Importance Of Content Analysis In Social Research

ASSIGNMENT 2 (SOCIAL RESEARCH)

In this given task, three articles have been analysed that have used content analysis as the method for their research. Content analysis is the tool used to draw inferences from the text. It is a systematic set of procedures for rigorous analysis, examination, and verification of the contents of the written data. Content analysis involves making meaning of the data. For this, the task is broken down and sorted into manageable units. In other words, codes and categories are constructed. The use of codes and categories helps in breaking down and sorting of the data and also, it helps in identification of relationships between these units (Weber, 1990). Content analysis can be both qualitative and quantitative in nature. Quantitative content analysis emphasises on giving statistical values to the patterns that emerge from the text. On the other hand qualitative content analysis emphasises on the meanings that these patterns hold (Riffe, 2008). The three articles chosen have

But the interpretation of the text also happens in social frame and not in isolation. This social space for analysis is provided by the researcher. Therefore, social grounding of the researcher plays a significant role. Also, analysing text at the lexical level or at the quantitative level is not sufficed. One needs to hunt for deeper meanings that the text holds and its relationship with the socio-cultural and political realities of the outside world. Just finding the patterns of repeated replication is not enough; one needs to move a step ahead to address the reason behind these repetitions. The question of ‘why’ should be answered by the researchers which is often neglected. No research method is complete in itself to explore the social reality. It is complimented with other methods of social research to offer a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and same is with content analysis as