The Content Analysis Guidebook

by Kimberly A. Neuendorf

• ISBN13: 9780761919780
• ISBN10: 0761919783
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-12-13
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

Content analysis is one of the most important yet complex research methodologies in the social sciences. The author provides an accessible text for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, comprising step-by-step instructions and practical advice.

Author Biography

Kimberley A. Neuendorf holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University and has been involved with studies using the various methods of content analysis for twenty-five years. She has taught research methods, among other courses, at Cleveland State University since 1988

Table of Contents

List of Boxes	xi
List of Tables and Figures	xiii
Foreword	xv
Acknowledgments	xvii
Defining Content Analysis	1	(26)
Is Content Analysis ``Easy''? Is It Something That Anyone Can Do?	2	(7)
Content analysis is easy	2	(2)
The term content analysis applies to all examinations of message content	4	(4)
Anyone can do content analysis; it doesn't take any special preparation	8	(1)
Content analysis is for academic use only	9	(1)
A Six-Part Definition of Content Analysis	9	(18)
Content Analysis as Relying on the Scientific Method	10	(3)
The Message as the Unit of Analysis, the Unit of Data Collection, or Both	13	(1)
Content Analysis as Quantitative	14	(1)
Content Analysis as Summarizing	15	(2)
Content Analysis as Applicable to All Contexts	17	(6)
All Message Characteristics Are Available to Content Analyze	23	(4)
Milestones in the History of Content Analysis	27	(20)
The Growing Popularity of Content Analysis	27	(4)
Milestones of Content Analysis Research	31	(16)
Rhetorical Analysis	31	(1)
Biblical Concordances and the Quantification of History	31	(1)
The Payne Fund Studies	32	(1)
The Language of Politics	32	(4)
The War at Home: Advances in Social and Behavioral Science Methods During World War II	36	(1)
Speech as a Personality Trait	37	(1)
Department of Social Relations at Harvard	38	(1)
Television Images: Violence and Beyond	39	(1)
The Power of Computing	40	(1)
The Global Content Analysis Village	40	(7)
Beyond Description: An Integrative Model of Content Analysis	47	(24)
The Language of the Scientific Method	47	(2)
How Content Analysis Is Done: Flowchart for the Typical Process of Content-Analytic Research	49	(3)
Human Coding Versus Computer Coding	52	(1)
Approaches to Content Analysis	52	(4)
Descriptive Content Analysis	53	(1)
Inferential Content Analysis	54	(1)
Psychometric Content Analysis	54	(1)
Predictive Content Analysis	55	(1)
The Integrative Model of Content Analysis	56	(5)
Evaluation With the Integrative Model of Content Analysis	61	(10)
First-Order Linkage	61	(1)
Second-Order Linkage	62	(1)
Third-Order Linkage	62	(1)
Linking Message and Receiver Data	62	(3)
Linking Message and Source Data	65	(3)
Developing New Linkages	68	(3)
Message Units and Sampling	71	(24)
Units	71	(3)
Unitizing a Continuous Stream of Information	73	(1)
Defining the Population	74	(2)
Archives	76	(2)
The Evaluation of Archives	77	(1)
Medium Management	78	(5)
The Brave New Digital World	79	(4)
Sampling	83	(5)
Random Sampling	83	(4)
Nonrandom Sampling	87	(1)
Sample Size	88	(7)
Variables and Predictions	95	(16)
Identifying Critical Variables	95	(12)
A Consideration of Universal Variables	97	(2)
Using Theory and Past Research for Variable Collection	99	(3)
A Grounded or Emergent Process of Variable Identification	102	(2)
Attempting to Find Medium-Specific Critical Variables	104	(3)
Hypotheses, Predictions, and Research Questions	107	(4)
Conceptual Definitions	107	(1)
Hypotheses	108	(1)
Research Questions	109	(2)
Measurement Techniques	111	(30)
Defining Measurement	111	(1)
Validity, Reliability, Accuracy, and Precision	112	(2)
Reliability	112	(1)
Validity	112	(1)
Accuracy	113	(1)
Precision	113	(1)
How the Standards Interrelate	113	(1)
Types of Validity Assessment	114	(4)
External Validity or Generalizability	115	(1)
Face Validity	115	(1)
Criterion Validity	115	(1)
Content Validity	116	(1)
Construct Validity	117	(1)
Operationalization	118	(7)
Categories or Levels That Are Exhaustive	118	(1)
Categories or Levels That Are Mutually Exclusive	119	(1)
An Appropriate Level of Measurement	120	(5)
