Qualitative methods of communication research
Sander De Ridder
good to know
- 3e jaarsklas
- no numbers, no surveys
➔ We are all researchers -> to search, to seek, is what drives us
◆ what phone do i buy?
◆ what is healthy to eat?
◆ is this netflix series for me?
◆ what is this conflict about?
● = everyday research
○ based on intuition, common sense, casual, magical thinking,...
➔ research means “looking for information about something”
Scientific/academic research is different from everyday research
➔ more systematic
➔ planned, theory based, structured, objective, scientific thinking, systematic, logical to the
extent possible, focus is knowledge about reality
➔ based more on facts than feelings
➔ more cautious
◆ constantly rethinking, not just throwing your first thoughts out
➔ more focus on accuracy/exactness
➔ data, numbers and statistics as part of scientific research?
◆ not necessarily (historical research within literary…)
magical thinking
=> exam + fave tshirt, u rock the exam -> u think it’s bcs of the tshirt
=> something ppl do to give meaning to their life
=> based on personal experience
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
➔ young discipline (50 years ago)
➔ an interdisciplinary field
➔ responded to the increasing important role of print and broadcast mass communication
media in everyday life, drawing on concepts and methods from both the social sciences,
the humanities, and even the natural sciences
➔ with the development of digital media, the field is more central than ever to political,
economic and cultural developments in societies
Communication research as interdisciplinary research
2 major currents within communication science research
➔ Humanities-oriented study of media and communication
◆ Link with disciplines that analyze and understand products of human culture such
as language, art history literature, history, philosophy, culture, etc.
◆ E.g. Media studies, cultural studies and the study of popular culture
1
, ◆ Examines everything from arthouse cinema and fiction to comics, television, movies, music,
digital media and everyday life
◆ Usually base their analyses on the concepts, ideas, and theories of philosophers, cultural
psychologists, social scientists of culture, linguists, and others
◆ Often qualitative research
➔ social science oriented study of media and communication
◆ Link with discplines that analyze, understand and predict human behavior such as
sociology, psychology, political science ...
◆ E.g., Media impact research, strategic communication
◆ Examines the influence and effects of media and communication on behavior of people and
society (positive and/or negative)
◆ Usually base their analyses on the concepts, ideas and theories of social scientists and
(experimental) psychology
◆ Often quantitative research
-> no strict separation, lots of collaboration
possible questions
SOCIAL
- How does the use of social media influence the way young adults look at their body?
HUMANITY (representation)
- How do tv dramas represent gender roles and how do audiences interpret them?
- How are villains and heroes represented in cartoon movies?
QUANTITATIVE vs QUALITATIVE
When we think of quantitative research in media and communications, we think of
numbers, effect, and measurement.
-> Quantitative researchers are sometimes accused of being too limited, basing their research
on what they can count, measure and observe, and neglecting other things that are not
directly observable through measurement.
-> accused of being too limited
When we think of qualitative research, we often think of media texts, interpretations, and
ethnographic research
-> Qualitative researchers are sometimes accused of "reading" things into texts or making
interpretations of how people consume media that are not actually there. Interpretations
often seem very personal and too much evaluative/value-driven.
-> very personal and too much evaluative/value-driven
-> none of them is better, they study completely different things
2
,Research needs strategic choices
- Different research methods, qualitative or quantitative, or combinations are not inherently
"better" or "truer," but lend themselves to different research questions and observations.
- Determining which research method you use is part of a strategic negotiation.
- What method do you use when you are interested in mass media representations, and how
the mass media shape social ideas about sexual identity based on these representations?
- Which method do you use when you are interested in the effectiveness of communication
campaigns to promote healthy behavior?
Most important questions to ask when reading something
1. What methodology was used in the research, what are the strategic choices and
reasoning?
2. How important is the topic and does it constitute a challenging scientific investigation?
3. What conclusions were drawn?
4. Are the conclusions supported by the data? Are the conclusions credible?
5. Can one generalize from the research?
6. Can these findings lead to practical recommendations?
Learning outcomes
1. You know the ontological and epistemological foundations of qualitative research
methods within communication and media studies. You are familiar with various
theoretical frameworks, different forms of media research, and their methodological
foundations.
