This presentation is prepared by our JG College of Education (PG) English medium student Ms. Latha Menon. Descriptive research is defined as a research method that describes the characteristics of the population or phenomenon that is being studied. This methodology focuses more on the “what” of the research subject rather than the “why” of the research subject. Content analysis is a research tool used to determine the presence of certain words, themes, or concepts within some given qualitative data (i.e. text). Using content analysis, researchers can quantify and analyze the presence, meanings, and relationships of such certain words, themes, or concepts.

1. CONTENT ANALYSIS
OVERVIEW
PREPARED BY
LATA MENON

2. INDEX
• Meaning & Definitions
• Units of Communication
• Reference Units
• Categorization of content
• Steps of content analysis
• Importance of content analysis
• Limitations of content analysis
• Suggestions to use Content analysis
effectively
• Research Problems for content
analysis

3. 1. MEANING & DEFINITION
Analysing the content in order to study it
scientifically can be termed as Content Analysis.
The content is analysed logically, deeply,
systematically, and in an objective and scientific
manner in order to clarify its intention and
meaning to describe it.

4. content analysis is a research technique for
the objective, systematic, and quantitative
description of the manifest content of
communication. - Berelson
any technique for making inferences by
systematically and objectively identifying
specified characteristics of message - Holsti
content analysis is a method of studying and
analyzing communication in a systematic, objective,
and quantitative manner for the purpose of
measuring variables. - Kerlinger

5. SOURCES OF CONTENT
ANALYSIS
• Verbal Printed Material- Newspapers, Journals, Periodicals,
Government Documents
• Verbal Written Material- Letters, Diaries, Personal Calendar,
Annual Accounts
• Verbal Oral Material- Lectures, Speech, Radio Programmes,
Audio-CD, Debates
• Visual Material- Drawings, Paintings, Diagram, Sketch,
Photograph
• Audio Visual Material- Cinema, Television Programmes,
News, Drama, Roleplay etc

6. UNITS OF COMMUNICATION
A unit is the smallest part of communication
material which is used to derive content
analysis.
Such units maybe in a form of:
• Letter, Word, Phrase, Concept, Statement,
• Sentence, Theme, Paragraph, Shloka-Stanza,
etc.
• Time and space can also be considered as a
unit for respective sources

7. RECORDING UNITS
A part of communication from which clear facts or
thoughts can be obtained and can be recorded and
counted easily is called a recording unit.
Some of such types of recording units can be derived by
asking questions such as:
How many times a particular word appears a content,
how many words are associated with a particular concept
or meaning.
How many sentences are associated with a particular
thought
How many articles are written in that theme
How many symbols are used, what do they indicate
How many programmes have been telecasted on
particular theme on Television
For Every unit relevant questions have to be asked about
the occurrence of those units

8. REFERENCE UNITS
The unit that contains 2 or more recording units is called
a reference unit.
Reference unit is a relative concept.
A unit can be considered as reference unit in one research
and a recording unit in other.
For E.g. In the study of number of religious article in a
particular periodical, religious article
Will be considered as a recording unit , But in the study
that is focussed on values emerging
From religious article, the religious article will be
considered as reference unit.

9. CATEGORIZATION OF CONTENT
Content is divided into different categories according to the
objectives of research.
It is found in categories.
For e.g.: the following categories can be decided in the study of
“Educational news published in newspapers”
News related to primary education
News related to Secondary education
News related higher secondary education
News related to Higher education
Miscellaneous educational news
Furthermore categories can be created related to examination
system, number of schools, facilities etc.
Here News is a reference unit

10. STEPS OF CONTENT ANALYSIS
• Selection of the area of research
• Selection of a problem
• Formation of the Objective
• Formation of research questions or Hypothesis
• Selection of sample
• Defining units of analysis
• Deciding categories for units of analysis
• Preparation of record schedule
• Derivation of units of analysis
• Categorization and analysis of units- Manifest
Meaning/Latent Meaning
• Derivation of finding
• Report writing

11. IMPORTANCE/UTILITY OF CONTENT
ANALYSIS
• Any subject can be studied in detail by collecting
communication details from different sources
• Communication units can be studied deeply
• Insight for understanding the content in the right context can be
developed
• Large qualitative information can be quantified and condensed
in limited area
• Researcher doesn’t have to contact a person to collect data
• Different communication based on the same theme can be
compared properly

12. LIMITATIONS OF CONTENT ANALYSIS
• Sometimes the researcher has to refer a large
communication material for obtaining the required
material
• Reliability of such study cannot be established in an
objective way
• Collection, analysis and interpretation can be affected by
the bias of a researcher
• If care is not taken while deriving the meaning from the
content in a right context, reliable findings cannot be
derived
• New and unexperienced researcher cannot use this
method effectively, because it needs good insight and
reasoning ability to derive the meaning from
communication unit
• Deep study of communication material requires more time

13. SUGGESTIONS TO USE CONTENT
ANALYSIS EFFECTIVELY
• Communication material should be studied deeply with
reasoning
• Intensive efforts should be made to derive latent
meaning of the words in right context
• The researcher should have good command on
language
• Categories, made for recording units should be
mutually exclusive
• Communication material should be scanned roughly
before deciding the categories of units by keeping in
mind the objectives of research

14. RESEARCH PROBLEMS FOR CONTENT
ANALYSIS
• Values emerging from a particular book
• Values emerging from a
television/serial/textbook/poem/story/novel
• Educational thought emerging from television
serial/textbook/poem/novel
• Educational thoughts of Gandhiji/Vivekananda
• Comparative study of textbooks of the same subject
of different states
• Study of court judgements given on educational
disputes
• Philosophy of Vivekananda regarding the life of
youth

15. THANK YOU