Content analysis assignment and marking grid
Purpose: The goal of this assignment is to help you develop a better understanding of how qualitative
analysis is conducted. Instead of statistical analysis, most qualitative researchers use some form of
content analysis. We will discuss about content analysis in more details as part of the module on
qualitative research (week 7). Content may be obtained from various sources such as interviews, focus
groups, policy documents, media articles, etc. For this activity, I will ask you to do a content analysis of
news articles on any topic related to public health, addictions and/or Aboriginal health. This is relevant
ecause news articles have a
oad audience and they can shape individuals’ opinions and attitudes. As
indicated in the syllabus, this assignment is due on March 22. I have described below the steps that I
expect you to take in order to complete this assignment successfully.
1. Choose a topic related to public health, addictions and/or Aboriginal health (this may be the
same topic that you have used for your questionnaire or a different topic; it is your choice!).
2. Identify five news articles about the topic. Articles can come from newspapers (e.g., Leth
idge
Herald, Globe and Mail, New York Times, etc.), websites of TV stations (e.g., CBC, CTV, etc.) or
online news websites (e.g., Huffington Post, Metro, etc.), but not from personal blogs, business
websites, or academic journals. They must be from different journalists (or columnists) to
ensure that views expressed are diverse. Articles do not need to be long, but they must be
elated to the topic that you chose.
3. After reading the selected articles a few times, please identify the 4 main themes that emerge
from the articles [note that if this was a ‘real’ qualitative study, I would not restrict the number
of themes; I am doing so to ensure consistency in grading and to keep the assignment
manageable for your workload]. If you cannot find at least 4 themes in the articles, this might
suggest that they lack diversity. In this case, consider replacing at least one article. Please make
sure that each theme identified is covered in at least 2 articles to allow for comparison.
4. Read the articles again and highlight the content of the text that relates to the identified themes
(this is what qualitative researchers mean when they speak about “coding” text). You don’t
need to submit copies of the articles with highlighting; this is just a way to assign parts of the
text to the themes that you identified.
5. Based on your coding, please compare and contrast the content that relates to each theme
separately.
6. Please consider whether the articles showed evidence of media bias. Media bias happens when
the information is presented in such a way that it suits the interests of the journalist or the
company who owns the journal. For more information about media bias, you can read this
encyclopedia entry: https:
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/media-bias-in-canada
https:
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/media-bias-in-canada
Additional information
Please submit your assignment via Moodle and make sure that it includes the components listed below.
The percentage allocated to each component is provided in square
ackets. Writing quality (including
grammar, flow of ideas and formatting) is also worth 10%.
1. A
ief introduction (one page maximum) about the importance of the topic and how you
selected your articles. The introduction should end with a list of the main themes that you
identified [10%; one page maximum]
2. A comparison of the articles based on the main themes that you identified in no more than four
pages double-spaced (using standard margins and font size). To this end, please compare and
contrast the views expressed in the articles. You should do that for each theme one by one. You
can include a few short quotes from the articles to support your interpretations, but your
comparison should not look like a collage of quotes. In other words, I should be able to see that
you have interpreted the articles in your own words. For each theme, you should do a synthesis
of the information from the articles; it should not look like separate Coles Notes (or Cliffs
Notes)! [60% – 15% for each theme; about four pages in total].
3. A discussion of media bias [15%; no more than two pages]. This is your opportunity to
demonstrate your understanding of the sources of bias that can affect the content of media
articles. The discussion should finish with a
ief conclusion about your content analysis.
4. References and citations [5%] should be provided in a consistent style. The five media articles
should be listed in the references. If you use other references in your assignment, please use
old font for the media articles so that we can identify them easily.
The assignment should be double-spaced and should include a title page.
If you have any question, please let me know.
Marking grid
Component (marks) 100% 80% 60% 40% 0%
Introduction and list
of main themes
from the articles
(5%)
The introduction is
clear and concise and
the list fully captures
the main recu
ent
themes from the
articles
The introduction is
clear and the list
captures most of the
main recu
ent themes
from the articles
The introduction is
generally clear and
the list captures two
of the main recu
ent
themes from the
articles
The list captures only
one of the main
themes from the
articles
The introduction lacks
clarity and the list
does not capture the
main recu
ent
themes from the
articles
Content analysis for
theme 1 (15%)
A nuanced and
thorough synthesis of
the theme as discussed
in the articles is
provided
In general, a nuanced
synthesis of the theme
as discussed in the
articles is provided
The analysis reads like
separate Coles/Cliffs
notes for each article
ather than a
synthesis
The analysis provides
a vague description
of how the theme
emerged in the
articles
The analysis does not
provide a clear
description of how the
theme emerged in the
articles
Content analysis for
theme 2 (15%)
A nuanced and
thorough synthesis of
the theme as discussed
in the articles is
provided
In general, a nuanced
synthesis of the theme
as discussed in the
articles is provided
The analysis reads like
separate Coles/Cliffs
notes for each article
ather than a
synthesis
The analysis provides
a vague description
of how the theme
emerged in the
articles
The analysis does not
provide a clear
description of how the
theme emerged in the
articles
Content analysis for
theme 3 (15%)
A nuanced and
thorough synthesis of
the theme as discussed
in the articles is
provided
In general, a nuanced
synthesis of the theme
as discussed in the
articles is provided
The analysis reads like
separate Coles/Cliffs
notes for each article
ather than a
synthesis
The analysis provides
a vague description
of how the theme
emerged in the
articles
The analysis does not
provide a clear
description of how the
theme emerged in the
articles
Content analysis for
theme 4 (15%)
A nuanced and
thorough synthesis of
the theme as discussed
in the articles is
provided
In general, a nuanced
synthesis of the theme
as discussed in the
articles is provided
The analysis reads like
separate Coles/Cliffs
notes for each article
ather than a
synthesis
The analysis provides
a vague description
of how the theme
emerged in the
articles
The analysis does not
provide a clear
description of how the
theme emerged in the
articles
Discussion of media
ias (15%)
The discussion is
thorough, nuanced and
insightful. It
demonstrates excellent
critical analysis skills
The discussion is fairly
nuanced and insightful.
It demonstrates good
critical analysis skills
The discussion shows
some nuance and
demonstrates
acceptable critical
analysis skills
The discussion lacks
nuance and depth. It
demonstrates
insufficient critical
analysis skills
The discussion clearly
lacks nuance, depth
and understanding of
the concept of media
ias
Presentation of the
assignment (e.g.,
The assignment is very
well structured.
The assignment is well
structured.
The structure,
formatting and flow of
The flow of ideas is
sometimes unclear.
The assignment
includes so many
grammar, syntax,
punctuation, flow of
ideas, formatting)
(10%)
The flow of ideas,
formatting, and
grammar is excellent
The flow of ideas,
formatting, and
grammar is good
ideas are acceptable.
There are many
grammar e
ors, but in
general, the text is not
difficult to read
The assignment
includes many e
ors
and is sometimes
difficult to read
e
ors that it is very
difficult to understand
References and
citations (5%)
A complete list is
provided and a
consistent style is used
for citations and
eferences
A complete list is
provided. Citations and
eferences are
generally presented in
a consistent way.
Citations or references
are presented in an
inconsistent way.
The list is
incomplete.
Citations and
eferences are often
presented in an
inconsistent way.
The list is incomplete
or missing. Citations
and references are
presented in an
inconsistent way.
Markers cannot tell
the 5 articles used for
the content analysis