EDUC 681 "Advanced Research Methodologies"

Winter 2011 (January 5-March 30)

From the UVic Calendar: "The purpose of the research component is to have students become familiar with and learn to distinguish among multiple research methodologies appropriate to specific research problems, questions, and contexts." For a description of the course go here: [course outline].

As taught in the 2011-Winter session, this course this course is for students to
(a) familiarize students with the various forms of analysis of communication (because all data involve communication) (Reading and discussing textbook chapters); and
(b) produce a (near) publishable analysis of a given dataset to be presented in a format suitable as a book chapter.

 

Resources

UVic library to go to journals and download readings [here].

FQS: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum Qualitative Social Research is a tri-lingual (English, German, Spanish) online journal for issues related to qualitative research.

The Qualitative Report is an online journal dedicated to qualitative research and critical inquiry since 1990. It has lots of links to resources for qualitative research on the Internet.

PRAAT is a program that allows you to prepare very detailed transcripts and do a variety of analyses, including that of prosody.

A sample assignment that received an A+ can be found [here]. The articles by N.I. McRae (2009), L.J. Starr (2009), and V.M. Collyer (2009) also are the results of a course assignment (EDCI 600).
- Collyer, V.M. (2009). Influence of interlocutor/reader on utterance in reflective writing and interview. Cultural Studies of Science Education. DOI:10.1007/s11422-009-9234-1
- McRae, N.I. (2009). Linking experiences with emotions and the development of interpretive repertoires. Cultural Studies of Science Education. DOI:10.1007/s11422-009-9226-1
- Starr, L.J. (2009). Does anyone really know anything? An exploration of constructivist meaning and identity in the tension between scientific and relious knowledge. Cultural Studies of Science Education. DOI: 10.1007/s11422-009-9227-0
(To find those articles, click here)

Thompson ISI Web of Science [click here]

Main Reading: Wolff-Michael Roth and Pei-Ling Hsu, Analyzing Communication (Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2010).

The course description can be found at this link: [course description]

 

Detailed Lesson Plan

The outline is a "living" one, continuously growing and changing to meet students' and instructors' needs, though the overall framework [reading, assignments] will stay.

[JAN 05] [JAN 12] [JAN 19] [JAN 26] [FEB 02] [FEB 09] [FEB 16] [FEB 23] [MAR 02] [MAR 09] [MAR 16] [MAR 23] [ MAR 30]

JAN 05

Lesson topics

  1. Presentations
  2. Introduction of the course
    1. course, course objectives,
    2. Readings, structure of the textbook
    3. final assignment
    4. Introduction to the way of approaching the assignment (Online journal, getting pdf, working with pdf files)
  3. Readings: see Main Reading. (Students are expected to do additional readings to situate and ground their analyses for their course paper.)
    1. Accessing readings (UVic library online);
    2. Thompson ISI Web of Science online
  4. Analyzing some data
    1. Transcript [Available here]
    2. A relevant paper is: Hsu, P.-L., Roth, W.-M., Marshall, A., & Guenette, F.  (2009). To be or not to be? Discursive resources for (dis)identifying with science-related careers. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46, 1114–1136
    3. A relevant chapter is: Roth, W.-M., & Hsu, P-L. (2008). Interest and motivation: A cultural historical and discursive psychological approach. In J. E. Larson (Ed.), Educational psychology: Cognition and learning, individual differences and motivation (pp. 81–105). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science. [download here].

