CHAPTER 19

Content analysis

Content analysis

What is content analysis?

Content analysis is a method of coding qualitative and/or quantitative narrative data to identify the prevalence of key themes and issues in relation to a particular context.

When is content analysis useful?

When . . .

• your research question is best analysed by organising the data in a thematic way

• your research requires you to gather narrative data from interviews, focus groups or field notes

When . . .• the codes for analysing your data

can be derived before the data is collected

• it is important to identify the context within which certain words and terms are used

• the results do not need to be generalisable to the wider population

When is content analysis useful?

EffectivenessThe effectiveness of the content analysis is

dependent on the effectiveness of the codes.

Codes therefore need to be:

The coding processClarify the documents you will use.Which documents will you derive the

codes from?Academic literature?Previous data-gathering (interviews,

questionnaire)?Organisational documents?

Which documents will you use for your analysis?

Transcripts from interviews?Open comments on questionnaires?Field notes?Secondary data?

Themes

• Can you identify the themes that may relate to the words – even if the words themselves are not used?

Dispositions• Can you identify how people react to the words and themes?

Words• Can you identify the key words you need to search for in the text?

Then clarify the aspects to be coded

Then produce a content coding manual

To do this you need:• a thorough understanding of the

literature• a thorough understanding of the codes

selected• a thorough understanding of the data

you will collect• a thorough understanding of what you

are trying to achieve

The content coding manual

Map your words, themes and dispositions on to the content coding manual

No Word/theme Code Features Dispositions

1 Drivers for change 1 i- opportunityii-problemiii- more efficientiv-more effective

a. Positiveb. Negativec. Neutral

2

3

So where someone talks of the drivers for change trying to improve things, this would be coded as 1.i.a

Piloting the coding system

Always pilot the coding system

Ask yourself:• Are the units of analysis easily/clearly

derived from the literature?• Does the content coding manual clearly

reflect the issues arising from the text?• Does the analysis allow you to answer

your research question in a trustworthy way?

The analytical process

• Read each text in turn, coding each area as you go

• Re-read the texts to draw together the emergent themes

• Integrate issues of frequency with notes about dispositions

Producing results from content analysis

• The frequency of words and themes is a good place to start

• Use features and dispositions to elaborate on the words and themes

• Integrate reliable data from the context

• Support all claims with evidence – quotations are useful

Student Activity 1