The Quantitative Content Processing Methodology: Coding of Narratives and Their Statistical Analysis

Abstract

The paper deals with the quantitative analysis of the qualitative content, which enables converting the variables used in qualitative research into quantitative variables and comparing them to variables used in quantitative research. This methodology is based on the combination of Romanticist, Phenomenological, Dialectical, Critical, and Post-structural hermeneutic systems of interpretation described by Demeterio III (2001). The specially designed content systematization technique, which describes the logical sequence of content construct identification and is based on Wilkinson’s (1991) Key and Hook technique, and Merkys’ (2005) operationalization, developed using the dichotomous coding technique. The paper describes the methodology and the areas of its application. It also gives a practical example of its application in a research study.

An integrated testing and development of the methodology was performed investigating evaluation efficiency of business public relations. The paper introduces the context and scope of the applied procedure in the research. It also presents the data processing steps, the performed analysis and the key results. The presented research in this paper is discussed in three phases: input, implementation and impact assessment phases, where fragments of each are provided. The article focuses on introducing systemization and consistency of the content. Steps of content systematisation are described in detail as follows:

• Reading of the text and understanding of its overall meaning,
• Identification of text's logical structure,
• Dividing the text to the logical passages,
• Comparative analysis of logical passages and conflation of them to coherent logical sequence,
• Operationalization of logical structure,
• dichotomous coding.

When introducing the prepared systematic processing methodology of the content, the main application assumptions and limitations are indicated; the possibilities of methodology usage are specified.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.24.1.2350