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JAN 12

Lesson Concepts

Social Structure • Communication • Identity • Auto/Biography • Narrative • Character | Plot

Assignments

  1. Chapters 1 ("The Structures of the Social") and 2 ("Identity") of Analyzing Communication
  2. Roth, W.-M., & Hsu, P-L. (2008). Interest and motivation: A cultural historical and discursive psychological approach. In J. E. Larson (Ed.), Educational psychology: Cognition and learning, individual differences and motivation (pp. 81–105). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science. [download here].
  3. Begin to read the datasources provided; think about a possible topic for orienting your analysis

Lesson topics

  1. Addressing any concerns,
    1. [questions?]
    2. Update on assignment: Choice of concept (Questions?)
  2. Sample analysis of a concept (Connie's data)
    1. Rigorous analysis; "Sherlock Holmes" versus "constructivists"
    2. Descriptive statistics (Post-It 2.1)
    3. Writing to think [2.16]
  3. Discussion of readings
    1. Chapter 1: The structure of the social; writing the "social" [image]
      1. Soci(et)al situation: box or creative constitution [constructivist, social constructivist, dialectical perspectives]
      2. Text and context;
      3. External determinants, discourse and ideology (Bakhtin)
      4. Power, knowledge, identity (Hegel, Marx, discourse analysts)
      5. Analyst, background knowledge, cultural competence
      6. Implications for analysis of conversational data?
    2. Chapter 2: Identity
      1. "How do we get at identity give communicative data? Theoretical issues
        1. ID (card, passport, birthdate...), name, [identification], action (Hegel), ipse-identity vs. idem-identity (Ricœur,Oneself as another, 1992), individual, person, subject, subjectivity; [subjectification] [societal nestedness] [personality] (Leont'ev, Activity, consciousness, personality, 1978)
      2. Research Method:
        1. stakeholders (and their interests [control, understanding [epistemic], emanicpatory [Jürgen Habermas]) [2.2];
        2. benefits to stakeholders [2.4];
        3. theoretical concepts [2.3] (Bourdieu, 1992, analysis of category, radical doubt; Holzkamp, 1983, suspicion of ideology [Bakhtin/Vološinov]); etymology [2.17]
        4. Trouble (breakdown, contradiction) as salient event [2.8]
        5. Different voices? Truth? Cogenerative dialogue, future action; difference-in-itself (materialist dialectics [p ≠ p])
        6. [Identity as dialectic]
        7. Progressive subjectivity (writing as research, audit)
      3. Interest and motivation (Reading 2) (discourse and possibilities, genres [plot, protagonist]; auto/biography (author-protagonist relation [Bakhtin], narative requirements); language comes from the other, is for the other, returns to the other (Derrida, Monolingualism of the other, 1998; The ear of the other: otobiography..., 1988)
  4. Analyzing data: [Transcript]
    1. Taking a look at the data through the lenses provided in chapters 1 and 2: "The structures of the social", identity
    2. Repertoires: To Be or not to Be (Pei-Ling)---about converting this into a chapter (Manuscript download here). Ultimate paper published: Hsu, P.-L., Roth, W.-M., Marshall, A., & Guenette, F.  (2009). To be or not to be? Discursive resources for (dis)identifying with science-related careers. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46, 1114–1136.

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JAN 19

Lesson Concepts

Discursive Psychology • Ethnomethodology (EM) • Conversation Analysis • Context • Con/Texting • Formal Analysis vs. EM • Interpreting vs. Reading

