The Subjective Precision of Computers: A Methodological Comparison with Human Coding in Content Analysis

2006 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 186-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Conway
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Newspaper Coverage ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Political Campaign ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Intercoder Reliability ◽  
Text Content ◽  
Methodological Comparison

With the increased sophistication and speed of computers, fewer text content analysis projects utilize traditional human coding. This methodological case study was designed to compare results of human versus computer-assisted coding using the same data set. The two processes yielded significantly different results in a content analysis of newspaper coverage of a political campaign. In computer-assisted coding, several subjective steps must be taken to adapt the content to the program. Those decisions can be arbitrary and fall outside the concept of traditional intercoder reliability.

scholarly journals Balanced Journalism Amplifies Minority Positions: A Case Study of the Newspaper Coverage of a Fluoridation Plebiscite

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon J. Kiss ◽  
Karly Rath ◽  
Andrea Perrella
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
North America ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Newspaper Coverage ◽  
Letters To The Editor ◽  
Public Opinion Surveys ◽  
Local Media ◽  
Analyse De Contenu

Background  Public opinion surveys usually report majority support for fluoridation in North America. Yet many local plebiscites produce opposite results. One possible reason is the nature of local media coverage.Analysis  This article reports on a content analysis of news coverage and letters to the editor about a fluoridation plebiscite in Waterloo, Ontario. Qualitative research suggested that the groups opposed to fluoridation were more motivated and better organized than those in support. The net effect was news coverage more neutral toward fluoridation than supportive or critical, predominantly framed in terms of risks rather than benefits.Conclusion and implications  The findings here emphasize the reactive nature of contemporary journalism. In local fluoridation plebiscites, champions are required to produce news coverage that better conveys the benefits to the public.Contexte  Normalement, dans les sondages d’opinion publique en Amérique du Nord, la majorité des répondants appuient la fluorisation. Pourtant, au niveau local, plusieurs référendums obtiennent des résultats contraires. Une raison possible pour ce contraste est la couverture médiatique locale.Analyse  Cet article présente une analyse de contenu effectuée sur la couverture médiatique et les tribunes libres concernant un référendum sur la fluorisation tenu à Waterloo (Ontario). Cette recherche qualitative suggère que, dans ce cas, les groupes opposés à la fluorisation étaient plus motivés et mieux organisés que ceux qui appuyaient celle-ci. En conséquence, la couverture de la fluorisation tendait à être neutre plutôt que positive ou négative, avec un accent mis sur les risques plutôt que les bienfaits.Conclusions et implications  Les résultats de cette recherche soulignent le caractère réactif du journalisme contemporain. En conséquence, dans les référendums locaux, les partisans de la fluorisation auront intérêt à se mobiliser afin d’encourager des reportages plus axés sur les bienfaits de celle-ci.

Predicting News Flow from Mexico

1997 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa A. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Newspaper Coverage ◽  
Organizational Factor ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Geographic Proximity ◽  
Data Support ◽  
Cultural Proximity ◽  
Mexican Heritage

This study investigated the role of geographic proximity, cultural proximity, and organizational factors on the quantity of U.S. newspaper coverage of Mexico, using a computer-assisted content analysis of 515 index citations from thirty-four U.S. newspapers. The percentage of the population having a Mexican heritage and circulation size were the strongest predictors of coverage of Mexico. Circulation size was the sole predictor of length and source of articles about Mexico and Mexicans. The data support cultural proximity and organizational factor concepts over geographic proximity.

scholarly journals Women in the Egyptian parliament: a different agenda?

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hala Abdelgawad ◽  
Mazen Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Parliamentary Debates ◽  
Legislative Agenda ◽  
Female Legislators

Purpose Theoretically, the quality of representation is likely to be enhanced when more societal segments are included in formal political structures. An interesting question, however, is whether a similar correlation holds empirically outside established Western democracies. In the 2015 Egyptian parliament, women representation achieved an all-time high of 14.9% of total seats – nearly four times the historical Egyptian average. It is asked whether female legislators riding this unprecedent tide were different from their male colleagues in terms of their socio-economic backgrounds. But more importantly, the authors examine whether this increased representation led to any change in inclusion of more women’s issues in the legislative agenda, and how traditional topics are debated. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a content analysis of selected parliamentary scripts – generating on an original data set – to trace the topics and interventions raised by female MPs. The authors draw on the extensive literature on women’s representation, giving special attention to the structure versus agency dichotomy in this quest. Findings The authors conclude that female MPs were as active in parliamentary debates as to their male colleagues. Moreover, women did stress women issues more than men. The results indicate that the inclusion of traditionally under-represented groups does affect parliamentary agendas. Originality/value The authors conducted a content analysis of selected parliamentary scripts – generating on an original data set – to trace the topics and interventions raised by female MPs based on a case study of the 2015 Egyptian parliament.

