Qualitative Content Analysis

Description

Qualitative content analysis aims to describe the manifest and latent meanings of only the categories of interest in a qualitative dataset. It is particularly suited to qualitative studies that ask questions whose answers lie in readily available data, such as reports, press articles, websites, journal articles, magazines, films, TV ads, videos, etc. In the past, qualitative content analysis has been used extensively to analyse gender dominance in films and magazine ads and political parties’ rhetoric in party manifestos and election propaganda. A key feature of qualitative content analysis is that not all data are analysed; only the passages that directly relate to the research question are retained for analysis. This unique feature  explains why it is rarely used with primary data – that is, data collected by researchers themselves, such as interviews or focus groups – for which all the data must be analysed to answer the research question.

In the first part of the course, we review the tenets that distinguish the quantitative from the qualitative approach to content analysis, examine the types of research questions that qualitative content analysis addresses, and discuss its purpose when conducting a qualitative study. In NVivo, we proceed with the sampling requirements of the design and review best practices for selecting the appropriate coding unit and unit of analysis for one’s data, the different options for developing the coding frame, and the ideal visualisations to present the findings. In NVivo, we proceed to the initial coding phase and conduct a preliminary reliability check to assess the adequacy of the categories. In the second part of the course, we conduct the main coding phase and run intercoder reliability. The course concludes with a critical appraisal of the methodological quality of published studies that used qualitative content analysis.

Prerequisites
Although no previous knowledge of any of the four methods of qualitative data analysis is required, participants should have some familiarity with qualitative research.

Schedule
Half-day from 9:00 to 12:00 or full-day from 9:00 to 16:00.

Location
This course is taught online in Zoom as well as onsite on a request basis.

Teaching methods
Lectures, demos with NVivo and hands-on exercises.

Fee
Please email me for information on fees.

Combining courses
This course is part of a five-course series on methods of qualitative analysis that includes Methods of Qualitative Data Analysis, Thematic Analysis, Cross-case Analysis and Grounded Theory. It can be taken alone or in conjunction with the other related courses. It can also be taught before, after or simultaneously with the Introduction to NVivo or Qualitative Data Analysis with NVivo courses.

Open-access references

• Schreier (2012). Qualitative Analysis in Practice. London: Sage. Chapter 1: Introduction: What is qualitative content analysis.
• Schreier (2012). Qualitative Analysis in Practice. London: Sage. Glossary of qualitative content analysis.