Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research (Lea Communication Series) [Paperback]

Daniel Riffe (Author), Stephen Lacy (Author), Frederick G. Fico (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805852980 | ISBN-13: 978-0805852981 | Publication Date: July 1, 2005 | Edition: 2

Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research provides a comprehensive and comprehensible guide to conducting content analysis research. It establishes a formal definition of quantitative content analysis; gives step-by-step instruction on designing a content analysis study; and explores in depth research questions that recur in content analysis, in such areas as measurement, sampling, reliability, data analysis, validity, and technology. This Second Edition maintains the concise, accessible approach of the first edition while offering an updated discussion and new examples. The goal of this resource is to make content analysis understandable, and to produce a useful guide for novice and experienced researchers alike. Accompanied by detailed, practical examples of current and classic applications, this volume is appropriate for use as a primary text for content analysis coursework, or as a supplemental text in research methods courses. It is also an indispensable reference for researchers in mass communication fields, political science, and other social and behavioral sciences.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review of the first edition:
...offers sound instruction for conducting content research, and the book's target audience--graduate students enrolled in methods courses or seminars specific to content analysis--will benefit from its teachings.
—Journalism & Mass Communication Educator

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2 edition (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805852980
• ISBN-13: 978-0805852981
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice introductory book for content analysis (3.5 stars), November 21, 2007

By 

Wing C. Lau (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research (Lea Communication Series) (Paperback)

This is a nice introductory book for quantitative content analysis. It points out the common problem of many current content analysis studies being very descriptive (53% no hypothesis, 72% no research questions, quoting from the books) and without putting enough attentions to (both external and internal) reliability and validity.

However, readers should be cautious about the fact that descriptive studies are not bad by nature, it very much depends on whether your research is exploratory or confirmatory. From my experience, exploratory studies can not be as structured as we would like it to be but that's a long story and involves too many epistemological issues.

The main purpose of context analysis is to draw "inferences about its meaning and infer from the communication to its context, both of production and consumption."

Basically, if you are going to employ quantitative content analysis as your research method, you should follow the following steps (summarised from the book).

1. Be familiar with the current literature on your research topic.
2. Formulate hypotheses or research questions based on some theoretical underpinnings.
3. Select your sources (newspapers, etc.) and sample sizes (based on reliability issues)
4. Preparation of the analysis protocol (including background information of the study, coding procedures, and coding sheet), so that other people can follow your footsteps or critique your study.
5. Data analysis, using statistical techniques (frequency, mean, correlation, regression, etc.) to make inferences.

Being an introductory text, it serves its purposes. However, I think the authors could be more concise and reduced the pages by around 100. Then, it can become a pocket introduction to both undergraduate and post-graduate students.

This book also quoted a lot from Krippendorff (1980). If you need more depth of the subject, it might be a good source to look for.

Con:
-The book doesn't cover computer-assisted text analysis.
-Not enough hand-on examples.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, April 19, 2000

By 

Jan-Willem van Aalst - See all my reviews

This review is from: Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research (Communications Series (General Theory).) (Paperback)

This book by Daniel Riffe et al. not only gives an excellent overview of the research field of quantitative content analysis, but also useful recommendations on solving that particular analysis or measurement problem that you are facing. Using this book, I found it much easier to quantitatively measure structured interview results. The examples given in the book are often from the media world, but are generally applicable. Recommended.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction for media content analysts, June 9, 2007

By 

Vaidas Morkevicius "VaidasMo" (Lithuania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Analyzing Media Messages: Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Research (Lea Communication Series) (Paperback)

This is an excellent introductory book for the people begining their on project where content analysis is needed. It is clear, simple, straightforward and illuminating! I would even suggest that this book should be the first book that any beginner in content analysis should read.