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Individual interviews lasted an average of 35 minutes. Questions included those
about general perceptions of masculinity (e.g., How do you define your own sense
of masculinity?), the comparison of social experiences over the previous two years
(e.g., What is different about this year compared to last year for you in terms of social life?),
role models of masculinity on campus (e.g., Who sets the tone for what masculinity looks
like on campus?), and the experience of living in on-campus residence halls and observations
of stereotypical masculine behaviors in those settings. Institutional Review
Board approval was granted by the research host institution.
Analysis
The data from this study were analyzed using the phenomenological approach in order
to understand the lived experiences of individuals (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). Giorgi
and Giorgi (2008) noted that descriptive phenomenological research attempts to study
a particular phenomenon in the context in which it occurs. The main purpose of the
phenomenological approach is to " reduce individual experiences with a phenomenon
to a description of the universal essence " (Creswell, 2007, p. 57). Given the subjective
nature of lived experiences during the pandemic and the complexities of the development
of masculine identity, it was important to allow participants to describe their
experiences to help create meaning.
Participants provided rich, first-hand descriptions of their experiences to capture
the meanings they attributed to the phenomenon in the context of their lives. The
coding strategy followed the multiple steps of Saldaña's (2015) concept coding, where
preliminary analysis occurs iteratively. The cyclical process of coding " further manages,
filters, highlights, and focuses the salient features of the qualitative data record
for generating categories, themes, and concepts " (Saldaña, 2015, p. 9). The coding
process narrowed data into categories, and the codes were then collapsed as themes
emerged. Analytic memo writing assisted with code choices, emerging patterns, and
categories (Saldaña, 2015). Additionally, random member checks were employed with
participants as coding was conducted to validate findings.
Limitations
While participant demographics signaled a diverse perspective, the research site was
a small private residential predominantly White institution (PWI) in the Midwestern
United States. As such, preconceived notions of masculinity and the ways that masculinity
is presented may differ from the perceptions on other campuses. In addition,
COVID-19 pandemic policies and procedures were often dictated in part by local or
state authorities, so the experience the students at the research site had may differ from
that of students at other institutions. Also, masculinity is influenced by culture, social
connections, family, and other external factors that were not the focus of this study.
Finally, this study did not explicitly explore the intersecting identities of participants,
such as race and disability, which also influence perceptions of masculinity.
Volume 49, No. 2 * 2023 35

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