Assignments

  1. Read Chapters 9 ("Discursive Psychology") and 10 ("How Experts Analyze Data") of Analyzing Communication

Lesson topics

  1. Issues of process
    1. general and particular (special) interests, general right to learning
    2. REPEAT: Purpose of the course: From the UVic Calendar: "The purpose of the research component is to have students become familiar with and learn to distinguish among multiple research methodologies appropriate to specific research problems, questions, and contexts."
    3. In this particular CONCRETIZATION OF GENERAL PURPOSE: (a) to familiarize students with the various forms of analysis of communication (because all data involve communication); and (b) for students to produce a (near) publishable quality paper on a specified topic ("The meaning of '«concept»'.") (((The concept may be chosen by students after seeking approval as per revised description.))))
    4. Broader understanding of method chosen in your dissertation, "Why this method rather than some other?"
    5. The learning paradox: The student cannot see, because s/he does not know, the cultural knowledge to be acquired in the learning process.
  2. Comments on preceding discussion
    1. Examples of analysis of forms of communication, which you may follow as to the "method" described:
      1. Roth, W.-M., Bowen, G. M., & McGinn, M. K. (1999). Differences in graph-related practices between high school biology textbooks and scientific ecology journals. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36, 977-1019.
      2. Pozzer, L. L., & Roth, W.-M. (2003). Prevalence, function, and structure of photographs in high school biology textbooks. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40, 1089-1114.
    2. Animals, human (animal): Signifying, lying, wit; [de Saussure] & [Lacan] on the sign
    3. On [translation] (See also, Ricœur, 2004, Sur la traduction [On translation]
    4. Assignment: A brief reading of ["meaning"] in a text.
  3. Questions on chapter 2 & ongoing discussion
    1. Significance to First Nation epistemology?
    2. Identity, subject, personality; discourse analysis, Lacan, Leont'ev
  4. Analyzing data: Transcript [Available here]
  5. Discussion of chapter 9, "Discursive Psychology" and
    1. Vygotsky, Leont'ev on personality [Chat triangle] ID (card, passport, birthdate...), name, [identification], action (Hegel), ipse-identity vs. idem-identity (Ricœur,Oneself as another, 1992), individual, person, subject, subjectivity; [subjectification] [societal nestedness] [personality] (Leont'ev, Activity, consciousness, personality, 1978)
    2. Looking at turns [contrasting example] (CA)
    3. Culturing (mis-) conceptions, identity, interests, motivations, . . .
    4. Ethnomedodology (contrast with formal analysis) (Harold Garfinkel, Harvey Sacks)
      1. [Lebenswelt pair] ((Garfinkel, H., & Sacks, H. (1986). On formal structures of practical action. In H. Garfinkel (Ed.), Ethnomethodological studies of work (pp. 160–193). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.))
      2. Formulating the work
    5. Analyzing transcript [Sample 2]
  6. chapter 10, "How Experts Analyze Data"

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JAN 26

Lesson Concepts

Power/knowledge • Agency • Passivity • Structure • Ethnomethodology • Formulating the Social

Assignments

  1. Read Chapter 3 ("Beliefs, Attitudes, Interests, Motivations") of Analyzing Communication

Resource

[Here], in Discourse & Society, several articles that might be relevant, even as a contrast to what you want to write. (You need to link through UVic library to be able to download.)

Lesson topics

  1. About course process
    1. General questions, clarifications . . .
      1. Unclear concepts?
      2. Are the materials clear?
    2. On "Doing my own thing": The dialectic of Self and Other
  2. Assignment related:
    1. A brief reading of ["meaning"] in a text.
    2. Possible ways of organizing your writing. [Organization of writing1][Organization of writing career][Organization of this week's project]
  3. Ethnomedodology (contrast with formal analysis) (Harold Garfinkel, Harvey Sacks) & conversation analysis: The real-time production of immortal society
    1. Looking at turns [contrasting example] (CA)
    2. [Lebenswelt pair] ((Garfinkel, H., & Sacks, H. (1986). On formal structures of practical action. In H. Garfinkel (Ed.), Ethnomethodological studies of work (pp. 160–193). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.))
    3. Formulating the work [contrasting example] [Example]
  4. Discussion chapter 3
    1. General comments
      1. Multiple methods, mixed methods
      2. Questionnaires, assertion of prevalence of student "views"
      3. Grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) [03Fig01] [03Fig02]
    2. Discursive psychology: categories as matters of talk
      1. [Lacan] on the sign
      2. D. E. Smith, concept in the everyday world; Bourdieu (1992), "The preconstructed is everywhere"
      3. Courts of law (insanity, trouble, memory [Lynch and Bogen, 1996, Iran Contra])
      4. H. Mehan (1993), "The politics of representation" (LD student"; R. McDermott (1993), "The acquisition of a child by a learning disability"; W.-M. Roth and A. C. Barton (2004), "Constructing scientific dis/ability" (chapter 6, Rethinking Scientific Literacy) ("Without social arrangements for making something of differential rates of learning, there is no such thing as LD" (Mehan, 1993, p. 272, original emphasis) (Mehan and McDermott: in S. Chaiklin & J. Lave (Eds.), Understanding practice: Perspectives on activity and context (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
    3. Preference talk versus preference as psychological construct [Example1] [Example2]
    4. Repertoires and devices (Gilbert & Mulkay: empiricist, contingent, TWOD) (Zeyer & Roth, 2009: common sense (folk psychology, folk science), agential (pragmatist [ideal, real], control [self, other])
    5. Culturing (mis-) conceptions, identity, interests, motivations, . . .
  5. PRACTICE: Analyzing a transcript
    1. transcript [Sample1]
    2. Analyzing data: [Sample2]

