Case studies and content analysis

What is a case study?

an in-depth investigation of an individual, small group of people i.e an institution or an event

What kinds of data do case studies produce?

Both qualitative (descriptions, interviews) and quantitative (scores, test results).

How can case study research be collected?

by both primary and secondary data

What are some key examples of case studies?

Little Hans; HM; KF; Genie Wiley; Clive wearing; Little Albert

What are the strengths of case studies?

• Provide rich, detailed insights into rare or complex phenomena

• can be used to generate hypothesis and interest for future studies

• make use of various methods of data collection (e.g interviews, observations etc) meaning they are considered a holistic approach to study

What are the weaknesses of case studies?

• Low generalisability: findings may not apply beyond the single case

• Subjectivity: risk of researcher bias in interpretation

• Retrospective data may be unreliable (e.g., memories, reports)

• Can’t usually be replicated as individuals have experienced something unusual beyond their control

• Ethical issues: privacy, consent, psychological harm

• Using several methods to study one individual is time-consuming and happens over a long period of time

• Asking family members to comment may lead to inaccuracy - could lie to protect themselves or lie to please researcher (social desirability)

What is content analysis?

a research technique that enables the study of behaviour by examining communications that people produce i.e in interviews, questionnaires, texts, emails, film………turning qualitative data into quantitative data

What is the aim of content analysis?

to summarise communication / texts in a systematic (logical, ordered) way so that overall conclusions can be drawn

What is coding and why is it used?

it is the first step of content analysis. It involves categorising and counting information into meaningful units.

How do you conduct a content analysis?

1. Collect material (e.g., TV adverts, interview transcripts, articles).

2. Define categories or coding units (e.g., number of times “aggression” is shown, themes of gender roles).

3. Apply coding to the material systematically.

4. Count frequencies (quantitative) or identify themes (qualitative).

5. Analyse and interpret patterns.

What is thematic analysis?

looking through qualitative data (like interviews or texts) to spot common themes or ideas that come up again and again and making a conclusion from it

What is the difference between content analysis and thematic analysis?

thematic analysis involves generating qualitative data. It might involve identifying ideas and themes within the data that are more descriptive and in depth than a content analysis (which produces quantitative data)

What are the strengths of content analysis?

• Can produce both qualitative and quantitative data depending on the aims of the research

• it can avoid ethical issues as it analyses text which is normally already in the public domain and there are no issues with permission

What are the weaknesses of content analysis?

• Subjectivity in defining categories → down to the researcher to interpret any feelings or thoughts from the text. This can lead to low inter-rater reliability - researchers coming to different conclusions about the same materials

• May lack context (e.g., sarcasm or hidden meanings not picked up) → researcher may interpret opinions or feelings from the text that weren’t meant that way as reading doesn’t provide cues like facial expressions