Understanding Content Analysis: Methods and Techniques
Content analysis is a research method used for interpreting textual data through systematic classification and identification of themes or patterns. It involves qualitative data reduction to reveal core consistencies and meanings. Thematic analysis, a part of content analysis, derives themes from qualitative data through selective reduction, coding, and categorization. Researchers can employ conventional or directed approaches to extract meaningful insights.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
CONTENT ANALYSIS, THEMATIC ANALYSIS AND GROUNDED Edexcel Paper 3 AJW THEORY
WHAT IS CONTENT ANALYSIS? WHAT IS CONTENT ANALYSIS? a research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005, p.1278)
WHAT IS CONTENT ANALYSIS? WHAT IS CONTENT ANALYSIS? any qualitative data reduction and sense-making effort that takes a volume of qualitative material and attempts to identify core consistencies and meanings (Patton, 2002, p.453)
WHAT IS CONTENT ANALYSIS? A way of analysing text example newspaper articles, children s books, interview transcripts and advert or film scripts. can be quantitative or qualitative: Quantitative researchers may simply search for specific words, phrases or ideas in the data and count them up Qualitative researchers will attempt to extract meaning through a search for themes in the data. no counting up themes or statistical analysis more sensible given that sampling is unlikely to have been random far more likely to be purposive sampling purposive sampling, texts chosen specifically as known examples of the particular topic under investigation text- -based, qualitative data based, qualitative data for
DESCRIBING THE DATA: DESCRIBING THE DATA: THEMATIC ANALYSIS THEMATIC ANALYSIS Thematic analysis refers to a process by which a series of codes, categories and ultimately themes (underlying and recurring ideas) are derived from qualitative data Researcher will use a process of selective reduction; selective reduction; turning the full text into manageable units. manageable units.
TWO WAYS TO DERIVE THEMES FROM DATA Hsieh and Hsieh and Shannon Conventional Directed Shannon, (2015)
CONVENTIONAL (FORMATIVE ANALYSIS) CONVENTIONAL (FORMATIVE ANALYSIS) Involves a technique called close reading every phrase from the text into a coding unit no starting point other than the data itself This is known as taking a bottom Researchers read over and over again until they have reached a point known as data saturation they feel there are no further coding units to be found. This form of analysis is called an inductive content analysis analysis as there is no theory being tested, an theory is emergent from the data itself is emergent from the data itself. close reading to turn coding unit bottom- -up up approach data saturation inductive content theory
DIRECTED (ALSO A FORMATIVE ANALYSIS) DIRECTED (ALSO A FORMATIVE ANALYSIS) researchers start with some ideas in mind, from previous studies or theories, and this helps them to create the coding units in advance They then search for examples of these codes in the text very similar to a priori coding a priori coding (remember: closed questions with forced choice answers in questionnaires and quantitative observation schedules with pre-determined behavioural checklists.) This approach can be viewed as top the data through a filter: that is pre-existing theory or research a way of unveiling which themes are apparent in the data we are analysing, from a set of themes which we have chosen prior to the analysis, based on previous research top- -down down, as we are seeing
INTERPRETING THE DATA; A INTERPRETING THE DATA; A STEP ON FROM THEMATIC ANALYSIS THEMATIC ANALYSIS STEP ON FROM Summative analysis Summative analysis Some researchers may choose to compare and interpret themes across different texts This can be done in a quantitative manner; counting/tallying counting/tallying the frequency with which certain words, themes or ideas arise and making comparisons This might result in a statistical analysis statistical analysis but this should only be completed if the sources of the data were chosen at random, which is unlikely
INTERPRETING THE DATA; A INTERPRETING THE DATA; A STEP ON FROM THEMATIC ANALYSIS CONT D FROM THEMATIC ANALYSIS CONT D STEP ON This is known as manifest content analysis analysis and is quantitative in nature. The researchers may then decide to go onto examine the latent content latent content (underlying meanings) This is sometimes called relational analysis Researchers will look at the context in which the words/phrases are used and try to search for meaning; therefore it is more interpretative manifest content relational analysis
LINKED CONCEPTS: LINKED CONCEPTS: GROUNDED THEORY GROUNDED THEORY very similar to qualitative summative content analysis uses the conventional approach conventional approach a truly inductive, bottom- up approach to the collection and description of the data Results in a qualitative interpretation usually communicated visually through some sort of diagram
EVALUATING CONTENT ANALYSIS EVALUATING CONTENT ANALYSIS Qualitative content analysis is an interpretative technique and as such the meaning that is extracted may be considered subjective subjective to the researcher Qualitative Researchers tend to use a language of their own and instead of asking whether the findings are valid, they will consider the trustworthiness trustworthiness and credibility their findings. credibility of
TACKLING CREDIBILITY IN QUALITATIVE PSYCHOLOGY researcher triangulation: researcher triangulation: using more than one researcher to analyse the transcripts and compare the codes, categories and themes generated (the qualitative term for inter-rater reliability) checking the findings with the participants When data relate is from newspapers/films etc clearly there are no Pps as such, but a focus group could be organised to discuss the findings with consumers of these media products and see what they have to say about the trustworthiness of the outcomes highlighted by the researchers
REFLEXIVITY an important term in qualitative psychology! personal reflexivity personal reflexivity: the researcher considers possible bias linked to their own background epistemological reflexivity; epistemological reflexivity; the researcher considers the way in which they chose to conduct the research and how this might have affected the outcomes
EXAMPLE OF A CONTENT ANALYSIS EXAMPLE OF A CONTENT ANALYSIS A good example of a content analysis from a case study of a lady whose brother has schizophrenia: http://file.scirp.org/Html/9- 8202038_28617.htm Further reading: Further reading: https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~yanz/Conten t_analysis.pdf qual_health_res-2005-hsieh-1277-88