Newspaper Reports of the Westminster Parliament

2020 ◽  
pp. 574-592
Author(s):  
Bob Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Newspaper Coverage ◽  
Detailed Case ◽  
Newspaper Reporting ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
National Newspaper ◽  
Dumbing Down

This chapter examines changing patterns of newspaper reporting of the proceedings of the Westminster Parliament during the twentieth century. It offers a detailed case study of coverage at a key moment and argues that since the 1990s, newspaper reports from the House fluctuated greatly in number and kind while also exhibiting a growing focus on lobby reporting at the expense of the Gallery tradition since the 1930s. Drawing on contemporary interviews with Parliamentary correspondents, combined with content analysis of national newspaper coverage, the chapter highlights  the striking decline in press reports across all national newspapers as well as the alleged ‘dumbing down’ of published Parliamentary stories. The chapter concludes by exploring the possibilities of digitally native editorial formats such as live blogging, developed at the end of the twentieth century, for enhancing Parliamentary coverage.

The role of national projects in the social entrepreneurship development in the Primorsky Krai

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 1670-1694
Author(s):  
Valentina V. ZHOKHOVA
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Primorsky Krai ◽  
Entrepreneurship Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Text Content

Subject. As one of their goals, national projects are intended to create conditions for small and medium-sized entrepreneurship (SME) in regions. The State supports those businessmen who are engaged in social entrepreneurship or plan it to help them throughout the development phases. Although national projects are maintained and the SME development strategy is in lace, SME activity goes down across regions. Objectives. I analyze the way national projects are implemented and their resources are used for the regional development of social entrepreneurship. Methods. The study is based on methods of the regular overview of literature, text content analysis and case study. Results. The article presents the overview and the content analysis of scientific papers and statistical data for the Primorsky Krai, and the case study of socially-oriented businesses in the above area within 2018–2020. I analyzed the substance and the significance of a national project, determined the role of such projects for business growth and reviewed governmental aid as part of national projects for the social entrepreneurship development in the region. Conclusions. Having conducted the theoretical study of the substance and content of national projects, analyzed their implementation in the region and the use of their resources, such as possible benefits and preferential conditional for social businessmen, I determined how such projects influence the emergence of socially-oriented business in the Primorsky Krai. The findings can be used in further research into regional social entrepreneurship development programs, which help create the effective environment for business in the region.

scholarly journals Assessing the inter-coder reliability of the Body Type Dictionary (BTD)

ICAME Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Cariola
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Body Type ◽  
Full Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Alternate Form ◽  
Body Boundary ◽  
Alternate Form Reliability ◽  
Frequency Counts

Abstract Computer-assisted content analysis has many advantages compared to a manual scoring system, provided that computerised dictionaries represent valid and reliable measures. This study aimed to assess the inter-coder reliability, alternate- form reliability and scoring consistency of the Body Type Dictionary (BTD) (Wilson 2006) based on Fisher and Cleveland’s (1956, 1958) manual body boundary scoring scheme. The results indicated an acceptable inter-coder agreement with barrier and penetration imagery in the sub-sample (N = 53) of manually coded Rorschach responses. Additionally manually coded scores showed an acceptable correlation with the computerised frequency counts, and thus indicating an alternate-form reliability. In the full data set (N = 526), barrier imagery in the Rorschach responses only correlated with the picture response test, showing low scoring consistency, which might disconfirm the notion of body boundary awareness representing a stable personality trait but instead it might be dependent on the level of cognitive dedifferentiation.

Theory-Building with Nud.Ist: Using Computer Assisted Qualitative Analysis in a Media Case Study

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie MacMillan ◽  
Shelley McLachlan
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Press Coverage ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
The Press

We examine Nud.ist software in terms of its ëtheory-buildingí properties in order to access the extent to which Nud.ist can be used, not only to develop content categories, but also to develop a research method using two potentially incompatible approaches. The methods, content analysis and discourse analysis, were used in a single case study on education news in the press. Our case study, on how news about education issues gets constructed and framed by the national press into generalized themes and narratives, was initially informed by an extensive content analysis of the news over a twelve month period. Having identified variations in press coverage, we then collected large quantities of media text on education issues, using Nud.ist to organize and to recode the subsequent data. Having categorized the news extracts our aim was to then explore whether Nud.ist could assist a discourse analysis of the text.

scholarly journals Public Disclosure on Social Media of Identifiable Patient Information by Health Professionals: Content Analysis of Twitter Data