Computer Coding	125	(5)
Dictionaries for Text Analysis	126	(4)
Selection of a Computer Text Content Analysis Program	130	(2)
Number of Cases or Units Analyzed	130	(1)
Frequency Output	131	(1)
Size Limitation	131	(1)
Alphabetical Output	131	(1)
Multiple-Unit Data File Output	131	(1)
KWIC or Concordance	131	(1)
Standard Dictionaries	131	(1)
Custom Dictionaries	132	(1)
Specialty Analyses	132	(1)
Human Coding	132	(5)
Codebooks and Coding Forms	132	(1)
Coder Training	133	(1)
The Processes	134	(1)
Medium Modality and Coding	134	(1)
Some Tips	135	(2)
Index Construction in Content Analysis	137	(4)
Reliability	141	(26)
Intercoder Reliability Standards and Practices	142	(2)
Issues in the Assessment of Reliability	144	(2)
Agreement Versus Covariation	144	(1)
Reliability as a Function of Coder and Unit Subsamples	145	(1)
Threats to Reliability	145	(1)
Reliability for Manifest Versus Latent Content	146	(1)
Reliability and Unitizing	146	(1)
Pilot and Final Reliabilities	146	(2)
Intercoder Reliability Coefficients: Issues and Comparisons	148	(5)
Agreement	149	(1)
Agreement Controlling for the Impact of Chance Agreement	150	(1)
Covariation	151	(2)
Calculating Intercoder Reliability Coefficients	153	(5)
The Reliability Subsample	158	(2)
Subsample Size	158	(1)
Sampling Type	159	(1)
Assignment of Units to Coders	159	(1)
Treatment of Variables That Do Not Achieve an Acceptable Level of Reliability	160	(1)
The Use of Multiple Coders	161	(1)
Advanced and Specialty Issues in Reliability Coefficient Selection	162	(5)
Beyond Basic Coefficients	162	(1)
The Possibility of ``Consistency'' Intracoder Reliability Assessment	163	(1)
Controlling for Covariates	163	(1)
Sequential Overlapping Reliability Coding	163	(4)
Results and Reporting	167	(24)
Data Handling and Transformations	167	(1)
Hypothesis Testing	168	(1)
Hypotheses and Research Questions---A Reminder	168	(1)
Inferential Versus Nonparametric Statistics	168	(1)
Selecting the Appropriate Statistical Tests	169	(3)
Frequencies	172	(3)
Co-Occurrences and In-Context Occurrences	175	(1)
Time Lines	176	(2)
Bivariate Relationships	178	(4)
Multivariate Relationships	182	(9)
Contexts	191	(24)
Psychometric Applications of Content Analysis	192	(23)
Thematic Content Analysis	192	(1)
Clinical Applications	193	(1)
Open-Ended Written and Pictorial Responses	194	(2)
Linguistics and Semantic Networks	196	(1)
Stylometrics and Computer Literary Analysis	197	(1)
Interaction Analysis	198	(1)
Other Interpersonal Behaviors	199	(1)
Violence in the Media	200	(1)
Gender Roles	201	(1)
Minority Portrayals	202	(1)
Advertising	203	(1)
News	204	(1)
Political Communication	205	(1)
Web Analyses	206	(1)
Other Applied Contexts	207	(1)
Commercial and Other Client-Based Applications of Content Analysis	208	(1)
Funded Research Conducted by Academics	208	(2)
Commercial Applications of Text Analysis	210	(1)
Content Analysis for Standards and Practices	210	(1)
Applied Web Analyses	211	(1)
Future Directions	211	(4)
Resource 1: Message Archives	215	(4)
Paul D. Skalski
General Collections	215	(1)
Film, Television and Radio Archives	216	(1)
Literary and General Corpora	217	(1)
Other Archives	217	(2)
Resource 2: Using NEXIS for Text Acquisition for Content Analysis	219	(6)
Resource 3: Computer Content Analysis Software	225	(16)
Paul D. Skalski
Quantitative Computer Text Analysis Programs	225	(10)
VBPro	227	(2)
CATPAC	229	(1)
Computer Programs for Text Analysis	229	(1)
Concordance 2.0	229	(1)
Diction 5.0	230	(1)
DIMAP-3	230	(1)
General Inquirer (Internet version)	231	(1)
INTEXT 4.1	231	(1)
Lexa (Version 7)	231	(1)
LIWC (Lingustic Inquiry and Word Count)	232	(1)
MCCALite	232	(1)
MECA	232	(1)
PCAD 2000	233	(1)
SALT (Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts)	233	(1)
SWIFT 3.0	233	(1)
TextAnalyst	234	(1)
TEXTPACK 7.0	234	(1)
TextQuest 1.05	234	(1)
TextSmart by SPSS	235	(1)
WordStat v3.03	235	(1)
VBPro How-To Guide and Executional Flowchart	235	(6)
Resource 4: An Introduction to PRAM---A Program for Reliability Assessment With Multiple Coders	241	(2)
Resource 5: The Content Analysis Guidebook Online	243	(4)
Content Analysis Resources	243	(1)
Bibliographies	243	(1)
Message Archives and Corpora	244	(1)
Reliability	244	(1)
Human Coding Sample Materials	244	(1)
Computer Content Analysis	245	(2)
References	247	(36)
Author Index	283	(12)
Subject Index	295	(6)
About the Authors	301