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FEB 02

Lesson Concepts

Ethnomethodology • Intersubjectivity • Prosody • Situated Cognition • Lifeworld Analysis • Multi-Modality of Communication

Assignments

  1. Chapter 7 ("Institutional Relations") of Analyzing Communication
  2. Submit (as WORD file via email) and be prepared to discuss the quotes -- full reference and page numbers for each quote -- that will serve as the data for your paper.

Resources

  1. Critical Textwork, Ian Parker and Bolton Group
  2. Willig "Applied Discourse analysis

Lesson topics

  1. Questions about process, special needs, possible changes to be made
    1. Questions good, but also need to move along and "get curriculum covered"
  2. Ethnomedodology (contrast with formal analysis) (Harold Garfinkel, Harvey Sacks) & conversation analysis: The real-time production of immortal society
    1. Looking at turns [contrasting example] (CA)
    2. [Lebenswelt pair] ((Garfinkel, H., & Sacks, H. (1986). On formal structures of practical action. In H. Garfinkel (Ed.), Ethnomethodological studies of work (pp. 160–193). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.))
    3. Formulating the work [contrasting example] [Example]
  3. Discussion chapter 3
    1. General comments
      1. Multiple methods, mixed methods
      2. Questionnaires, assertion of prevalence of student "views"
      3. Content analysis vs discursive psychology vs conversation analysis
      4. Grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) [03Fig01] [03Fig02]
    2. Discursive psychology: categories as matters of talk
      1. [Lacan] on the sign
      2. D. E. Smith, concept in the everyday world; Bourdieu (1992), "The preconstructed is everywhere"
      3. Courts of law (insanity, trouble, memory [Lynch and Bogen, 1996, Iran Contra])
      4. H. Mehan (1993), "The politics of representation" (LD student"; R. McDermott (1993), "The acquisition of a child by a learning disability"; W.-M. Roth and A. C. Barton (2004), "Constructing scientific dis/ability" (chapter 6, Rethinking Scientific Literacy) ("Without social arrangements for making something of differential rates of learning, there is no such thing as LD" (Mehan, 1993, p. 272, original emphasis) (Mehan and McDermott: in S. Chaiklin & J. Lave (Eds.), Understanding practice: Perspectives on activity and context (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
    3. Preference talk versus preference as psychological construct [Example1] [Example2]
    4. Repertoires and devices (Gilbert & Mulkay: empiricist, contingent, TWOD) (Roth & Lucas [repertoires], Roth & Alexander [Grounded theory general][specific cases]) (Zeyer & Roth, 2009: common sense (folk psychology, folk science), agential (pragmatist [ideal, real], control [self, other])
    5. Culturing (mis-) conceptions, identity, interests, motivations, . . .
  4. PRACTICE: Analyzing a transcript
    1. transcript [Sample1]
    2. Analyzing data: [Sample2]

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FEB 09

Lesson Concepts

Intertextuality • Inscriptions • Transformations • Boundary Objects • Semiotics • Reading • Phenomenology • Anthropology • Ethnomethodology

