Univeristy of South Australia PhD Work - Terrell Neuage

Thesis Overview

Conversational Analysis of Chat Room Talk by Dr. Terrell Neuage, University of South Australia. Available at the National Library of Australia.

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Methodology

3.1 Introduction

From a conventional perspective, referring to the data samples in this study as “conversation” is a misnomer, as conversation traditionally implies spoken interchange requiring physical proximity. This section describes the theories used to interpret online, texted “chat” for this study.

Chatroom “talk” is analyzed using conversation analysis principles, including turn-taking, sequential organization, repair organization, and turn construction design. Other researchers have found conversation analysis effective for studying computer-mediated communication (CMC) (e.g., Dingley, 2000; Titscher et al., 2000; Garcia and Jacobs, 1999).

Methodology in cyberspace differs from other environments. Sherry Turkle notes: “Virtual reality poses a new methodological challenge for the researcher” (Turkle, 1995, p.34, quoted by Hamman, 1996).

3.2 Qualitative Research

Online research changes the researcher-subject relationship and poses validity challenges due to unverifiable participant identities and site access. Guba and Lincoln (2000) emphasize truth, value-credibility, auditability, fittingness, and neutrality in qualitative research. Online qualitative research faces additional difficulties due to its recency and the instability of online behaviors.

Despite these challenges, qualitative research has developed robust methods. Some argue it should be evaluated like quantitative research for validity, reliability, and generalizability (Jasper, 1994; Cavanagh, 1997; Appleton, 1995). However, CMC’s rapid evolution introduces unique instabilities.