Content analysis

• Content analysis

  A research technique that enables the indirect study of behaviour by examining communications that people produce.

  E.g in texts, TV or films
• Coding

  The stage in content analysis in which the communication to be studied is analysed by identifying each instance of chosen category.

  E.g counting the number of time a word is repeated in a large piece of text.
• Thematic analysis

  An inductive and qualitative approach to analysis which involves identifying implicit and explicit ideas within data.

  Themes usually occur once data has been coded.
• Strengths of content analysis

  • Can circumnavigate many ethical issues involved in psychological research. Much of the material that an analyst wants to study e.g films, posts may already exist in the public domain. Thus there are no issues with obtaining permission.
  • It is flexible, it may produce both qualitative and quantitative data depending on the aims of research.
• Limitations of content analysis

  • People are studied indirectly so communication they produce are analysed out of the content within which it occurred so researcher may attribute opinions and motivations to the speaker that were not originally there.
  • Lack of objectivity, especially when thematic analysis is employed.
• How to conduct content analysis?

  1. Sampling method- time or event sampling
  2. Recording data- transcribed or recorded using a video. Should research be collected by an individual researcher or team?
  3. Analysing and representing data- how is material categorised and coded to summarise it? Should number of times mentioned be calculated (quantitative analysis or described using themes (qualitative analysis)