Comparing thematic and search term-based coding in understanding sense of place in survey research

Cotton, Isabel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3967-3937, McWherter, Brooke, Tenbrink, Thora and Sherren, Kate (2024) Comparing thematic and search term-based coding in understanding sense of place in survey research. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 96. ISSN 0272-4944

Preview

PDF (1-s2.0-S0272494424001129-main) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Sense of place is a fundamental concept in human geography, yet challenging to measure given its intangibility and idiosyncrasy. Meanwhile, there are increasing opportunities for social scientists to utilize big data and automated approaches to data analysis, albeit with some wariness, but few researchers directly compare automated to manual analysis in the context of sense of place. This study applies two analytical approaches to a survey question on sense of place: semi-automatic search term analysis around semantic fields, and inductive thematic analysis. Results show high agreement between the approaches, with more tangible aspects of place (recreation) better correlated than more abstract concepts (appreciation). Variation mainly relates to the ability of inductive coding to address false negatives, implied meaning, or obscure search terms. This demonstrates the potential value of hybridizing to improve the accuracy of a search term-based approach, and overcome the limitations, such as subjectivities, of one analytical approach.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
UEA Research Groups:	University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	07 Jun 2024 13:30
Last Modified:	07 Jun 2024 13:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/95402
DOI:	10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102339

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item