Sources of Data

1. Krippendorf provides a user-friendly guide to carrying out content analysis. He reviews the logic underlying the method, as well as instructions on how to unitize, sample, and code correctly. After reviewing the assigned chapters, create a list of general best practices that, if you were using content analysis for your second assignment, you think would be important to consider. We will compare these lists in class. (Assigned chapters are 4-7)

For the next two questions, select one of the two empirical articles assigned for this week (Abrahms et al. or Oh et al.). Answer each question with respect to the empirical study that you chose to focus on.

1. Be prepared to answer the following questions for your chosen study:
2. a) What is the research question?
3. b) What are the hypotheses?
4. c) What is the theory?
5. d) Refer back to your best practices list from discussion question 1. Which of these practices are explicitly described in the study? Which of these practices, in your opinion, should have been explicit but were not described well or at all? In other words, what do you think is missing in their description of their design and methods? Do these omissions decrease your confidence in the study design and/or the findings?

1. At the end of the lecture this week, offer alternative ways to analyze the coded data used in your chosen study (Abrahms was quantitative-heavy while Oh was more abstract than analytical). In other words, assume that you have the same research questions, theories, hypotheses, and sources of data. What would you do with the data that, perhaps, isn’t so quantitative or abstract? We will review some methods in class, but think creatively (pie-in-the-sky) about different ways you might want to analyze the content of the data. There are no wrong answers to this – just innovative options.