content analysis Flashcards
What is content analysis?
Content analysis is a type of observational research in which people are studied indirectly via the communications they have produced.
What forms of communication can be studied using content analysis?
Forms include spoken interaction (like conversations or presentations), written forms (such as texts or emails), and broader media (like books, magazines, TV programmes, or films).
What is the main aim of content analysis?
The aim is to summarise and describe communication in a systematic way so overall conclusions can be drawn.
What is the initial stage of content analysis called?
The initial stage is called coding.
What does coding involve in content analysis?
Coding involves categorising information into meaningful units, such as counting the number of times a word or phrase appears in the text.
Give an example of quantitative data in content analysis.
An example is analysing newspaper reports for the number of times derogatory terms for people with mental health issues are used.
What is thematic analysis?
Thematic analysis is a form of content analysis that is qualitative and involves identifying themes in the data.
What is a theme in thematic analysis?
A theme refers to any idea, explicit or implicit, that is recurrent or crops up as part of the communication being studied.
How is the validity of themes checked in thematic analysis?
Researchers check if themes cover most aspects of the data and may test new data to see if it fits the themes and categories.
What is one strength of content analysis?
Content analysis can avoid many ethical issues because it often uses material already in the public domain, so there are usually no issues with obtaining permission.
Why does content analysis have high external validity?
It can access a wide range of sensitive material and real-life communications, increasing its generalisability.
How is content analysis flexible?
It can produce both qualitative and quantitative data depending on the aims of the research.
What is a limitation of content analysis regarding context?
Communications are usually analysed outside of the context in which they occurred, which may lead to misinterpretation.
What is a danger of analysing communications indirectly?
Researchers may attribute opinions and motivations to the speaker or writer that were not intended originally.
What can help improve objectivity in content analysis?
Using more descriptive forms of thematic analysis and being aware of one’s own biases can help improve objectivity.
