1. Content Analysis Michelle Dymerski Pitzer College 2009

2. Definition Holsti (1969) offers a broad definition of content analysis as, "any technique for making inferences by objectively and systematically identifying specified characteristics of messages"

3. Keys to success Word frequency counts are most effective when a keyword is looked at in its context What makes the technique particularly rich and meaningful is its reliance on coding and categorizing of the data. A category is a group of words with similar meaning or connotations Categories must be mutually exclusive and exhaustive

4. Emergent Coding First, two people independently review the material and come up with a set of features that form a checklist. Second, the researchers compare notes and reconcile any differences that show up on their initial checklists. Third, the researchers use a consolidated checklist to independently apply coding. Fourth, the researchers check the reliability of the coding.

5. Example Dear Mrs. Roosevelt I am writing to you for some of your old soiled dresses if you have any. As I am a poor girl who has to stay out of school. On account of dresses & slips and a coat. I am in the seventh grade but I have to stay out of school because I have no books or clothes to ware. I am in need of dresses & slips and a coat very bad. If you have any soiled clothes that you don't want to ware I would be very glad to get them. But please do not let the news paper reporters get hold of this in any way and I will keep it from geting out here so there will be no one else to get hold of it. But do not let my name get out in the paper. I am thirteen years old. Yours Truly, Miss L. H. Gravette, Ark. R #3 c/o A. H.

6. Reliability Stability, or intra-rater reliability. Can the same coder get the same results try after try? Reproducibility, or inter-rater reliability. Do coding schemes lead to the same text being coded in the same category by different people?

7. Application Primary source documents Speeches Treatise Mission Statements Diary entries Letters Reports Interviews

8. Obama U.N. Speech 1) Form a check list of key ideas from the text 2) Compare your checklist with a colleague and decide upon a final set of categories. ( this becomes your coding scheme ) 3) Apply the coding scheme to the text Assign each sentence to ONE category. (highlighter/ cut & paste etc..) 4) Check reliability by comparing with colleague

9. Discussion How does the task of coding a document enrich the dialogue? Does this build literacy? Does this build content? Could you use this in your classroom?