10.2196/19746 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. e19746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wasim Ahmed ◽  
Reshma Jagsi ◽  
Thomas G Gutheil ◽  
Matthew S Katz
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Patient Privacy ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Intercoder Reliability

Background Respecting patient privacy and confidentiality is critical for doctor-patient relationships and public trust in medical professionals. The frequency of potentially identifiable disclosures online during periods of active engagement is unknown. Objective The objective of this study was to quantify potentially identifiable content shared on social media by physicians and other health care providers using the hashtag #ShareAStoryInOneTweet. Methods We accessed and searched Twitter’s API using Symplur software for tweets that included the hashtag #ShareAStoryInOneTweet. We identified 1206 tweets by doctors, nurses, and other health professionals out of 43,374 tweets shared in May 2018. Tweet content was evaluated in January 2019 to determine the incidence of instances where names or potentially identifiable information about patients were shared; content analysis of tweets in which information about others had been disclosed was performed. The study also evaluated whether participants raised concerns about privacy breaches and estimated the frequency of deleted tweets. The study used dual, blinded coding for a 10% sample to estimate intercoder reliability using Cohen κ statistic for identifying the potential identifiability of tweet content. Results Health care professionals (n=656) disclosing information about others included 486 doctors (74.1%) and 98 nurses (14.9%). Health care professionals sharing stories about patient care disclosed the time frame in 95 tweets (95/754, 12.6%) and included patient names in 15 tweets (15/754, 2.0%). It is estimated that friends or families could likely identify the clinical scenario described in 242 of the 754 tweets (32.1%). Among 348 tweets about potentially living patients, it was estimated that 162 (46.6%) were likely identifiable by patients. Intercoder reliability in rating the potential identifiability demonstrated 86.8% agreement, with a Cohen κ of 0.8 suggesting substantial agreement. We also identified 78 out of 754 tweets (6.5%) that had been deleted on the website but were still viewable in the analytics software data set. Conclusions During periods of active sharing online, nurses, physicians, and other health professionals may sometimes share more information than patients or families might expect. More study is needed to determine whether similar events arise frequently and to understand how to best ensure that patients’ rights are adequately respected.

scholarly journals Public Disclosure on Social Media of Identifiable Patient Information by Health Professionals: Content Analysis of Twitter Data (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wasim Ahmed ◽  
Reshma Jagsi ◽  
Thomas G Gutheil ◽  
Matthew S Katz
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Patient Privacy ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Intercoder Reliability

BACKGROUND Respecting patient privacy and confidentiality is critical for doctor-patient relationships and public trust in medical professionals. The frequency of potentially identifiable disclosures online during periods of active engagement is unknown. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to quantify potentially identifiable content shared on social media by physicians and other health care providers using the hashtag #ShareAStoryInOneTweet. METHODS We accessed and searched Twitter’s API using Symplur software for tweets that included the hashtag #ShareAStoryInOneTweet. We identified 1206 tweets by doctors, nurses, and other health professionals out of 43,374 tweets shared in May 2018. Tweet content was evaluated in January 2019 to determine the incidence of instances where names or potentially identifiable information about patients were shared; content analysis of tweets in which information about others had been disclosed was performed. The study also evaluated whether participants raised concerns about privacy breaches and estimated the frequency of deleted tweets. The study used dual, blinded coding for a 10% sample to estimate intercoder reliability using Cohen κ statistic for identifying the potential identifiability of tweet content. RESULTS Health care professionals (n=656) disclosing information about others included 486 doctors (74.1%) and 98 nurses (14.9%). Health care professionals sharing stories about patient care disclosed the time frame in 95 tweets (95/754, 12.6%) and included patient names in 15 tweets (15/754, 2.0%). It is estimated that friends or families could likely identify the clinical scenario described in 242 of the 754 tweets (32.1%). Among 348 tweets about potentially living patients, it was estimated that 162 (46.6%) were likely identifiable by patients. Intercoder reliability in rating the potential identifiability demonstrated 86.8% agreement, with a Cohen κ of 0.8 suggesting substantial agreement. We also identified 78 out of 754 tweets (6.5%) that had been deleted on the website but were still viewable in the analytics software data set. CONCLUSIONS During periods of active sharing online, nurses, physicians, and other health professionals may sometimes share more information than patients or families might expect. More study is needed to determine whether similar events arise frequently and to understand how to best ensure that patients’ rights are adequately respected.

Teaching Computer Based Historical Data Analysis

1994 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Anderson ◽  
Robert J. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Social History ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Historical Data Analysis ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
The University

A case study ofa third year course in the Department of Economic and Social History in the University of Edinburgh isusedto considerandhighlightaspects of good practice in the teaching of computer-assisted historical data analysis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document