Conversations and interviews

1. Conversations and interviews INF5220 7. October 2005 INF5220 7. oktober 2005

2. Plan for today • Discuss interview assignment • Brief summary of reading (ch. 6) • Discuss issues related to project work: • Analytic memo • Literature review • Use of theory INF5220 7. oktober 2005

3. Conversations and interviews • Reading for today:Chapter 6 in Silverman • Distinguishes between ’naturally occuring talk’ and more or less structured interviews • The benefits of audiotapes: • A public record (data can be shared with other researchers) • Tapes can be replayed and transcripts improved • Tapes preserves sequences of talk, not just statements • On transcription: • Should you tidy up the ’mess’? (pauses, overlaps, badly constructed sentences, half sentences etc) • Takes a lot of time INF5220 7. oktober 2005

4. Conversation Analysis • CA is concerned with the sequential and structural organization of talk (stable, organized patterns). Attempt to describe how people produce orderly social interaction, through precise analysis of detailed transcripts. Examples: • Turn-taking and repair • Conversation openings and ’adjacency pairs’ • Institutional talk INF5220 7. oktober 2005

5. Discourse Analysis • Analysis of interviews, texts and talk (more heterogeneous than CA). Discourse as text and talk in social practices (e.g. rhetorics). Some concepts: • Interpretive repertoires (identities, category systems) • Stake • Scripts INF5220 7. oktober 2005

6. ..for your projects: • Writing in the process is important – don’t wait until the report writing! • Produce an analytic memo(individually)after every instance of fieldwork and share within the group. Create a template that you all use • The analytic memo can work as a ’mini-report’: • Some facts such as: Author, date, content/topic, place • A summary of what was done and the findings (several pages, can include drawings etc.) • The reflections you made during or after the instance (thoughts to explore further or to discuss in the group, themes that seemed important, what puzzled you, what was problematic etc.) • Practicalities and other things: • things to remember to do (e.g. committments you may have made towards the people you interacted with) • Pictures, drawings, video, other documents that ’belong’ to this (note down e.g. filename) (The handouts for today (on memos, reports) can be found on the 2004 course site, under ’lecture notes’) INF5220 7. oktober 2005

7. Conducting a literature review • Locating and summarising the studies about a topic • Including: • Research studies • Conceptual articles • Others • Identify key words • Database search • Priority for journal articles and books • Check availability • Look at abstract, skim articles and chapters • Design a literature map: visual picture of the research literature in my topic • Summarise and organise: major themes and gaps INF5220 7. oktober 2005

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9. Literature review • Use the literature • Development of ”sensitizing concepts” (Blumer 1954) • A tool for thinking and analysing INF5220 7. oktober 2005

10. Interpretive research in IS • interpretive methods of research in IS are "aimed at producing an understanding of the context of the information system, and the process whereby the information system influences and is influenced by the context" (Walsham) INF5220 7. oktober 2005

11. Interpetive research: use of theory • Initial guide to design and data collection • Initial theoretical framework • Sensibility to data • Danger of not-seeing • Part of an iterative process of data collection and analysis • Being open to field data • Modify initial assumptions and theories • A final product of the research • Concepts • Conceptual framework INF5220 7. oktober 2005

12. Interpretive research: empirical work • Access to other people’s interpretations • Own role as researcher • Outside observer – not direct involvement • Involved researcher (action research, participant obs.) • Evidence: interview as primary data source • Styles of interview • Reporting media • Reporting fieldwork • Credibility: document your process of data collection • Importance of details (research site, motivation for choices, num of people, data sources, ... and theory-data iterations) INF5220 7. oktober 2005

13. Types of generalizations from interpretive case study (Walsham) • Development of concepts • Generation of theory • Drawing of specific implications • Contribution of rich insight INF5220 7. oktober 2005

14. Principles for conducting and evaluating interpretive research Klein and Myers 1999, MISQ • The fundamental principle of the hermeneutic circle. • The principle of contextualization. • The principle of interaction between the researchers and the subjects. • The principle of abstraction and generalization. • The principle of dialogical reasoning. • The principle of multiple interpretations. • The principle of suspicion. INF5220 7. oktober 2005

15. Project report • Due by 15. November 2005 • Size: ~20 pages • Expand proposal with: • Reworked introduction, motivation, literature review, methods discussion • Describe the actual fieldwork you have conducted • Report the findings in a form and structure that has emerged from the group’s analysis work • Discussion, conclusion • Individual reflection notes (1/2 to 1 page each or more) INF5220 7. oktober 2005

16. More on the reflection notes • Aim: Support your learning process (being or becoming a reflective researcher) • Suggestions for content: • What did you experience related to data collection, analysis, writing? • What problems emerged, and what happened then? • How did the cooperation in the group turn out? • What has been your own pre-occupation/focus during the time? • What has happened to your research skills? • What are the lessons learned from the project work? • Advice: Maintain a diary or log during the group work period • Can be submitted individually if you don’t want to have it in the report. INF5220 7. oktober 2005