Text in Their Social Contexts

Text in Their Social ContextsIncluding Discourse Analysis in Qualitative Projects or

How how to do what Glen told me was impossible

Catherine F. Schryer, Professor and Chair, Ryerson University, Torontocschryer@ryerson.caGenre Theorist texts in their social contextsCompleted projects that combine discourse analysis and qualitative analysisNegative letters, Case presentations, consulting reports, forensic reports, dignity interviews, transplant list

Who am I? Developed a model investigating texts in their social contextsInvestigated discursive forms of identity in medicine, social work and optometry (case presentations)Investigated discursive strategies used to communicate across professional boundaries (reports, letters)Investigating within healthcare team discursive strategies (lists, rounds, technology) Main Research TrajectoryGenre theory (Miller, Bakhtin) allied with structuration theory (Bourdieu, Giddens)Main theoretical frameGenres-- constellations of regulated and regularized improvisational strategies triggered by the interaction between individual socialization or habitus and an organization or field--trajectory entities through which participants negotiate their way through time and spaceJazz

Genre: Evolving definitionOperationalize Bourdieus social praxeologyTwo StepsTo represent objective structures that define external constraints = Discourse AnalysisTo reintroduce lived experience of agents= Interviews and review of published material

Main Methodological FrameWalking a Fine Line: Writing Negative Letters in an Insurance Company26 letters3 interviews wide ranging discourse analysisCo-Management in Healthcare: Negotiating Professional Boundaries75 letters and reports in pairs14 interviewsFocused discourse analysismodality in verbs

Three StudiesThe trial of the expert witness: Negotiating credibility in court documents in child abuse cases.82 lettersInterviews:6 writers, 4 readersFocused discourse analysis on equatives

Third StudyHodge and Kress, 1993. Language as Ideologythe grammar of a language is its theory of reality

My Window Into Linguistics: SFL and CDA

Actionals (relationships perceived in the real world)Transactives (SVO)Mary (S) fires (V) John (O).Non-Transactives (SV)Mary (S) falls down (V). RelationalsEquativeMary is a terrorist. (noun)AttributiveMary is evil. (adjective)

View One: Syntagmatic ModelsTransformation are never innocent and have two functions: economy and distortionThree typesNominalizations- Verb becomes a noun = Freeze process, helps to hid agencyEg. The nurse documents the change. Vs. Documentation of change exists.

Passives Loss of agency, accountabilityThe radiologist performed the tests. (active)The tests were performed by radiologists. (passive)Tests were performed. (passive)

Negation There is not a tiger in this room implies that there could be a tiger in the room.

View Two: TransformationsResearch QuestionsWhat strategies constitute this genre?What strategies distinguish effective from ineffective letters?What kinds of agency do these letters create?what you, the reader, could do, be, or havewhat we, the company, could do, be, or have what other entities (doctors, files, documents) could do, be, or have.Negative Letters: Declining LTD BenefitsEffectiveAverageIneffecTotalL 25L 20L18L10L2L1Trans66232423Non tran100032217Attrib22013311Nominal75322221Passive0022226Negative2211219You (reader)resultsA world in which you the reader could apply your claim, make a request, give reasons and obtain documentsAnd sometimes you could get betterFigured world: Speech actsEffectiveAverageIneffectL25L20L18L10L2L1TotalTrans93315526Non Tran2241009Attrib0000000Nomin1002448Passive34635523Negative12341112We (the company) resultsWe the company could inform you, conclude that your are capable (or not), terminate your claim, decide your case, decline your claim.Figured WorldEffectiveAverageIneffectL25L20L18L10L2L1TotalTrans36823527Non Tran0201249Attrib41132617Nominal1212155121673Passive44237323Negative31103311Other entities: Files, Doctors, ConditionsThe current findings available indicate that your depression appears to be stableAll the evidence provided to us indicates that there is no major limitation preventing you from returning to some non-stressful occupation.Other entities: Powerful Therefore, we must decline your claim for long term disability benefits.We are unable to continue your claimWe will be terminating your claimNegation: Why so few?When the Americans and the Japanese went to war, we had to evacuate the Western coast and we had to stay 100 miles away from the coast. Some were sent to camps, others chose to just come out east. And in my familys case they came to Toronto. Others went to Montreal. We called that evacuation. And when we came out here it was a different place . . . at that time, there were several very intelligent young men who graduated and, because of the war situation, they got no job except maybe gardening or mundane type work. But my people were strong. (4)Small data slice: Dignity Interview ProjectGeneral research questionWhat are the discursive strategies used by healthcare providers to negotiate meaning across professional boundaries?

Trial of the Expert WitnessPhysicians writing to social workers, police, courts regarding their opinion as to whether a child had suffered maltreatmentPhysicians not allowed to diagnose child abuse legal categoryAccreditation, credibility issuesContextQualitative data analysis of interviewsusing NvivioData from the theme of Credibility instances where participants reflected on the letters as conveying certainty or uncertaintyLetter analysis using Wordsmith72 letters focusing on physical abuse divided into 3 categories: positive evidence of abuse; some concern for abuse; no evidence Located evaluative adjectives and adverbs; Tracked their use across the three categoriesMethodologyLexeme# instances# & % corpus# & % eg/cat# & % categoryApparently75; 7%7; 100%5; 13%Consistent18655;73%147; 79%37; 95%Highly1410; 13%14; 100%10: 26%Possibly187; 9%18; 100%7; 18%Reportedly7224;32%57; 79%17; 44%Representative2112; 16%20; 95%11:28%Suggestive65; 7%6; 100%5; 13%Surprising53; 4% 5; 100%3; 8%Suspicious1813;17%18; 100%13; 33%Typical119; 12%9; 82%7; 18%Evaluative Lexemes: Positive Evidence of Abuse (39 letters)Evaluative lexemes are more prevalent in letters indicating abuse. Words such as apparently, highly, possibly, probably, serious, suggestive, surprising, suspected, suspicious, uncommon, and unexplained only appear in those letters.Much of the boundary work is conducted through evaluative lexemes that both constrain interpretation but leave room for alternative interpretations eg highly suspicious.

Analysisby flying by the seat of my pants.Advice Or How I Learned How to Do DA

Parameters or selection criteriaResearch questionTimeWriters, readersGenre, text typeExclusionsGenre not the same social actionBig enough for analysis, but not too large1.Data Set ConstructionImmersion in data setLooking for possible patternsIntuitiveCan use a concordance software package Warning: They do not do analysis for you!

2.Eyeballing Your Data Set

Select conceptsCreate definitions of conceptsFind paradigm examplesSort data into categoriesDouble check analysisSee where data fallMake sense of it all3.Operationalize and ApplyOnce data collapsed into large data sets you will probably have to refine your categoriesExamplesCompared data patterns in effective and ineffective lettersCompared different usage patterns in letters and reportsCompared differing strategies in forensic letters (diagnosing abuse, uncertain, no abuse). Play it Again Sam!Two large data bases resultCan feel like overwhelmosisStrategy: Emphasize one over the otherResult one theme from interview data that helps explain context Lessons Learned: SpecificRaid respectfullyUnderstand context of definitionsWork with a linguist if possibleDo homework Check analysis with a linguistLesson Learned: GeneralTo SSHRC for supporting this researchTo you for attendingThank YouQuestions Welcomed!