2. You possess the knowledge and expertise to design, technically execute, and interpret
qualitative research in communication and media studies, including qualitative content
analysis, text and discourse analysis of documents and media content, and examining the
role of (digital) media; communication technologies, and popular culture in everyday life.
3. You have the knowledge and expertise to formulate research questions, develop
research designs that match these questions, apply and interpret appropriate research
methods and analytical techniques, and present research findings in a clear and
consistent academic manner.
3
, LES 2 - 8/10
VIDEO BEKIJKEN! WAS ER DIE LES NI
Introduction to Qualitative Communication Research into the Nexus
Media, Culture, and Society
Communication research as interdisciplinary research
Two major currents within communication science research (see Deuze, 2021)
➔ Social science oriented study of media and communication
◆ Link with discplines that analyze, understand and predict human behavior such as
sociology, psychology, political science ...
➔ Humanities-oriented study of media and communication
◆ Link with disciplines that analyze and understand products of human culture such as
language, art history literature, history, philosophy, culture, etc.
Doing Research into the Nexus Media, Culture, and Society
Society
➔ Society is an autonomous sphere where people engage in rule-based interactions and
relationships. Within this framework, institutions such as the educational system, the legal
system, religion, but also media, play significant roles in shaping how people connect and
behave.
◆ Structure vs. agency – to what extent do people interact and form relationships
within the boundaries of rule-based systems and institutions? Or, do they
negotiate/resist them? -> Social change
Media
➔ Media are institutions and technologies of communication such as newspapers,
magazines, television, the film industry, social media platforms. They also include
platform ecosystems (e.g., Google/Alphabet, Apple, Facebook/Meta, Amazon, Microsoft)
that took over how (public) communication is organised, and how we engage with news,
information, entertainment, and education.
◆ Media are increasingly consumed on mobile devices, and are tools for data collection,
real-time analysis, and feedback (smartphones, smartwatches, …).
◆ Media are increasingly organised as platforms for media consumption (Amazon Kindle,
Netflix, Disney+, etc.).
4
Sander De Ridder
good to know
- 3e jaarsklas
- no numbers, no surveys
➔ We are all researchers -> to search, to seek, is what drives us
◆ what phone do i buy?
◆ what is healthy to eat?
◆ is this netflix series for me?
◆ what is this conflict about?
● = everyday research
○ based on intuition, common sense, casual, magical thinking,...
➔ research means “looking for information about something”
Scientific/academic research is different from everyday research
➔ more systematic
➔ planned, theory based, structured, objective, scientific thinking, systematic, logical to the
extent possible, focus is knowledge about reality
➔ based more on facts than feelings
➔ more cautious
◆ constantly rethinking, not just throwing your first thoughts out
➔ more focus on accuracy/exactness
➔ data, numbers and statistics as part of scientific research?
◆ not necessarily (historical research within literary…)
magical thinking
=> exam + fave tshirt, u rock the exam -> u think it’s bcs of the tshirt
=> something ppl do to give meaning to their life
=> based on personal experience
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
➔ young discipline (50 years ago)
➔ an interdisciplinary field
➔ responded to the increasing important role of print and broadcast mass communication
media in everyday life, drawing on concepts and methods from both the social sciences,
the humanities, and even the natural sciences
➔ with the development of digital media, the field is more central than ever to political,
economic and cultural developments in societies
Communication research as interdisciplinary research
2 major currents within communication science research
➔ Humanities-oriented study of media and communication
◆ Link with disciplines that analyze and understand products of human culture such
as language, art history literature, history, philosophy, culture, etc.
◆ E.g. Media studies, cultural studies and the study of popular culture
1
, ◆ Examines everything from arthouse cinema and fiction to comics, television, movies, music,
digital media and everyday life
◆ Usually base their analyses on the concepts, ideas, and theories of philosophers, cultural
psychologists, social scientists of culture, linguists, and others
◆ Often qualitative research
➔ social science oriented study of media and communication
◆ Link with discplines that analyze, understand and predict human behavior such as
sociology, psychology, political science ...
