Question

Describe a study for which content analysis is the appropriate research method. Discuss how you would use manifest and latent coding. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the two coding schemes.

Answer 1

Content analysis is a research method for studying documents and communication artifacts, which can be texts of various formats, pictures, audio or video. Social scientists use content analysis to quantify patterns in communication, in a replicable and systematic manner. One of the key advantage of this research method is to analyse social phenomena in a non-invasive way, in contrast to simulating social experiences or collecting survey answers.

CODING IN QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

ADVANTAGES OF 2 SETS OF CODING

Data reduction

coding can be thought of as a means of reduction of data or data simplification. Using simple but broad analytic codes it is possible to reduce the data to a more manageable feat. In this stage of data analysis the analyst must focus on the identification of a more simple way of organizing data. using data reductionism researchers should include a process of indexing the data texts which could include: field notes, interview transcripts, or other documents. Data at this stage are reduced to classes or categories in which the researcher is able to identify segments of the data that share a common category or code.

(a) noticing relevant phenomena, (b) collecting examples of the phenomena, and (c) analyzing phenomena to find similarities, differences, patterns and overlying structures. This aspect of data collection is important because during this stage researchers should be attaching codes to the data to allow the researcher to think about the data in different ways. Coding can not be viewed as strictly data reduction, data complication can be used as a way to open up the data to examine further

Coding is the process of organizing and sorting your data. Codes serve as a way to label, compile and organize your data. They also allow you to summarize and synthesize what is happening in your data. In linking data collection and interpreting the data, coding becomes the basis for developing the analysis. It is generally understood, then, that “coding is analysis.” Before we jump into the process of coding data, it is important to think about the big picture. One of the keys in coding your data, and in conducting a qualitative analysis more generally, is developing a storyline. Essentially, this element is primary to analyzing your data. This is the reason that thinking about the purpose of your evaluation—before, during and after data collection—is so critical.