In the coding stage of content analysis, what is the primary task performed by researchers?

In the coding stage of content analysis, the primary task performed by researchers involves counting the frequency of specific words, phrases, or themes within the textual data. This process allows researchers to quantify qualitative information, which can facilitate the identification of patterns or trends. By organizing the data in terms of numerical frequency, researchers can draw conclusions about the prevalence of certain concepts, attitudes, or sentiments present in the material being analyzed. This method is essential in transforming raw textual data into a format that can be systematically analyzed, making it a fundamental aspect of content analysis.

While the other options involve valuable activities in research and data analysis, they describe different stages or types of analysis. Organizing data into numerical narratives relates more to data interpretation after coding, summarizing qualitative data typically involves synthesis rather than coding specifically, and describing participant behaviors is more relevant in observational studies than in the context of content analysis.