dog mean to you?” and “What are you looking for in a walk?” Each interview lasted around 1.5 hours and did not end until participants agreed that all important topics had been discussed. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim to prepare for inductive content analysis (thematic analysis). The analysis of the transcripts revealed three higher-order themes related to participants’ beliefs of dog ownership:
• Physical benefits: participants saw walking the dog as good for their health. They were motivated to walk, even when in ill health, or when the weather was bad and they did not really feel like it.
• Psychological benefits: participants found that the dog gave them comfort and companionship. Some said the dog helped them when they felt depressed or lonely – especially after the death of a partner.
• Social benefits: participants found that socializing with other dog walkers helped participants feel that they were part of a group.
The researchers concluded that owning a dog may increase physical and psychological health for the elderly and therefore lead to them having a better quality of life. However, more research is needed, as this is a new research area. [Source: Based on Knight, S. and Edwards, V. (2008) In the Company of Wolves: The Physical, Social, and Psychological Benefits of Dog Ownership. Journal of Aging and Health, 20, 437–455]
Describe how researchers in this study used inductive content analysis (thematic analysis) on the interview transcripts.
Refer to the paper 3 markbands when awarding marks.
The command term "describe" requires candidates to give a detailed account of how inductive content analysis was applied to the interview transcripts in the study.
Responses that use the term "experiment" as a generic term for "study" should not be penalized.
Candidates should describe characteristics or features of the procedure of inductive content analysis on the transcript in the context of this study. Relevant parts of the procedure of inductive content analysis in this study include, but are not limited to:
- Reading and rereading the transcripts of the focus group interviews to identify possible categories or themes (coding the raw data) that relate to how participants believe they benefit from having a dog.
- After a systematic analysis of the transcript and coding of data in terms of emerging themes (for example, "walking the dog is good for my health" or "socializing with other dog walkers helps me feel part of a group", the researcher could try to connect emerging themes in meaningful ways to establish low-level and higher-level themes and connect them in meaningful ways to establish possible hierarchies of themes.
- Constructing a summary table of the three higher-order themes mentioned in the stimulus material (physical benefits, psychological benefits, and social benefits) and connecting them to lower-level themes.
- Adding relevant quotations from participants in the study to support the choice of each theme. For example, for physical benefits some participants said "they were motivated to walk, even when in ill health". When discussing psychological benefits some participants said "the dog gave them comfort and companionship."
- Analysis of the transcripts will continue until saturation of the data.
- The final task is to make interpretations based on the summary table in order to find a relationship between the different themes and support this with relevant quotations from the participants.
- Finally, the researcher could attempt formulation of theory based on the analysis.
- Credibility checks can take place during the whole process of inductive content analysis, for example checking themes with other coders or researchers as well as participants to have them confirm the interpretation of data. Credibility checks could also include reflexivity, that is, the researcher controls for own biases.
Responses that merely identify themes but do not describe the process of inductive content analysis should be awarded up to a maximum of up to [3].
Responses that merely quote themes mentioned in the stimulus material but fail to describe any elements of the process of inductive content analysis should be awarded [0].
Responses that merely state that inductive content analysis is concerned with finding themes in the transcripts but fail to describe any elements of the process of inductive content analysis should be awarded [0].
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