ABSTRACT
Four major data analytic techniques were discussed from Chapter 2 to 5, each in the context of specific issues in psychotherapy research and practice. This conclusion chapter has two objectives that take us back from the specifics to the general. The first is to provide a synthesized summary of the points made throughout these chapters on the value of data analytics to discourse analysis, including techniques that interested readers should further explore. The metaphor of data analytics as a ‘rifle’ and ‘spade’ for discourse analysis will be proposed in this regard. The second objective is to suggest ways to go beyond the scope of this book by extending the ideas and applications to discourse contexts other than psychotherapy, as well as thinking past the one-to-one match between a technique and a corresponding discourse analytic task. Potential applications of basic data analytic techniques to (social) media, politics, and education discourse will be suggested, together with ideas to combine the techniques in meaningful ways for larger projects. To conclude the chapter and the book, some final remarks will be made about the holistic value of data analytics for discourse analysts – to invigorate, collaborate, and empower.