Assignments

  1. Chapter 7 ("Institutional Relations") of Analyzing Communication

Resources

  1. A commentary on an article about the concept of "concept" [download here]

Lesson topics

  1. Writing for journal audience ([Zeyer & Roth, 2009])
  2. Which is a proper method and why? Rationale of using discourse analysis and conversation analysis
  3. Discourse analysis: Praxis of Method
    1. Interpretative repertoires (Gilbert & Mulkay: empiricist, contingent, TWOD) (Roth & Lucas [repertoires], Roth & Alexander [Reps, Devs] [Grounded theory general][specific cases]) (Zeyer & Roth, 2009: common sense (folk psychology, folk science), agential (pragmatist [ideal, real], control [self, other])
    2. Discursive device (TWOD [truth-will-out], complementarity, incompatibility,
    3. Susan's example
    4. Exercise: [DA-Analysis]
    5. Group discussion
  4. Conversation analysis: Praxis of Method (Not covered, to be moved to Feb 16)
    1. Transactional structure
    2. Preference
    3. Formulating
    4. Exercise (Video): [CA-Analysis]
    5. Group discussion
    6. Prosody analysis [PRAAT], gesture, body position ([Performance Score])
  5. Discussion of "Institutiuonal Relations", Chapter 7 of Textbook. Published article [Roth & Tobin, 2010](Not covered, to be moved to Feb 16)
    1. Durkheim's aphorism
    2. Power/knowledge
    3. Agency/structure
    4. The insider's view: Ethnomethodology, conversation analysis
    5. The researcher's view: formal analysis
    6. Interactional resources (Prosody, gesticulation, body orientation, body position)
    7. Event, dance, improvisation
    8. Progressive subjectivity (pp.231-8, final analysis)
    9. Institutional analysis, the outsider's view

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FEB 16

Lesson Concepts

Knowledge • Participation • Knowledgeability • Knowing

Assignments

  1. Chapter 6 ("Participating and Interacting") of Analyzing Communication

Lesson topics

  1. Organizational questions about March 30
    1. (Informal) presentation of your article (content, form of analysis)
    2. Due date of assignment: April 4.t
  2. Conversation analysis: Praxis of Method
    1. Transactional structure
    2. Preference
    3. Formulating
    4. Exercise (Video): [CA-Analysis]
    5. Group discussion
    6. Prosody analysis [PRAAT], gesture, body position ([Performance Score])
  3. Discussion of "Institutiuonal Relations", Chapter 7 of Textbook. Published article [Roth & Tobin, 2010]
    1. Durkheim's aphorism
    2. Power/knowledge
    3. Agency/structure
    4. The insider's view: Ethnomethodology, conversation analysis
    5. The researcher's view: formal analysis
    6. Interactional resources (Prosody, gesticulation, body orientation, body position)
    7. Event, dance, improvisation
    8. Progressive subjectivity (pp.231-8, final analysis)
    9. Institutional analysis, the outsider's view
  4. Discussion of "Participating and Interacting" (Chapter 6)
    1. First noticing the role of space in computer classrooms around 1991/1992 in my own classrooms. (Computers&Cognition) ((Roth, W.-M., Woszczyna, C., & Smith, G. (1996). Affordances and constraints of computers in science education. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 33, 995-1017.))
    2. Topology of classrooms and its relation to the forms of conversation [Map1] [Map2]
    3. Analysis of a video [Chris]

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FEB 23

!!! READING BREAK. NO CLASSES !!!

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MAR 02

Lesson Concepts

Intertextuality • Inscriptions • Transformations • Boundary Objects • Semiotics • Reading • Phenomenology • Anthropology • Ethnomethodology

