Content Analysis in Narrative Studies

ABSTRACT

Content analysis is one of the dominant methodologies employed in narrative research and is widely used in other areas as well. Krippendorff (2004) defined content analysis as, “a research technique for making replicable and valid inference from text (or other meaningful matter) to the context of their use”. Content analysis produces highly reliable data. It can present events which are not immediately appearing to reader. This method may not tell us very much about the quality of people’s relationship. It describes, rather than explains, people’s behaviour. It does not tell us what behaviour means to those involved and those watching. Investigation narratives focused attention on how people make the points they do, and it gives access to how they wish to portray themselves, how they give account for their actions and their lives. Shared expression and shared vocabulary and metaphors can tell us a lot about how social groups see themselves and how they account for their experiences. Practical Analytic Activities of Content Analysis of Narrative includes read and re-read the transcript to familiarize yourself with the structure and content, prepare a short, written summary to identify key features content, Look for transitions between themes, take notes\ memos about the ideas you have and use them to highlight, mark any embedded mini-stories, code thematic ideas, to connect the ideas you have develop about the narrative with literature, undertake case-by-case (e.g. thematically). Key words: content analysis, narratives.

INTRODUCTION

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 analyse the presence meanings and relationship of such words and concepts, then derive inferences about the messages within the texts, the writer(s), the audience, and even the culture and the 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 Book chapters, essays, interviews, discussions, newspaper headlines and articles, historical documents, speeches, conversations, advertising, theatre, occurrence of a communicative language.

Meaning of Content Analysis

Manickam,P.S1.(n. d.) has sited the followings:
Berelson(1952) defined content analysis as, “a research technique for the objective, systematic and quantitative description of the manifest content of communication”. The key to understanding content analysis and performing it competently lies in understanding to the meaning of objective, systematic, quantitative, and manifest content. Walizer and Wienir (1978) defined it as, “any systematic procedure devised to examine the content of recorded information”. Kerlinger (1973) defined content analysis as, “a method of studying and analyzing communication in a systematic, objective, and quantitative manner for the purpose of measuring variables”. Krippendorff (2004) defined content analysis as “a research technique for making replicable and valid inference from text (or other meaningful matter) to the context of their use”.

Strength of Content Analysis

Krippendorff (2004) distinguished strength and limitation of content analysis. They are:

1. 1) It is relatively easy to gain access to the broadcast or publication we want to study.
2. It is relatively easy and inexpensive to build a representative sample.
3. It produces highly reliable (usually quantitative) data. Content Analyses are usually easy to repeat (“replicate”). Complex form of social interaction can be quantified using a standardized framework (the content analysis grid) that can be applied across a wide range of media.
4. It can present an objective account of events, themes, issues and so forth that may not be immediately apparent to a reader, viewer or general consumer.
5. It is an unobtrusive method- it doesn’t involve the researcher interacting with the people\things being studied. The researcher cannot, therefore, influence the behaviour of the people being studied.