CONTENT ANALYSIS

• WHAT IS CONTENT ANALYSIS?

  type of observational research in which people are indirectly studied through their communications

  -> e.g. spoken, written or broader examples from the media
• TWO TYPES OF CONTENT ANALYSIS?

  • coding
  • thematic analysis
• CODING?

  • analytical process
  • data is categorised into meaningful units
  • quantitative data
  • e.g. counting the number of times a word or phrase appears
• THEMATIC ANALYSIS?

  • inductive process
  • themes are identified from categorised data
  • involves studying recurrent ideas from coded data
  • more descriptive
• EVALUATION?

  + easily replicated

  + high ecological validity

  + data

  -lacks objectivity

  -time consuming

  -cultural bias
• EASILY REPLICATED?

  • easily replicated
  • materials can be retained and accessed by others
  • test for reliability
  • other researchers analyse and compare
• HIGH ECOLOGICAL VALIDITY?

  • high ecological validity
  • gathered from diaries/ interview transcripts
  • real life thoughts
  • more than data collected in artificial setting
• DATA?

  • collects very rich, detailed qualitative data and simplistic quantitative data
  • in-depth detail
  • easy analysis
  • visual display
• LACKS OBJECTIVITY?

  • lacks objectivity
  • difficult to decide appropriate categories
  • different interpretations
  • decrease validity
• TIME CONSUMING?

  • very time consuming
  • lots of data to categorise
  • impractical
• CULTURAL BIAS?

  • cultural bias
  • interpretation affected by language and culture of observer
  • can be misinterpreted
  • lead to ethnocentric views