Approaches to Content Analysis Results Validity Measuring: an Example of Educational Innovation Contest (KIVO) Applications Analysis

This article attempts to provide an overview and systematize the approaches of content analysis evaluating and boosting validity. In connection with the development of Internet technology and increased usability of digital information, the growing interest of Social Science in content analysis has been observed. Still, it is relatively less popular than, for example, an interview. There is a reason to believe that comparatively less relevance of content analysis exists, partly because of critique for its subjectivity. Thus, we find it timely and important to elaborate the model of evaluating and boosting validity that provides an opportunity to make sure that the exact procedure is valid. The paper provides general understanding of content analysis method and discusses the main classifications of content analysis procedures from the perspective of how the type of procedure is derived from the research questions and also from the perspective of how the specificity of the procedure impact on approaches to validity justification. The concepts that are connected with validity is briefly described. The systematization and synthesis of practice is given. The procedure of undertaken content analysis of written applications for the first round of Educational Innovation contest will be reported in detail. Also on the base of this procedure the model of evaluating and boosting validity is elaborated.