Podcast Summary
Analyzing Communications through Content and Coding: Content analysis and coding involve categorizing large data sets of spoken interaction, written texts, and media examples to generate meaningful units, either through quantitative word counting or qualitative thematic analysis. Ethical concerns are minimal, but the lack of context may reduce validity. Reflexivity can help address this issue.
Content analysis and coding are important research methods used to study communications indirectly, particularly in the form of spoken interaction, written texts, and media examples. The first stage of content analysis is coding, where large data sets are categorized into meaningful units, often through word or phrase counting to generate quantitative data. For instance, the use of derogatory terms for people with mental health problems in newspaper reports can be analyzed and counted. Thematic analysis is a more qualitative approach, aiming to produce themes rather than word counts, such as representing people with mental health problems as a threat or a drain on resources. Ethical issues are often minimal as the material to study is often already in the public domain, and the method is flexible, producing both quantitative and qualitative data as needed. However, communication is studied out of context, and the researcher may attribute motivations that were not intended, potentially reducing validity. To address this lack of objectivity, reflexivity, which acknowledges personal viewpoints as part of the data collected, can be used. Overall, content analysis and coding are valuable research methods for gaining insights into communications and their underlying themes.