Assignments

  1. Chapter 4 ("Knowledge, Knowing, Situated Cognition") of Analyzing Communication

Lesson topics

  1. Questions? About course content? About assignment?
  2. Structuring a paper/article/chapter (Analyzing a research article)
    1. Text of pedagogy for reading [Analysis1] [Physical Geography]
    2. Writing the abstract or opening paragraph [Example1] [Example2]
    3. Topical paragraphs, topical sentence
    4. Genres [Examples]
  3. Discussion of "Participating and Interacting" (Chapter 6)
    1. First noticing the role of space in computer classrooms around 1991/1992 in my own classrooms. (Computers&Cognition) ((Roth, W.-M., Woszczyna, C., & Smith, G. (1996). Affordances and constraints of computers in science education. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 33, 995-1017.))
    2. Topology of classrooms and its relation to the forms of conversation [Map1] [Map2][Map3]
    3. Analysis of a video [Chris]
  4. Discussion of issues arising from chapter 4 (Knowledge, knowing, situated cognition)
    1. Background to the data used (([curriculum plan], [Call for Proposals], [transcripts], [ethnographic notes], video; [Analyses]))
    2. Student questions to the chapter
    3. TOPICS: Knowledge, participation, knowledgeability, knowing, change, activity–action–operation, situated cognition, distributed cognition, situated communication

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MAR 09

Lesson Concepts

Technology • Mediation • Computer-Mediated Collaboration • Body as Expression • Orientation

Assignments

  1. Chapter 5 ("Toward an Anthropology of Inscriptions") of Analyzing Communication

Lesson topics

  1. Questions? Review of goals of course (--» (a) #2, (b) #3)
  2. Writing Strategies
    1. Narrative coherence: INTRODUCTION (Purpose) «--» BACKGROUND (Theory) «--» ANALYSES (Claims) «--» DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS
    2. Topical paragraph, topical sentences . . .
  3. Students discuss their writing, progress, problems in small groups
  4. Large group summary discussion
  5. Reflection on "anthropology of inscriptions"; aesthetics, art, poetry (Anthropology of Reading [Livingston, 1995])

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MAR 16

!!! INSTRUCTOR IS AWAY!!! (Classtime made up by meeting 1:30-4:30pm without break)

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MAR 23

Assignments

  1. Chapter 8 ("Interacting with Technology") of Analyzing Communication

Lesson topics

  1. BRIEF COMMENTS on issues arising from chapter 5, "Toward an Anthropology of Inscriptions
    1. Thoughts on work of reading
      1. Why an [a] anthropology of [b] work of [c] reading? What is the work of seeing a [cube]?
      2. How does reading bootstrap itself in reading any this text for the text it is?
    2. Online science text from BBC [Ancient chimps used stone tools] [analysis1] [analysis2] [Project files] [structure]
    3. Analyzing inscriptions in use [Transcript]
  2. SOME ISSUES from Chapter 8 (Lucy Suchman, Plans and Situated Actions, 1987)
    1. Context--reason for study; video
    2. Discourse Analysis vs Conversation Analysis; telephone conversations vs. face-to-face conversations
    3. Looking at a piece of transcript
    4. Unit of analysis ((p.260, 264)) STUDENTS (mind <-> talk, actions) <--> COMPUTER (input, math) (slide)
    5. Model of 2 people talking: ((mind1 <-)(-> TALK, GESTURE... <-)(-> mind2))
    6. Layering, zoomin ((p.264): background <-- talk . . . . --> society (slide) (Activity theory, interdependence of levels, ethnomethodology, structural analysis)
    7. Time scales (slide)
    8. The role of trouble in turning out the methods of the people (ethno) --> ethnomethods, ethnomethodology (method vs. methodology)
    9. The inside perspective--the dynamic of the situation rather than scientific rationality
    10. Being and Time (Heidegger), normal everday rationality, Heideggerian AI and cognitive science
    11. The gap between plans and actions (Suchman, 1987; Roth, W.-M. (2009). Radical uncertainty in scientific discovery work. Science, Technology & Human Values, 34, 313-336. ((You need to be connected to the UVic server))
  3. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS about assignment, writing for a scholarly journal.

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MAR 30

Assignments

  1. Students prepare an informal presentation of their final assignment

Lesson topics

  1. Students informally speak about their assignment, what they have found, etc.
  2. Questions and critique. ((Students may build all feedback into their assignment; the point is to learn, not to jump hoops))))

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