Identifying Codes in Data Responses
Author: Sarah Boll | Majors: Communication and Journalism
My name is Sarah Boll, and I am a senior who sadly graduated from the University of Arkansas this semester. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a concentration in advertising and public relations from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Journalism and Strategic Media. As part of my academic completion, I conducted a research study in the Honors College. I defended my honors thesis titled, “College Students Utilizing Dating Apps During the COVID-19 Pandemic” on April 22, 2022. My mentor was Dr. Patricia Amason of the Communication department at the University of Arkansas.
From my research, I discovered the humans have an innate need for connection and intimacy. With social-distancing strongly encouraged by public health officials due to the serious symptoms and contagion, the COVID-19 virus directly threated our ability to form social connections with others. In March 2020, dating apps experienced the most users they have ever in history. This shows that many individuals turned to dating apps to experience intimacy and ease their mental health, rather than risk their physical health by meeting in person.
In addition, the purpose of online dating before the COVID-19 pandemic was to establish an initial connection online, but then meet in-person later to develop the relationship further. With COVID-19 keeping people indoors and away from others, online dating itself changed. Individuals underwent longer periods of computer-mediated communication on dating apps than ever before. I wanted to explore these new methods of online dating associated with the surge of activity on dating apps during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of my research, I conducted an online survey. I chose to survey other college students because adults ages 18-24 use dating app the most, and therefore would have the most experience with them, but also out of convenience by being on a college campus. The survey asked questions about an individual’s dating app experience before, during, and after the pandemic to gather quantitative and qualitative data that would offer new insights into virtual dating.
One challenged I faced with my research was the lengthy IRB process. Because it took months to gain approval of mt survey questions, I only had limited time to find participants. Once receiving responses, I underwent a lengthy coding process to identify common themes of answers in each question. Because the coding process in extensive, I had to close the survey within five days due to the IRB delay to make time for the analysis of answers. I made sure to complete all homework in advance and request time off from work for a week so I could dedicate all my time outside of classes to analyzing survey responses. Because of this, I was able to still complete my project on time.
In summary, my results showed that dating apps can be effective in establishing meaningful, romantic relationships. However, for relationship success, motivations of individuals must align, which can be hard to find on dating apps as there are many different motivations of why individuals use dating apps. Most of the surveyed participants viewed their experience as unsuccessful on dating apps, except for those seeking physical relationships, which were always successful.
I also found a trend that many female respondents have never initiated conversation on a dating app. In addition, results showed that the pandemic did not have a great effect on the dating habits of adults ages 18-24. There was an insignificant rise of participants that used dating apps during the pandemic, compared to the answers of participants who were already using dating apps before the pandemic. As vaccinations were created and mandates ended, many participants were no longer using dating apps at the time of the survey.
I chose this research topic because I was personally felt the impacts of the COVID-19 virus on the ability to form intimate connections. I was in a relationship that ended in March 2020, and in the height of the pandemic, it was hard to move on and begin dating again with social distancing advisories.
When it came time to find a mentor, I was unsure how to go about this process. I sought help from a trusted professor in the communication department, Dr. Amason, who I had taught multiple classes of mine. I was hoping she would be able to offer advice or point me in the direction of someone. To my excitement, Dr. Amason volunteered herself to be my thesis director. She has an impressive background in communication research, so I was honored to have her help. She guided me every step of the way, ensuring that I was staying on track in time for the defense. She constantly contacted the IRB when we were experiencing setbacks. I was able to get in contact with her at any time if I ever had a question, big or small. When I began writing, she revised and added suggestions for each section of the paper.
Before my thesis, I had never conducted such a large research project. I was very intimidated at the start of the project, and I did not think there was any way I could write a minimum of 40 pages. My final thesis paper ended up being over 70 pages with references included. I learned that I could accomplish and present extensive and detailed research. To my surprise, I enjoyed my research and found the topic genuinely interesting, instead of feeling like the thesis was an unwanted homework assignment.
For now, I am taking a break from research and school. I have accepted a position as Account Executive for Client Growth at Bold Strategies. My research is very current and exciting. A part of me wished I had time to go further with my research, so I hope future researchers can build off and expand research where I started, such as exploring trends with different ethnicities and sexualities as well as different regions of the nation.