content analysis - A-Level Flashcards
content analysis definition
a research technique that enables the indirect study of behvaiour by examining communications that people produce, for example, texts, emails, films and other media
coding definition
the stage of a content analysis in which the communication to be studied is analysed by identifying each instance of the chosen categories) which may be words, sentences, phrases)
thematic analysis definition
an inductive and qualitative approach to analysis that involves identifying implicit or explicit ideas within the data. themes will often emerge once the data has been coded
what is content analysis
type of observational research in which people are studies indirectly via the communications they have produced
forms of communication in content analysis
wide-ranging and may include spoken interaction (such as a conversation or speech/presentation), written forms (such as email or text) or broader examples from the media (such as books, magazines, TV programmes or films)
aim of content analysis
summarise and describe this communication in a systematic way so overall conclusions can be drawn
initial stage of content analysis
coding
why do some data sets need to be categorised into meaningful units
may be extremely large - such as the transcripts of several dozen lengthy interviews
what can coding involve
counting up the number of times a particular word or phrase appears in the text to produce a form of quantitative data
example of coding- newspaper
newspaper reports may be analysed for the number of times derogatory terms for people with mental health issues are used, such as crazy or mad.
example of coding - TV adverts
TV adverts are examined to see how often men and women are depicted in professional roles (at work) or familial roles (at home) –> this is similar to a study carried out by Furnham and Farragher (2000)
what is thematic analysis
form of content analysis but the outcome is qualitative
main process in thematic analysis
identification of themes
what does a theme in content analysis refer to
any idea, explicit or implicit that is recurrent
difference between thematic analysis and coding
thematic is more likely to be descriptive
example of thematic analysis - NHS
people with mental health issues may be misrepresented in the newspapers as ‘ a threat to the well-being of our children’ or as ‘a drain on the resources of the NHS’
how can such themes may be developed into the broader categories (example of thematic analysis - NHS)
developed into broader categories such as ‘control’, ‘stereotyping’ or ‘treatment’ of people with mental health issues
what does the researcher do in thematic analysis
once they are satisfied with the themes they have developed cover most aspects of the data they are analysing, they may collect a new set of data to test the validity of themes and categories. assuming these explain the new data adequately, the researcher will write up the final report, typically using direct quotes from the data to illustrate each theme
strengths of content analysis
-can circumnavigate many ethical issues associated with psychological research. much of the material the analyst may use such as TV ads and films and newspapers are already on the internet and therefore already exist in the public domain, so no permission needed
-high external validity and may access data of a sensitive nature provided the ‘authors’ consent to use
-flexible as can produce both qualitative and quantitative data depending on research aims
limitations of content analysis
-people tend to be studied indirectly so the communications they produce are usually analysed outside of the context within which it occurred. there is a danger that the researcher may attribute opinions and motivations to the speaker or writer that were not intended originally
-although many modern analysts are aware of their own biases and preconceptions and reference this as part of the final report . still suffer from a lack of objectivity, especially when more descriptive forms of thematic analysis are employed
