Case studies and content analysis Flashcards
What is a case study
Detailed and in-depth analysis of an individual/group/institution/event
Example of case study
Little Hans
What data is mostly used in case studies
Qualitative
-e,g case history of individual with interviews
When might case studies produce quantitative data
When person is subject to experimental/psychological testing
Which type of study are case studies usually
longitudinal
Content analysis
Type of observational research that enbales the indirect study of behaviour by examining the communications that people produce e.g in films
Aim of content analysis
To summarise/describe this communication in a systematic way so overall conclusions can be drawn
Initial stage of content analysis
Coding
What does coding involve
Communication is analysed by identifying each instance of chosen categories (e.g words) = quantitative data
What is thematic analysis
Form of content analysis where data is qualitative by analysing themes instead of numbers
What is a theme
Any idea that is recurrent in the communication
What happens after themes are identified
They are developed into broader categories
-Then researcher may collect new set of date to test their validity
-Then write up final report (often using direct quotes)
Strength of case studies
Weakness of case studies
-Offer rich/detailed insights that may shed light on atypical forms of behaviour
-Less superficial than other forms of data (e.g questionnaires)
-May generate hypothesis for future study
Example of coding in content analysis
Newspaper reports analysed for number of times derogatory words for ppl with mental health issues used (e.g crazy/mad)
