RESEARCH METHOD COHEN ok

A WORKED EXAMPLE OF CONTENT ANALYSIS 485
The closer the relationship to people who cause
stress, the greater the stress. NATURE
The data have been coded very coarsely, in terms
of three or four main categories. It may have
been possible to have coded the data far more
specifically, e.g. each specific cause has its code,
indeed one school of thought would argue that it is
important to generate the specific codes first. One
can code for words (and, thereafter, the frequency
of words) or meanings – it is sometimes dangerous
to go for words rather than meanings, as people
say the same things in different ways.
stress itself causes more stress /
inability to reduce causes of stress /
lowering enthusiasm/commitment/aspiration /
pressure of work /
things out of one’s control //
failure of management or leadership /
absence of fulfilment /
worsening professional conditions /
loss of control and autonomy //
inability to resolve situation /
having no escape valve /
overload at work /
seeing one’s work undone by others /
Chapter 23
Stage 2: Sort data into key headings/areas
The codes that have been used fall into four main
areas:
causes of stress
nature of stress
outcomes of stress
handling stress.
Stage 3: List the topics within each key
area/heading and put frequencies in which
items are mentioned
For each main area the relevant data are presented
together, and a tally mark (/) is placed against the
number of times that the issue has been mentioned
by the teachers.
Causes of stress
deflated expectation/aspiration /
annoyance /
others not pulling weight /
others letting themselves down /
professional demands, e.g. troublesome
students /
demands on personal time from professional
tasks /
difficulties of the job /
loss of personal time and space /
compromising oneself or one’s professional
standards and integrity ///
plans go wrong /
Nature of stress
Stress is a function of the importance attached
to activities issues by the participants. /
Stress is inbuilt when too many simultaneous
demands are made, i.e. it is insoluble. /
It is cumulative (like a snowball) until it
reaches a breaking point. /
Stress is a vicious circle. //
The effects of stress are exponential. /
The rate of stress is a function of its size. /
If stress has no escape valve then that causes
more stress. //
Handling stress can lead to self-damaging
behaviour (smoking or alcohol). /
Stress is a function of the importance attached
to activities-issues by the participants. /
The closer the relationship to people who cause
stress, the greater the stress. /
Outcomes of stress
loss of sleep or physical reaction //
effects of stress themselves causing more stress /
self-damaging behaviour /
Handling stress
physical action or exercise /
companionship /
alcohol and smoking /