What it cannot do?
1. Its inferences are limited to the content of the text only. Similarly, symbols are
processed and coded according to the attribution given by the researcher or coder.
There is no guarantee that the sender or receiver shares the same attributed
meaning.
2. When it deals with semantic differences or differences in regard to the meanings
of words, the findings can be less valid and reliable.
3. It is argued that content analysis which confines itself to counting the individual
units and their frequency of occurrence such as for example the number of times
the word ‘globalisation’ appeared, may fail to capture the meaning or significance
with which these symbols are used in the texts analyzed.
4. The reliability and validity issues in content analysis still remain unresolved
(Krippendorff, 1980)
5. The method cannot be used to test casual relationships between variables
(Chadwick, et. al., 1984).
Content Analysis. A method of Social Science 9 Research.CSS
More specifically studies using content analysis usually involve the following six steps:
1. Formulation of the research question or objectives
2. Selection of communication content and sample
3. Developing content categories
4. Finalizing units of analysis
5. Preparing a coding schedule, pilot testing and checking inter coder reliabilities
6. Analyzing the collected data