Qualitative Analysis of Content - Introduction

Introduction

Qualitative content analysis has been defined as:

• “a research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns” (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005, p.1278),

• “an approach of empirical, methodological controlled analysis of texts within their context of communication, following content analytic rules and step by step models, without rash quantification” (Mayring, 2000, p.2), and

• “any qualitative data reduction and sense-making effort that takes a volume of qualitative material and attempts to identify core consistencies and meanings”

(Patton, 2002, p.453).

These three definitions illustrate that qualitative content analysis emphasizes an integrated view of speech/texts and their specific contexts. Qualitative content analysis examines meanings, themes and patterns that may be manifest or latent in a particular text. It allows researchers to understand social reality in a subjective but scientific manner.

Qualitative content analysis was developed primarily in anthropology, qualitative sociology, and psychology, in order to explore the meanings underlying physical messages.Qualitative content analysis is mainly inductive, grounding the examination of topics and themes, as  well as the inferences drawn from them, in the data. In some cases, qualitative content analysis attempts to generate theory. Samples for qualitative content analysis  usually consist of purposively selected texts which can inform the research questions  The qualitative approach usually produces descriptions or typologies, along with expressions from subjects reflecting how they view the social world. By this means, the perspectives of the producers of the text can be better understood by the investigator as well as the readers of the study’s results (Berg, 2001).  Qualitative content analysis pays attention to unique themes that illustrate the range of the meanings of the phenomenon rather than the statistical significance of the occurrence of particular texts or concepts.

In real research work, the two approaches are not mutually exclusive and can be used in combination. As suggested by Smith, “qualitative analysis deals with the forms and antecedent-consequent patterns of form, while quantitative analysis deals with duration and frequency of form”(Smith, 1975, p.218). Weber (1990) also pointed out that the best content-analytic studies use both qualitative and quantitative operations.

Qualitative content analysis involves a process designed to condense raw data into categories or themes based on valid inference and interpretation. This process uses inductive reasoning, by which themes and categories emerge from the data through the researcher’s careful examination and constant comparison.

Hsieh and Shannon (2005) discussed three approaches to qualitative content analysis, based on the degree of involvement of inductive reasoning. The first is conventional qualitative content analysis, in which coding categories are derived directly  and inductively from the raw data. This is the approach used for grounded theory development. The second approach is directed content analysis, in which initial coding starts with a theory or relevant research findings. Then, during data analysis, the researchers immerse themselves in the data and allow themes to emerge from the data. The purpose of this approach usually is to validate or extend a conceptual framework or theory. The third approach is summative content analysis, which starts with the counting of words or manifest content, then extends the analysis to include latent meanings and themes. This approach seems quantitative in the early stages, but its goal is to explore the usage of the words/indicators in an inductive manner.

Source
Qualitative Analysis of Content by Yan Zhang and Barbara M. Wildemuth


Content Analysis

Types of Coding

Five major types:

Theoretical coding
Open coding
Axial coding
Selective coding
Thematic coding


Theoretical coding is the procedure for analyzing data which have been collected in order to develop a grounded theory.

Open coding is designed to express data in the form of initial concepts.

Axial coding follows open coding as the next step to refine and differentiate the codes resulting from open coding.   Axial coding is the process of relating subcategories to a category.

Selective coding continues axial coding at yet a higher level of abstraction. The aim of this step is to elaborate the core category around which the other categories can be grouped and by which they are integrated.

Thematic coding was initially developed by Strauss (1987) and elaborated by Boyatzis (1988). Thematic coding can be performed inductively or deductively, Thematic coding makes distinction between manifest(themes directly observable in the information) and latent coding (themes underlying the phenomenon).

Source: Qualitative Research in the study of Leadership by Karin Klenke, 2 edition, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2016



http://groundedtheoryreview.com/2009/11/30/theoretical-coding-in-grounded-theory-methodology/


Updated on 17 December 2019, 5 January 2014