Content analysis
Why might a researcher want to count the frequency of certain words in a text?
It increases the reliability of the coding measures
It is a good way of finding out about the journalist’s favourite words
Emotive words can be used excessively to provoke a moral panic
It shows which words are most common in the English language
Emotive words can be used excessively to provoke a moral panic
Social researchers have examined the way in which certain words have been used as part of a wider discourse. Why are some words used more often than others? These can be deeply interesting questions concerning the reportage of events and the creation of a ‘mass-mood’ or feeling towards events and start by counting the individual words. Seale et al (2006, cited on p 291), for instance explored the frequency of particular keywords in breast cancer and prostate cancer posting. His team found men with prostate cancer were more likely to use technical words associated with research, whilst women were more likely to use words associated with feelings.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 289-292
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 289-292
Emotive words can be used excessively to provoke a moral panic Social researchers have examined the way in which certain words have been used as part of a wider discourse. Why are some words used more often than others? These can be deeply interesting questions concerning the reportage of events and the creation of a ‘mass-mood’ or feeling towards events and start by counting the individual words. Seale et al (2006, cited on p 291), for instance explored the frequency of particular keywords in breast cancer and prostate cancer posting. His team found men with prostate cancer were more likely to use technical words associated with research, whilst women were more likely to use words associated with feelings.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 289-292
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 289-292
Related posts
Which of the following is not an example of a ‘unit of analysis’?A. Validity
B. significant actors
C. Words
D. subjects and themes
The data from each row in a coding schedule can be entered into a quantitative analysis computer program called:
A. Endnote
B. N-Vivo
C. Outlook
D. SPSS
Why did Warde sample food magazines from four different months in the year?
A. Because there weren’t enough food adverts in the first two magazines
B. To take into account any seasonal variation in the recipes included in the magazines
C. To find information from more than one form of mass media communication
D. Because he couldn’t decide which of the recipes were the most appetizing
The purpose of a coding manual is to:
A. Provide a form onto which the data can be entered
B. Provide researchers with instructions about how to code the data
C. List all the categories that have been omitted from the schedule
D. Test researchers’ knowledge of statistics
If coders differed in their interpretations of the categories in the schedule, this could negatively affect the data’s:
A. Internal generalisability
B. Intra-interviewer reliability
C. Construct validity
D. Inter-coder reliability
Which of the following could be subjected to a textual content analysis?
A. Interview transcripts
B. Newspaper articles
C. Song lyrics
D. All of the above
Quantitative content analysis is an approach that aims to:
A. Objectively and systematically measure the content of a text
B. Reach an interpretive understanding of social action
C. Engage in a critical dialogue about ethical issues in research
D. Provide a feminist alternative to ‘male-stream’ quantitative methods
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