SOC221H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Content Analysis
Document Summary
Mostly positivist (similar to natural sciences) and deductive. No interaction between respondent and researcher: unobtrusive observation, content analysis, existing statistics, secondary analysis. Example: collecting data on alcohol consumption (i. e. going through garbage to count bottles) Gathering and analyzing content of a text. Nonreactive (without influence from the researcher) and also positivist. Primary difference between qualitative content analysis and quantitative content analysis: meaning. Involves more of a count to make it quantitative: example: textbook analysis (caucasian pictured in textbooks compared to number of minorities, textbook page 309 (table of differences) Efficient (saves time and money) because research has already been done (i. e. government data) Very common in quantitative methodological approach in sociology. Existing data examples: statistics canada website: provides detailed information on survey, provides measurement tools. Appropriate for questions that have to do with large scale trends in society: how data has been influenced by context and technology- i. e. crime statistics- existing data sets will change if definition of law changes.
