Content Analysis Flashcards
What is a content analysis?
A kind of observational study in which behaviour is obserbed indirectly or directly in written or verbal material
What is the purpose of a content analysis?
To provide knowledge and understanding of whatever is studied
What is a qualitative analysis?
Focuses on the characteristics of language in communications, with attention to the content or contextual meaning of the text
What does a content analysis represent?
Explicit or inferred communication
What is a conventional/bottom up CA?
Coding categories are derived from the text
When is a conventional/bottom up CA useful?
When there is limited data in the field and for generating ideas for further study
What is a top down/directed CA?
Analysis that starts with a theory or relevent reseach findings as guidance for initial codes
When is a top down/directed CA useful?
Used to extend or develop knowledge about an existing topic
What is a summative content analysis?
Where you identify and quantify certain words. You then interpret the content
When is a summative content analysis useful?
When analysing journals
Benefits of content analysis?
- Can analyse large amounts of data
- More ethical as no participants
- Replication is possible
- Can objectively interpet results
- High ecological validity
Drawbacks of content analysis?
- More than one observer, could be inconsistant in application of coding units
- Reductionist - assumes one media outlet can reflect the entire topic
- Researcher bias
- Culture dependent
