Chapter 8

Question 1

CA:

Answer 1

Describe phenomena, observe relationships and make predictors

Question 2

Phenomena empirically to help us do this:

Answer 2

Conceptualisation of inquiry, formulation of research design and data collection plus analysis

Question 3

Conceptualisation:

Answer 3

1. Describe content variables
2. Draw inference about content meanings
3. Answer RQ, or hypo to about relationships among variables
4. Infer from the content to its context of production and consumption
5. Answer RQ or hypo about relationship among variables and non-variables

Question 4

Typology of content studies

Answer 4

1. studies only CA
2. studies incorporate ca with other methods to explore influences on content
3. use ca in conjunction with other methods to explore effect

Question 5

Content analyis:

Answer 5

1. One or more variables across time
   multitude of factors observable through CA for their affluence on some content…
2. CA in conjunction - assess content or as influences on content
3. CA and content as independent variable
   to lines of research that combined CA and survey methods

Question 6

CA should not be carried out absent an explicit hypothesis or research question to efficiently guide the design.

Answer 6

-

Question 7

Lack of explicit

Answer 7

Spurious

Question 8

Research questions are more tentative

Answer 8

Unable to predict possible outcomes based on theoretical knowledge.

Question 9

Correlation

Answer 9

Increase or decrease in one variable associated with another

Question 10

Causation

Answer 10

from correlation is that observed changes may be coincidental

Question 11

Causal relationship

Answer 11

• Correlation that satisfies the logical conditions for inferring a necessary connection between a change.
  condition: time order
  hypo cause should precede the effect
• Put the third variable under control
• Control of all rival explanations for why changes in two variables are related. Rival: full range of potential and possible alternative explanations in cause effect relation.

Question 12

Utilitarianism

Answer 12

To answer the investigators question - gold standard for evaluating research design

Question 13

Good design:

Answer 13

Make explicit and integrate procedures for selecting a sample for analysis, content categories and units in categories, comparison and classes of inference from data

Question 14

Ideal research design:

Answer 14

Collects a maximum amount of information with minimal expenditure of time and resources.

Evidence is not capable of a dozen other alternative interpretations
Generalisable results
Intolerance for ambiguity

Question 15

Heart of research design:

Answer 15

Comparison of content that has theoretical importance. Compared across time or among people.

Question 16

Take advantage of existing data or measurement techniques

Answer 16

= building a body of integrated knowledge in social science research

Question 17

Conduct a CA:

Answer 17

Conceptualisation: identify the problem, review theory and research, pose specific research questions and hypothesis

Question 18

Design

Answer 18

Relevant content, formal design, dummy tables, operationalise, specify population and sampling pretest and establish reliability

Analysis: process data, apply statistical procedures, interpret and report results

Conceptualisation
Problem identification and research objective.
Studies purpose:
Pasteur quadrant: study is important for both body of theory and research and for practical problems or social needs.

Question 19

Incomplete review of existing knowledge:

Answer 19

1. Overdepences on web searches
2. An exclusion of important journals or all the volumes of those journals 3. An unfamiliarity with scholarship from other fields
3. Impatience to get with a project before examining all relevant materials

Question 20

Formal design of the study:

Answer 20

Actual blueprint for execution of the study. Particular decisions study time frame, data points or comparisons involved

Question 21

Dummy tables

Answer 21

Hypothetical study outcomes, data collected for study variables and measurement levels > help evaluate.

Question 22

Heart: content analysis protocol:

Answer 22

Explains how variables are measured and recorded on a coding sheet.

Question 23

Population of content

Answer 23

Entire set of potential tweets, broadcast programs, documents etc. Representative samples of population. Sometimes not appropriate with samples. Terror attack?
Is quality maximised?

Question 24

Operational definitions:

Answer 24

Pretested and coders need to be trained. Coder reliability will need testing. Coders should be trained: applying rules and using instructions.

Question 25

Data collection and analysis
Influence choice of statistical tests:

Answer 25

Level of measurement and type of sample used.

Question 26

Content variation is affected by five levels of influence.

Answer 26

Five levels: individual media characteristics, media organization routines media organization characteristics, the environment of media organizations, and societal ideology and culture.

Question 27

Media worker characteristics:

Answer 27

Personnel: direct, creative influence on content. Influencing their work: demographic ones, gender race or other. Sociological research. Political orientation, values and attitudes.

Question 28

Media organization routines

Answer 28

Routines: repeated patterns of interaction that enable organizations to function. Deadlines for media content production etc. News sources, audienes and processers.

Question 29

Media organization characteristics

Answer 29

Goals and resources of organizations producing media content, and setting such goals. Rewards and punishments are allocated for achieving such goals. Interactions: with other organizations include resource dependencies and relative power.

Question 30

Media organization environments

Answer 30

Other organizations and social institutions affecting the work of media organizations
How laws and governmental regulations influence the media organization. Copes with competitors, critics and interest groups?

Question 31

Societal Idology:

Answer 31

Shoemaker: ideology as a way in which dominant economic interests influence organization environments, characteristics, routines and media workers

Question 32

Summary:

Answer 32

CA involves conceptualisation, design and execution phases. Research design is the blueprint; the plan specifying how a particular content analysis will be performed to answer a specific research question.
Design: time, comparisons with other media, operationalisation and measurement decisions, sampling, reliability and appropriate statistical analysis. Good research: evaluated in terms of how well it permits answering the research question and fulfilling the study’s purpose.