Doing discourse analysis. Criteria for developing a discourse analysis project a well-focused idea that is phrased as a question or set of closely related.

Doing discourse analysisDoing discourse analysis

Criteria for developing a Criteria for developing a discourse analysis projectdiscourse analysis projecta well-focused idea that is phrased as a question or set of closely related questions

an understanding of how discourse analytic techniques can be used

an understanding of why your question/s are important in a wider context

familiarity with and access to the location where your project will be carried out

Criteria for developing discourse Criteria for developing discourse analysis projectanalysis projectability to get the data

the time it will realistically take to carry out the project, analyse the results, and write up the results

being competent in the ways of collecting the data being competent in the method/s of analysis

Choosing and focussing a research topic: an example

Topic 1: A comparison of Chinese students’ essay writing in Chinese and English written in their first year of undergraduate studies

Topic 2: A comparison of students’ Master’s theses in Chinese and English

Topic 3: An examination of newspaper articles in Chinese and English from a intercultural rhetoric perspective

Final topic: A contrastive study of letters to the editor in Chinese and English

A contrastive study of letters to A contrastive study of letters to thethe

editor in Chinese and Englisheditor in Chinese and English

Turning the topic into a researchTurning the topic into a researchquestionquestion

What are the differences between What are the differences between letters letters to the editor in Chinese to the editor in Chinese and English?and English?

Focusing the question/sFocusing the question/s

In what ways are Chinese and In what ways are Chinese and English English letters to the editor similar letters to the editor similar or different? or different?

Can we use genre theory and Can we use genre theory and intercultural intercultural rhetoric to understand rhetoric to understand these similarities these similarities and differences?and differences?

Kinds of discourse analysis Kinds of discourse analysis projectsprojectsReplication of previous discourse studies

Using different data but the same methodology

Analysing existing data from a discourse perspective Analysing discourse data from a different perspective

Considering the validity of a previous claim

Focusing on unanalysed genres

Combining research techniques

Two sample studiesTwo sample studies

Nakane, I. (2007), Silence in Intercultural Communication: Perceptions and Performance. Amsterdam: John Benjamins

Wang, W. (2004), ‘A contrastive analysis of letters to the editor in Chinese and English’, Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 27, 72–88.

Silence in Japanese-Australian Classroom Interactions

Aim of the studyAim of the study

to examine the communication to examine the communication problems faced by Japanese students problems faced by Japanese students in mainstream English-medium in mainstream English-medium university classroomsuniversity classrooms

Summary of the studySummary of the study

combined the techniques of combined the techniques of conversation analysis with conversation analysis with ethnographic data in order to get ethnographic data in order to get multiple perspectives on the questionmultiple perspectives on the question

MethodologyMethodology

• video and audio recordings of video and audio recordings of classroom interactionsclassroom interactions

• individual interviewsindividual interviews• focus group discussionsfocus group discussions• questionnairesquestionnaires• field notes and artifacts from the field notes and artifacts from the

classroom observationsclassroom observations• stimulated recall interviews and follow-stimulated recall interviews and follow-

up interviews up interviews • large-scale surveylarge-scale survey• data from classrooms in Japan - video data from classrooms in Japan - video

recordings, field notes and artifactsrecordings, field notes and artifacts• conversation analysis of the English conversation analysis of the English

classroom dataclassroom data• content analysis of the interview and content analysis of the interview and

stimulated recall datastimulated recall data

Results of the studyResults of the study

silence was one of the major silence was one of the major problems for the Japanese students problems for the Japanese students in the English medium classrooms, in the English medium classrooms, both for themselves and for their both for themselves and for their lecturerslecturers

CommentaryCommentary

Further researchFurther research

Letters to the editor in Chinese Letters to the editor in Chinese and Englishand English

• Research questionsResearch questions

• In what ways are Chinese and English In what ways are Chinese and English letters to the editor similar or different letters to the editor similar or different in terms of their rhetorical structurein terms of their rhetorical structure

• To what extent can systemic functional To what extent can systemic functional genre theory and intercultural rhetoric genre theory and intercultural rhetoric be used to explore and understand be used to explore and understand these similarities and differences these similarities and differences

• What are the reasons for the similarities What are the reasons for the similarities and differences in the performance of and differences in the performance of this genre in the two different linguistic this genre in the two different linguistic and cultural settings.and cultural settings.

MethodologyMethodology

• 10 letters to the editor in Chinese10 letters to the editor in Chinese

• 10 letters to the editor in English10 letters to the editor in English

• generic structure of each of the two sets generic structure of each of the two sets of dataof data

• rhetorical types (such as rhetorical types (such as ‘‘problem/solutionproblem/solution’’, , ‘‘evaluationevaluation’’ and and ‘‘expositionexposition’’) represented in the two data ) represented in the two data setssets

• logico-semantic relationships between logico-semantic relationships between the clauses and clause complexes in the the clauses and clause complexes in the two sets of textstwo sets of texts

• discussions of differences in collectivism discussions of differences in collectivism and individualism in Chinese and Western and individualism in Chinese and Western writing and cultureswriting and cultures

Results of the studyResults of the study

Chinese and English letters to the editor Chinese and English letters to the editor share some similarities at the level of share some similarities at the level of generic structures. There are, however, generic structures. There are, however, also differences. For example, there is also differences. For example, there is often an editoroften an editor’’s preview in Chinese s preview in Chinese letters to the editor that is absent in the letters to the editor that is absent in the English letters. Appeals to values and English letters. Appeals to values and needs are used to support claims in the needs are used to support claims in the Chinese letters whereas the English Chinese letters whereas the English letters use evidence to do this. letters use evidence to do this.

CommentaryCommentary

Further researchFurther research

Evaluating a discourse projectEvaluating a discourse project

ReliabilityReliability

Consistency of the data collection Consistency of the data analysisConsistency of the interpretation of

resultsReplicability of the study

ValiditiyValiditiy

Credibility Dependability Transferability Importance of an audit trail

Further readingFurther reading