Benefits of Content Analysis as a Method of Research - 275 Words

Benefits of Content Analysis as a Method of Research (Essay Sample) Content: Benefits of Content Analysis as a Method of ResearchSubmitted By:Instructor:Date of Submission:Benefits of Content Analysis as a Method of ResearchIntroductionWaltz, Strickland, and Lenz CITATION Wal10 \p 279 \n \t \l 1033 (2010, p. 279) define content analysis as "a set of techniques that are used to identify, measure, describe, and make inferences about specified characteristics within or reflected by written or verbal text." It is a method of social research that is suitable for the study social communications through social artefacts. According to Babbie CITATION Bab12 \p 356 \n \t \l 1033 (2012, p. 356) researchers use it to study not only communication processes but also other aspects of social behavior as well. The common units of analysis in content analysis include elements of communication such as words, paragraphs, books and so forth. It involves coding, transforming raw data into categories based on some conceptual scheme.Benefits of Content AnalysisCo ntent analysis as a method of research brings with it a myriad of benefits to a research study. These benefits include:According to Bryman and Bell CITATION Bry11 \p 305 \n \t \l 1033 (2011, p. 305), this method of research has the benefit that it allows for information to be generated about social groups that are difficult to gain access to, it allows for the use of existing information that is available and easily accessible at relatively low cost, and finally available information can be used for multiple purposes.It is a highly flexible method of research and can be applied to a wide variety of kinds of unstructured information CITATION Bry11 \p 305 \l 1033 (Bryman Bell, 2011, p. 305). While in the social sciences it is primarily associated with the analysis of mass-media outputs, in business and management research it has a broader applicability.Like secondary data, content analysis has the benefit that it is unobtrusive, inexpensive to conduct, allows the researcher to exam ine existing agency documents and databases and finally it allows a researcher to deal with large volumes of data CITATION Roy07 \p 256 \l 1033 (Royse, 2007, p. 256). In addition, no specialized expertise or training is necessitous to conduct a content analysis.This research method is considered a very transparent research method. The coding scheme and the sampling techniques can be distinctly set out so that replications and follow-up studies are feasible. It is due to this benefit that this research method is referred to as an objective method of analysis.Other benefits associated with content analysis as identified by du Plooy CITATION duP95 \p 101 \n \t \l 1033 (1995, p. 101) include: it is holistic and can study the whole range of human communication; it can incorporate most other communicatio...

At Risk Children Essay - 275 Words

At Risk Children (Essay Sample) Content: At risk childrenNameInstitutionInstructorDateQ1. I have worked with the children who are at risk in life and most of them are traumatized due to the life risks they have gone through. The risks that these children have gone through are explained in the Gabarino and Philip chapters. Through the chapters, I have learned that there are other several risks that impact the life of children in our societies. The chapters have emphasized on the various risks that children undergo in life. Children from poor background are in the danger zone and experience various problems in their life. According to the Garbarino, children are experiencing dangerous life and it is few who escape the risk completely. Most children must contend with risks from various sources: divorced parents, parent death, a parent who is mentally incapacitated, unemployment, poverty, children incurring physical disability and community violence. These are some of the major risks that children face in the wo rld, and they have affected their mental development negatively. According to Philip, social problems are common in our societies that present obstacles to the development of the children. We have witnessed community, political and social wars in most parts of the world that lead to immigration or migration of the affected people. Mental development of children from those communities is affected due to the repercussions that develop during the war. A child can lose one of his/her parents or both during the war, and there is no way such a child will have mental health development in his/her lifeQ2. In conclusion, th...