Text Analysis Audio Analysis Vídeo Analysis >Graphic Analysis

Qualitative Content Analysis   Quantitative Content Analysis Sequence Analysis                 

Qualitative Content Analysis

	Following Miles & Huberman (1994) we distinguish in the qualitative content analysis between two interrelated processes, reduction and conclusion. Depending on the methodological approach, reduction follows a more or less structured or less structured procedure. The common feature of these procedures is the classification or categorization of text sections.
	The designations of the categories are called "codes", the reduction process correspondingly "coding" of the data. On the left side you mark with the mouse the line number(s) of a significant part of the text and enter a code (or select one already available) in the coding window that appears during coding. With "Save" you can save the location (line numbers) and code in a code file for this text.
	In the process of conclusion we try to find typical and/or recurring configurations among the codes. For this purpose one can look for typical sequence patterns of codes, look for super- and subordinations of codes, group codes with similar meanings into superordinate categories ("metacodes"), understand codes as poles of a common dimension, or form and test hypotheses about relationships between coded file segments.

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Quantitative Content Analysis

	The quantitative content analysis concentrates on manifest text features, i.e. certain key words, idiomatic expressions, metaphors etc. These are searched for and counted. Of interest are the openly accessible, directly observable text elements.
	However, the restriction to manifest content is only apparently possible, because the determination of critical text elements for quantitative content analysis necessarily involves qualitative-interpretative assumptions about the fact that exactly these elements refer to critical meanings in the text. These assumptions can only be ascertained indirectly.
	Ultimately, in a quantitative content analysis, we draw conclusions from previously (qualitatively!) determined manifest, countable contents to latent contents of meaning in the text. In advance, critical features have to be summarized in a word list before counting them.

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Sequence Analysis (Objective Hermeneutics)

	Sequence analysis is a form of analysis of qualitative data, in which one does not start from an overview of the entire text, then looking for and coding text passages relevant for the actual research question. Instead, in a first phase of hypothesis generation we note all somehow conceivable meanings for each text segment.
	As text segments AQUAD offers, depending on the type of preparation of the texts, complete sentences, parts of sentences (each up to the next punctuation mark) or word by word freely selected sections. Hypothesis generation is strictly sequential, file segment by file segment. Only if one is convinced to have added to the scrutinized data segments all for the research question meaningful hypotheses, the rest of the data is used to confirm or reject all noted hypotheses.
	In this phase of hypothesis confirmation, one goes through the remaining text segments non-sequentially in search of reasons for maintaining or rejecting the previously generated hypotheses.

	The buttons for controlling the analysis of audio files carry the familiar icons "Play", "Next", "Break"; below them you can find "Stop", to stop working with the file. The "from" and "to" buttons hold the current counter status when pressing the pause button. "Code" opens a window for entering or or selecting codes for the marked section.
	Since it is not possible to quickly skim the contents of audio files, we recommend to structure the file formally first, for example, by speaker changes. Already during this formal structuring, thematic focal points should be recorded - either in memos or in preliminary codings.

	The buttons for controlling the analysis of video files carry the familiar icons "Play", "Next", "Break"; below them you can find "Stop", to stop working with the file. The "from" and "to" buttons hold the current counter status when pressing the pause button. "Code" opens a window for entering or or selecting codes for the marked section.

	When analyzing graphical materials, the image sections to which codes are to be assigned are marked with the mouse by outlining them with a rectangle. The coordinates of two corner points are taken as localization when entering a code.