Case studies and content analysis

• What is a content analysis? (2)

  • technique for analysing qualitative data of various kinds
  • data can be placed into categories and counted (quantitative) or can be analysed in themes (qualitative)
• Content analysis method:

  • Familiarise yourself with the data e.g. watching clips, reading data etc.
  • Identify potential categories which emerged from data.
  • Give examples of such categories
  • Re-analyse data to identify examples of each category e.g. counting number of examples which fell into each category to produce quantitative data
• Thematic analysis is a method for analysing communication (qualitative data) that involves identifying and reporting patterns within the material to be analysed.
• Thematic analysis analyses material such as diaries, Tv advertisements or interview transcripsts.
• Thematic analysis method:

  • Once data is transcribed (when necessary) data is reviewed repeatedly so that the researcher can identify trends in the meaning conveyed by language
  • The themes identified are re-analysed so that they become more refined and relevant and given short hand codes
  • The researcher uses coding to initially analyse the data
  • Review codes looking for emergent themes/ideas that might be linked to research aim
• A case study is an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event, often using multiple data sources (interviews, observations, tests, records, etc.). It's often used in clinical or unusual cases.
• Features of case studies:

  • Often longitudinal (over a long period)
  • Uses both qualitative (e.g. interviews, observations) and quantitative data (e.g. experiments, psychological tests)
  • Involves a holistic understanding
  • Often relies on retrospective data (e.g., medical or historical records)
• Strengths of case studies:

  • Rich, detailed data: Produces in-depth insights that may be missed by other methods (e.g. experiments or questionnaires)
  • Useful for studying rare phenomena: Can explore conditions or experiences that can’t be ethically or practically studied in experiments
  • Generates hypotheses: Findings can lead to further research or theory development
• Limitations of case studies:

  • Low generalisability: Findings may not apply to others due to uniqueness and low sample size of the case
  • Researcher bias: Subjective interpretation may reduce objectivity
  • Retrospective data may be unreliable: Memory or records may be incomplete or distorted = low validity and accuracy
  • Cannot establish cause and effect: Usually uncontrolled; many variables at play
• Content analysis is a type of observational research used to systematically analyse qualitative data (e.g., media, interviews, diaries) by converting it into quantitative or thematic data.
• Strengths of content and thematic analysis:

  • Can handle large data sets: Useful for analysing media efficiently
  • Flexible: Can be both qualitative and quantitative depending on aim of research
  • High ecological validity: Often uses real-world communications (e.g., newspapers, interviews)
• Limitations of content and thematic analysis:

  • May be subjective: Especially if themes are loosely defined; requires good inter-rater reliability
  • Context is often ignored: May miss meaning as people are studied indirectly, and their communication is analysed outside of the context within which it occurred
  • Time-consuming: Especially if data is large or multiple raters are needed