1. Describe your research question or hypothesis and the non-reactive measure you chose.
2. Justify why the non-reactive measure you chose is appropriate for answering this question.
Content analysis is the appropriate data collection method because of its numerous advantages. Firstly, content analysis is appropriate because it can facilitate the analysis of a large volume of text(Riff, Lacy, Fico & Watson, 2019). This analysis of a large volume of text is important because it will provide my study with the right content that I desire to answer my research question.
Another reason why content analysis is the appropriate method is because of its ability to provide large scale survey data at a low cost (Riff et al. 2019). Through content analysis, I can easily study and analyze what different sources are saying about depression in Michigan at a low or even no cost. One such low-cost study manner is going to the library, read and analyze what different secondary materials say about depression and suicide rates caused by depression.
Additionally, content analysis is an appropriate research method for the analysis of depression in Michigan because this method can reveal the hidden content in communication (Neuendorf, 2016). Content analysis can facilitate my deeper understanding of depression in Michigan, the causes and its impact on the population. And to be able to gain that deeper understanding of depression, I understand that I need to do a thorough reading and analysis of numerous sources.
3. Describe how you are going to conduct this research including
My content analysis research on depression in Michigan will follow eight procedures. As Neuendorf, (2016) puts it, the first step is to formulate a research question that I have already done. Secondly, I will search and identify the texts I will need to analyze. I will then choose the units in which my texts will be analyzed. The fourth step is drawing a sample, after which I will create a coding system to use. I will then construct and refine the different categories for analysis. I will then code the data onto different recording sheets ready for analysis. Data analysis is the last step in my content analysis study.
How you would ensure the data’s validity
I will ensure the validity of data through standardization. Through these techniques, I will firstly look for a common base or a commonly known truth. After getting the common base, I will use it for comparison with other statements and data.
Describe the limitations of your chosen method
Much as I have decided to use content analysis as my research method, this method has its limitations. One of these limitations is that content analysis is that it cannot reveal the intention of the creators of the texts. Since content analysis is the study of secondary sources, there are possibilities of misinterpretation of the intention of authors of the texts (Neuendorf, 2016). Through this method, it is hard to tell whether the author intended to educate or to mislead his or her readers.
Another challenge of content analysis is that it is hard to determine the truthfulness of what the text creator has asserted (Riff et al. 2019). For instance, an author can claim that depression level in Michigan is rising at an alarming rate. Such a claim is hard to tell whether it is true or not, especially because I did not accompany the researcher to get such information. Additionally, continent analysis cannot reveal the artistic and other visual properties of data. Therefore, there are possibilities of missing out on vital information using this technique.
References
Neuendorf, K. A. (2016). The content analysis guidebook. sage.
Riff, D., Lacy, S., Fico, F., & Watson, B. (2019). Analyzing media messages: Using quantitative content analysis in research. Routledge.