Finding Themes


(draws heavily on paper by Ryan and Bernard)

Approaches & Techniques

KWIC

Compare & Contrast

Looking for key elements

Coding & Netting

Pilesorts & MDS

Factor Analysis

Things to look for

Variables of theoretical interest

Salient words

Non-mentions

In general, examining what people say to find clues about how they see the world.

Metaphors

Chains of binary oppositions
bush dumb affable simple men republican hawk moral tough on crime violence
gore/kerry/clinton smart arrogant complex women democrat dove immoral soft on crime sex

frames, schemas, scripts

Semantic relations & connectors domains

Taxonomies

transitions

Example