Mayring

Mayring is a surname most commonly associated with Philipp Mayring, a German social scientist who developed qualitative content analysis, a systematic method for analyzing qualitative data such as interview transcripts, open-ended survey responses, and documents.

Mayring’s qualitative content analysis is characterized by a rule-guided, iterative process designed to make interpretation transparent and verifiable. The analysis typically begins with a clear research aim and the selection of relevant material, followed by a decision on the form of analysis to be used. Mayring distinguishes several analytic procedures, most notably summarizing, explicating, and structuring content analysis. A coding frame or category system is developed, either deductively from theory or inductively from the material, along with explicit coding rules. The material is then coded and the category system is refined as needed. A key emphasis is placed on documentation and an audit trail to enhance reliability and validity, with intercoder checks often used to assess consistency.

In summarizing content analysis, the material is condensed while preserving core content. Explicating content analysis seeks to clarify ambiguous passages by linking them to contextual factors. Structuring content analysis aims to reorganize material into a practical category system that supports interpretation and comparison across cases. Mayring stresses a balance between systematic structure and interpretive depth, positioning the method as both a qualitative and methodologically transparent approach suitable for a wide range of texts and media.

Mayring’s work, particularly the foundational text Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Grundlagen und Anwendungen, has been influential in social science research and is widely taught as a standard method for analyzing qualitative data.