what is content analysis
using material that is already out there, instead of purposely seeking specific information
What is meant by “unobtrusive measures”?
A: Data not originally produced for social research.
what are examples of content analysis
anything that can be read/examined
- newspapers
- documents
- pictures
what do you was to do worth the document?
are they credible, authentic, representative and meaningful
what is specific about government reports?
you can see how they classify or describe certain events
Why is “what is left out” important?
Absences in data may reveal bias or power structures.
what us Scotts criteria for assessing quality of documents
- authenticity
- credibility
- representiveness
- meaning
what is the pitfalls of coding
- mutually exclusive
- exhaustive categories
- the instructions must be clear
- unit of analysis must be clear
what is inter-coder reliability
consistency between coders
what is intra-coder reliability
consistency within coders
what is indexically?
Things like pauses and sounds have meaning that depend on the context in which they exist
what is reflexivity?
Examines how social order is created through communication
what are the advantages of content analysis
- very transparent
- longitudinal analysis
- unobstructive method
Gill (2000) identified four themes in discourse analysis:
- Discourse is a topic in itself
- Language is constructive
- Discourse is a form of action
- Discourse is rhetorically organized
