Content analysis

• Definition - a research technique that enables the indirect study of behaviour by examining the communications that people product in qualitative data such as emails, TV and film
• Behaviour is not directly studied with content analysis. It is the process of investigating the content of the data that has already been recorded
• Coding

  Involves being able to convert data into a form that can be measured. It effectively turns qualitative data into quantitative data
• Coding system

  This is where researchers will decide on the things they are looking for.

  These codes will be things the researcher can count up
• Steps:

  1. Researcher will read through some of the material to be analysed
  2. Decide on some codes that can be used to analyse data
  3. Read through the material and apply the coding system
  4. Analyse the findings quantitatively