◆ E.g., Media impact research, strategic communication
◆ Examines the influence and effects of media and communication on behavior of people and
society (positive and/or negative)
◆ Usually base their analyses on the concepts, ideas and theories of social scientists and
(experimental) psychology
◆ Often quantitative research
-> no strict separation, lots of collaboration
possible questions
SOCIAL
- How does the use of social media influence the way young adults look at their body?
HUMANITY (representation)
- How do tv dramas represent gender roles and how do audiences interpret them?
- How are villains and heroes represented in cartoon movies?
QUANTITATIVE vs QUALITATIVE
When we think of quantitative research in media and communications, we think of
numbers, effect, and measurement.
-> Quantitative researchers are sometimes accused of being too limited, basing their research
on what they can count, measure and observe, and neglecting other things that are not
directly observable through measurement.
-> accused of being too limited
When we think of qualitative research, we often think of media texts, interpretations, and
ethnographic research
-> Qualitative researchers are sometimes accused of "reading" things into texts or making
interpretations of how people consume media that are not actually there. Interpretations
often seem very personal and too much evaluative/value-driven.
-> very personal and too much evaluative/value-driven
-> none of them is better, they study completely different things
2
,Research needs strategic choices
- Different research methods, qualitative or quantitative, or combinations are not inherently
"better" or "truer," but lend themselves to different research questions and observations.
- Determining which research method you use is part of a strategic negotiation.
- What method do you use when you are interested in mass media representations, and how
the mass media shape social ideas about sexual identity based on these representations?
- Which method do you use when you are interested in the effectiveness of communication
campaigns to promote healthy behavior?
Most important questions to ask when reading something
1. What methodology was used in the research, what are the strategic choices and
reasoning?
2. How important is the topic and does it constitute a challenging scientific investigation?
3. What conclusions were drawn?
4. Are the conclusions supported by the data? Are the conclusions credible?
5. Can one generalize from the research?
6. Can these findings lead to practical recommendations?
Learning outcomes
1. You know the ontological and epistemological foundations of qualitative research
methods within communication and media studies. You are familiar with various
theoretical frameworks, different forms of media research, and their methodological
foundations.
2. You possess the knowledge and expertise to design, technically execute, and interpret
qualitative research in communication and media studies, including qualitative content
analysis, text and discourse analysis of documents and media content, and examining the
role of (digital) media; communication technologies, and popular culture in everyday life.
3. You have the knowledge and expertise to formulate research questions, develop
research designs that match these questions, apply and interpret appropriate research
methods and analytical techniques, and present research findings in a clear and
consistent academic manner.
3
, LES 2 - 8/10
VIDEO BEKIJKEN! WAS ER DIE LES NI
Introduction to Qualitative Communication Research into the Nexus
Media, Culture, and Society
Communication research as interdisciplinary research
Two major currents within communication science research (see Deuze, 2021)
➔ Social science oriented study of media and communication
◆ Link with discplines that analyze, understand and predict human behavior such as
sociology, psychology, political science ...
➔ Humanities-oriented study of media and communication
◆ Link with disciplines that analyze and understand products of human culture such as
language, art history literature, history, philosophy, culture, etc.
Doing Research into the Nexus Media, Culture, and Society
Society
➔ Society is an autonomous sphere where people engage in rule-based interactions and
relationships. Within this framework, institutions such as the educational system, the legal
system, religion, but also media, play significant roles in shaping how people connect and
behave.
◆ Structure vs. agency – to what extent do people interact and form relationships
within the boundaries of rule-based systems and institutions? Or, do they
negotiate/resist them? -> Social change
Media
➔ Media are institutions and technologies of communication such as newspapers,
magazines, television, the film industry, social media platforms. They also include
platform ecosystems (e.g., Google/Alphabet, Apple, Facebook/Meta, Amazon, Microsoft)
that took over how (public) communication is organised, and how we engage with news,
information, entertainment, and education.
◆ Media are increasingly consumed on mobile devices, and are tools for data collection,
real-time analysis, and feedback (smartphones, smartwatches, …).
◆ Media are increasingly organised as platforms for media consumption (Amazon Kindle,
Netflix, Disney+, etc.).
4
