Content analysis and thematic analysis

Question 1

What is content analysis?

Answer 1

Research technique that enables indirect study of behaviour, by examining the communications they produce, i.e. text, emails, TV, film

Question 2

How is content analysis carried out?

Answer 2

• Indirect study via communications
• Coding= analyse some data sets to categorise info into meaningful units
• Turns qualitative data into quantitaive data by counting number of time theme/word/ phrase occurs

Question 3

What is thematic analysis?

Answer 3

A form of analysis with a qualitative outcome

Question 4

How is thematic analysis carried out?

Answer 4

• Identify themes (recurrent ideas)
• Collect new data sat to test validity of themes and categories
• Write up final report, using direct quotes (qualitative outcome)

Question 5

What are the strengths of content analysis?

Answer 5

• Useful as it can get around ethical issues
• Info is pre-existing so no issues in obtaining permission to access data
• High external validity
• Can access data of a sensitive nature
• Flexible (qualitative or quantitative outcome)

Question 6

What are the limitations of content analysis?

Answer 6

• Indirect study of people so communications are analysed outside of context it occured in
• Researcher may attribute opinions/motivations to speaker/writer
• May suffer from lack of objectivity and bias