Lesley Jolly ljolly@igpond.net.au Content Analysis Lesley Jolly ljolly@igpond.net.au

When to use content analysis When testing hypotheses When using textual data Texts may be written, images, movies

Sampling in content analysis Identify corpus of texts Everything available or selection? Often use purposive sampling May use extreme or ‘typical’ instances Identify units of analysis within text Use whole text when you want to see whether or not something occurs Select chunks that reflect a theme when you want to see how often something occurs

Coding in content analysis Codes derive from theoretical concepts e.g. resource allocation theory mentions 10 varieties of resource, use that list as coding categories Must be exhaustive and mutually exclusive

Intercoder reliability More than one coder checks that constructs are shared Can be used to check coding reliability over time Aim for Cohen’s kappa (k) of 0.70 or higher k = Observed – chance _______________ 1 - chance