Content Analysis

Content Analysis

1. Definition

   • Search technique applying importance or meaning to the information that has been collected and helps identify patterns in the text

2. Uses

   • to analyze text
   • solve issues of disputed authorship of academic papers
   • to identify anonymous authors
   • controversially to help determine how many people actually wrote the plays attributed to Shakespeare.
   • Identify the intentions, focus or communication trends of an individual, group or institution
   • Describe attitudinal and behavioral responses to communications
   • Determine the psychological or emotional state of persons or groups
   • Reveal international differences in communication content
   • Analyze focus group interviews and open-ended questions to complement quantitative data

3. Potential

   • powerful research tool
     • to determine sound inferences concerning the attitude of the speaker or writer
   • a descriptor of diverse research techniques used for systematic collecting
   • to analyze and make inferences from messages.

4. Sources

   • An interview transcript.
   • Focus-group notes.
     • Discussions.
       • Conversations and advertisements.
     • Speeches.
   • Essays.
   • Journal articles.
     • Newspaper articles or stories.
   • Books and chapters in books.

5. Procedure

   • Identify the topic of your research
     • Establish content categories
       • Test the categories generated
         • Collect data
           • Analyse content of data and provide results

6. Quantitative models

   • Stages
     • focus on the number of times a word, theme or issue appears and meaning is applied to that numerical data.
   • the true meanings of the data are overlooked in favor of frequencies.
   • requires more resources and time.
   • Should only be used when three factors are present
     • 1 Very precise results are desired.
       • 2 There is a possibility that the data collected may be biased.
         • 3 The data collected is statistically related to numerical data.

7. Qualitative models

   • Utility
     • to capture the richness and describe the unique complexities of the data.
   • Qualities
     • more holistic and employs advanced statistical and analytical techniques
     • It does not require a predefined coding framework or complex numerical analysis.
   • Qualitative researchers
     • use content analysis methods and opt for a range of techniques.