Content analysis and coding

• Describe what is meant be content analysis

  • A type of observational design
  • When people are studied via communication they have produced
• What type of communications can be studied indirectly through content analysis?

  • Spoken interactions - speech or conversation
  • Written forms - texts or emails
  • The media - books, magazines and TV
• What is the first stage of content analysis?

  • Coding
  • Involves categorising data into meaningful units - as it might be too large
• Describe how coding can be carried out?

  • Counting up the number of times a particular word or phrase appears in the text
  • Allows researcher to produce quantitative data
• Describe what is meant by thematic analysis in content analysis and how it might be carried out

  • A theme refers to any recurrent idea throughout research- recurrent ideas topics and patterns within the content
  • They are more descriptive than coding units
  • It can be done by identifying themes which content and noting down how any times they appear
• Explain how content analysis doesn’t have any ethical issues

  • The material to study - TV, magazines and films are likely already in the public domain
  • There is no issue obtaining any consent
• Describe how content analysis is a flexible method - AO3

  • It can be adapted to produce quantitative and qualitative data
  • Depending on what’s required
  • This makes it a flexible approach that can be adapted to be adapted to suit the aims of any type of research
• Explain how the context in which content analysis is carried out in my limit it’s findings - AO3

  • The researcher may make assumptions and attribute certain motivations to the speaker or writer which were not intended
  • This likely reduces the validity of the conclusions drawn
• Explain how content analysis may lack objectivity - AO3

  • May lack objectivity in more descriptive themes like thematic analysis
  • This bias may threaten the validity of the findings and conclusions
• What is meant by reflexivity?

  • A way for researchers to understand their lack of objectivity
  • Researchers examining one's own assumption, belief, and judgement systems, and thinking carefully and critically about how these influence the research process.