“It Was All Very Toxic”: An Initial Exploration into Dancers’ Experiences of Social Comparison in UK Dance Schools

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant characteristics of the ten dancers.

Dancer	Age	Years of dance experience	Highest Competitive Level Reached	Training Level
D1	22	16	International	Non-vocational
D2	21	13	International	Non-vocational
D3	18	13	Regional	Non-vocational
D4	20	17	Regional	Vocational school
D5	19	16	Regional	Vocational school
D6	22	15	International	Non-vocational
D7	21	8	International	Vocational school
D8	21	16	International	Non-vocational
D9	21	6	Regional	Non-vocational
D10	23	17	International	Non-vocational

Table 2. The six phases of reflexive thematic analysis of the data (Braun and Clarke 2006; 2019).

Phase	Description
Phase 1	The author transcribes and corrects the data and re-reads the data at least two times, while noting initial ideas and important information regarding the dancer’s perception of their experience with social comparison.
Phase 2	Here, an inductive approach was taken to identify codes from the raw data and to identify and collect data relevant to each code.
Phase 3	The decided codes are then organized, and potential themes are created.
Phase 4	Themes are checked to see if they work in relation to the codes and are refined alongside any sub-themes to create a thematic “map.”
Phase 5	Further analysis occurs, and member reflections of the identified themes are noted with the use of a critical friend to ensure the data set is being accurately represented.
Phase 6	Selection of most important extract examples, and final analysis occurs of these extracts relating back to the research question. A report of the analysis is produced.

Figure 1. Thematic map of the “cut-throat” dance culture and the three-way interaction of the higher order themes as identified through thematic analysis.

Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.

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Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2019. “Reflecting on Reflexive Thematic Analysis.” Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 11 (4): 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676x.2019.1628806.

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