My research process went through a similar series of hoops compared to last time.  I already have quite a bit of experience doing in-depth research, so I’m well-versed with manipulating Boolean terms.  The challenge from this round of searching stemmed from needing to diversify my sources.  I made a special effort to focus on terms surrounding identity development and personal growth among transgender people.  Without this key context, there’s not much of a framework for gauging representation.  On that note, the results were still sparce, but I was at least able to narrow down my topic.

SEARCH #1 keywords:  “Transgender”, AND “identity development”, AND “age”

• All-text search terms
• Limiter(s) – Full text
  • Rejected limiters – Peer-reviewed, References available

Academic Search Premier:  20 results

• Ideal result – Katz-Wise, S. L., & Budge, S. L. (2015). Cognitive and interpersonal identity processes related to mid-life gender transitioning in transgender women. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 28(2), 150–174. https://doi-org.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/10.1080/09515070.2014.993305.
  • Subject terms

1. 1. 1. *COGNITION
      2. *EMOTIONS
      3. *GENDER identity
      4. *GROUNDED theory
      5. *INTERVIEWING
      6. *MATHEMATICAL models
      7. *RESEARCH methodology
      8. *TERMS & phrases
      9. *WOMEN
      10. *THEORY
      11. *TRANSGENDER people

• This article is a rare example of proper dissection for older trans people in particular (ages 44–67).  Unfortunately, the component of age is mostly happenstance considering the topic of identity development.  The research also lacks coverage of transgender men.  Nevertheless, it’s vitally important in understanding how older trans people orient themselves in American society.

SEARCH #2 keywords:  “Transgender”, AND “representation”, NOT “lesbian” NOT “gay” NOT “bisexual”

• Rejected Boolean term:  “media representation”
• All-text search terms
• Limiter(s) – Full text, Peer-reviewed

Academic Search Premier:  79 results

• Ideal result – McLaren, J. T., Bryant, S., & Brown, B. (2021). “See me! Recognize me!” An analysis of transgender media representation. Communication Quarterly, 69(2), 172–191. https://doi-org.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/10.1080/01463373.2021.1901759.
  • Subject terms

1. 1. 1. *CRITICAL discourse analysis
      2. *TRANSGENDER people
      3. *MENTAL representation
      4. *TELEVISION characters
      5. *FICTIONAL characters

• This article takes a straightforward deep dive on the topic of transgender representation in the media.  While not age-specific, the three examples given in the content analysis do consist of actors at different stages in life.  Furthermore, transgender men are also represented.  The researcher’s in-depth takedown on various tropes (E.G. “born in the wrong body”) provides an excellent framework for further discussion.  The two shows analyzed, The Fosters and Orange is the New Black, are drastically different in tone.  As such, they cast an appropriately broad net for understanding representation despite an overall small sample.

SEARCH #3 keywords:  “Transgender”, AND “population” OR “demographics”

• Rejected Boolean term:  “prevalence”
• Transgender:  All-text search term | population/demographics:  Subject terms
  • All search terms were initially all-text; however, it yielded too many unhelpful results.  I tried to limit my search terms with “NOT” Boolean terms such as “NOT hiv/aids”, but the mechanism was not very useful.
• Limiter(s) – Full text, Peer-reviewed

Academic Search Premier:  163 results

• Ideal result – Meerwijk, E. L., & Sevelius, J. M. (2017). Transgender Population Size in the United States: a Meta-Regression of Population-Based Probability Samples. American Journal of Public Health, 107(2), e1–e8. https://doi-org.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303578
  • Subject Terms

1. 1. 1. *POPULATION research
      2. *TRENDS
      3. *TRANSGENDER identity
      4. *DEMOGRAPHIC surveys
      5. *REGRESSION analysis
      6. *STATISTICS
      7. *POPULATION
      8. *META-analysis
      9. *CINAHL database
      10. *DATABASES
      11. *GENDER identity
      12. *MEDLINE
      13. *ONLINE information services
      14. *PUBLIC health
      15. *SURVEYS
      16. *TIME
      17. *SYSTEMATIC reviews
      18. *TRANSGENDER people
      19. *AMERICAN transgender people
      20. *SOCIAL aspects

• There are shockingly few vanilla population reports for transgender people, and before we can discuss how a subset of that population is represented, I’m important to know everything about that population in the first place.  This article uses meta-regression across various surveys to calculate the overall quantitative prevalence of self-identified transgender individuals.  For my purposes, extrapolating this information is very important in understanding how over/underrepresented they are, especially as it relates to a population pyramid.