ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on our ongoing, collaborative work in qualitative data analysis, and our discussion draws heavily on some of our own publications (see, in particular, Müller & Damico, 2002; Müller & Guendouzi, 2002). This ongoing work has led us to a view of doing discourse as an analytical cycle, or better, an analytical spiral in which each iteration of the analytical path should lead to a higher level of interpretation and mediation of the interactive situation(s) under investigation. The starting point of the spiral is the preparation for data gathering. We like to think that the next step, the actual recording of “raw data,” that is, of human social interaction, follows after due thought and preparation; however, one has to admit that the most revealing data can sometimes be the chance interaction, the one that was not planned. Once an audio or video recording of an interaction has been achieved, certain aspects of it need to be transcribed. We approach transcribing as an integral part of the analysis process; rather than preparation for analysis, transcribing is data analysis. Transcription and interpretation typically go hand in hand in our work and feed into each other as a
spiral within a spiral: The occurrence of certain patterns noted during the transcribing process, for example a hunch that certain paralinguistic features may be used strategically, will usually heighten one’s awareness for such paralinguistic phenomena and will motivate one to return to one’s data and reexamine data and transcript anew in light of said hunch. If the pattern holds, we have advanced a step further in our analysis. Theoretical considerations also feed into transcribing. As we discuss below in some detail, transcribing happens for a purpose, and one’s theoretical outlook on the interaction observed will color one’s perception as to which aspects of the interaction to focus on. In essence, these different perceptions are what this book is all about. Presenting one’s data, be it for publication or presentation or for the sake of academic evaluation, is mainly a process of distillation. Typically, we need to be selective because of space constraints; at the same time, we need to be illustrative and therefore select “good” examples that support our arguments without being unfaithful to the complexity of the interactions that were our raw material. In the remainder of this chapter, we briefly discuss the preparatory and data recording stages and focus in greater detail on transcribing. The interpretive and presentational stages of the analytical spiral are the topics of the remaining chapters of this book.
Although we approach our data gathering with an open mind in terms of exact research questions or narrow research foci (in keeping with the basic principles of qualitative research), certain decisions have to be made even before we gather data. Unless we have the luxury of carrying recording equipment with us at all times in case an interesting situation happens to occur (and even then, we have to take a decision as to its potential interest)1 or unless we are part of a setup in which all interactions in certain settings, such as, for example, speech-language therapy sessions, are routinely recorded in certain formats, it is useful to expend some thought on preparing a recording session. For many extended studies, one develops routines in data recording that are workable for their particular contexts. Many factors influence an interaction, and depending on the study one is engaged in, the participants and the contexts of data gathering and analysis one has more or less control over some of them. For example, when recording a conversation between a researcher and a person with dementia, ideally one would like to choose a situation for one’s data gathering that is neither too distracting for the participant nor too dull. It should both be part of the participant’s daily routine and conducive to being recorded; there should not be too much background noise, but one would
wish to avoid a feeling of isolation from the rest of the world. In practice, we often do not have many choices where we carry out our recordings. If we gather data in, for example, nursing homes, a participant’s bedroom may be the only place available. Background noise, interruptions (sometimes these can be very revealing!), and the like may be unavoidable.
