how do adolescents define depression? - cIRcle - University of ...

Content Analysis of Participants ' COAD
Chapter III: Methodology
Content analysis of participants' responses to the COAD item was the method used in
this study to construct categories and subcategories of adolescent depression. The following
sections describe the processes used sequentially in developing these constructs. Adolescent
depression, as defined by the participants, served as the context for their given responses.
Coding Schemes
The sequential process in developing the constructs of adolescent depression was first
undertaken in the Access (Microsoft Version 2003) program (Appendix I). Three columns were
allocated for this initial process of data entry, one column for the 332 unique ID numbers,
another column for the numbered raw responses provided in the COAD item, and the third
column for the broken-down raw responses (from second column) into numbered elements of
information called units (see next paragraph for explanation). Initially, data entry of every
student's unique identity ID number (first column) and the numbered (unique) raw responses 13
(second column) matching each unique ID number, was completed. Next, in the third column,
each recorded response (second column) was separated into units and each unit was numbered
and matched to the unique ID number. For example, if ID number 1 had a list of six bulleted
responses or a list of responses separated by lines, to the COAD item in the questionnaire, six
rows were created in the ACCESS program to contain the COAD information provided by ID
number 1. The first column contained the number 1 in each of the six rows. The second column
comprised the six rows of raw responses (adjacent to the number 1 in the first column) that were
automatically sequentially numbered from 1 to 6 by ACCESS. The third column contained the
six rows of units and each unit on each of the six rows represented the distinct COAD
information of the raw response. Units were individually numbered and received a different
number to each distinct unit of information or writing style.
Units of information distinguished themselves as the smallest specific description of
communication content (Holsti, 1969; Krippendorff, 2004; Neuendorf, 2002; Tashakkori &
Teddlie, 1998) on which participants' data on adolescent depression were analyzed. Units of
13 Each unique numbered raw response in ACCESS corresponded to another response, either a different
bullet or on a new line, provided in each student's list of responses to the COAD item.
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