Content analysis and quantitative research
6 points * 3 hours per week * Second semester * Berwick
Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject students should have acquired an informed familiarity with published statistics; extended their understanding of data construction and presentation; developed skills in manipulating data both manually and with an appropriate computer package; and extended their ability to critically evaluate published data analysis.
Synopsis This subject will focus on the database and information provision/interpretation industries. It will focus on areas of critical importance to the communications industry: libraries, media databases, the census and opinion poll/market research. Students will develop skills in accessing, interpreting and presenting such data. The subject will cover creating the databases. Library information systems: titles and text retrieval. Census data: the total population and housing survey. Opinion polls and market research: the use of samples. The `wire services' and on-line text retrieval. Managing the data - access and control. The role and potential of information filtering techniques. Creating niche databases from pre-existing data sets. Size of populations and use of statistics: when to use the decimal point. Meaningful and meaningless correlations. Modes of access of presentation: email, file transfer, bulletin board, graphics packages. How much tabular material in how much detail: text tables versus appendices.
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