Page 257 - DLIS402_INFORMATION_ANALYSIS_AND_REPACKAGING

Information Analysis and Repackaging Seema Sharma, Lovely Professional University

Notes
Unit 12: Content Analysis

CONTENTS

Objectives
Introduction

12.1 Process of Content Analysis

12.2 Application of Content Analysis
12.3 Types of Content Analysis

12.4 Summary
12.5 Keywords

12.6 Review Questions
12.7 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
• Define process of content analysis
• Describe conceptual analysis and relational analysis
• Explain advantages and disadvantages of content analysis.

Introduction

Content analysis is a methodology in the social sciences for studying the content of communication.
Earl Babbie defines it as “the study of recorded human communications, such as books, websites,
paintings and laws.”
Content analysis is a research tool used to determine the presence of certain words or concepts
within texts or sets of texts. Researchers quantify and analyze the presence, meanings and
relationships of such words and concepts, then make inferences about the messages within the
texts, the writer(s), the audience, and even the culture and time of which these are a part. Texts can
be defined broadly as books, book chapters, essays, interviews, discussions, newspaper headlines
and articles, historical documents, speeches, conversations, advertising, theater, informal
conversation, or really any occurrence of communicative language.

Texts in a single study may also represent a variety of different types of occurrences, such as
Palmquist’s 1990 study of two composition classes, in which he analyzed student and teacher

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