ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a collaborative approach to analysis of interaction in which analysts from multiple traditions dialogue to achieve not only a richer understanding of the data, but also to understand how their methods construct the object of study and provide alternate ways of producing evidence for arguments about analytic claims. We begin with a brief review of a selection of analytic traditions that offer alternative perspectives on understanding interaction, and that researchers have used to focus on the study of learning in groups. Illustrating the diversity of traditions allows us to make the case for countering tendencies towards fragmentation and for working toward some level of coherence across traditions that study group interactions. We then present the origins and tenets of multivocal analysis, summarize practical strategies for achieving productive multivocality, and discuss current and future work using this approach.
