Lakhasly

Developing a discourse analysis project Many issues need to be considered while planning and carrying out a discourse analysis project.
The most important is research question.
Cameron 2001 has suggested that one important characteristic of a good research project is that it has a good idea.


Criteria
Johnstone (2000)
1- A well-focused idea about spoken and written discourse
2- An understanding of how discourse analytic techniques can be used to answer the research
question(s) you are asking
3- An understanding of why your question(s) about spoken or written discourse are important in a wider context; that is, why answering the question(s) will have practical value and/or be of interest to the world at large;


Criteria
4- Familiarity with and access to the location where your discourse analysis project will be carried out;
5- Ability to get the discourse data that is needed for the research project;
6- The time it will realistically take to carry out the discourse analysis project, analyse the results
and write up the results of the project;
7- Being comfortable with and competent in the ways of collecting the discourse data required by the project;
8- Being competent in the method(s) of analysis required for the project.


1.Choosing a research question
Cameron says good ideas for research “ don’t just spring up from the researchers imagination, they are suggested by previous research”
Reading the area of interest.


2. Focusing a research topic
Stevens and Asmar (1999:15) suggest that ‘wiser heads ‘ know that a good research project is ‘narrow and deep’


3. Turning the topic into a research question
At this stage we should strike the balance between a value of the question and the ability to develop a discourse analysis project are capable of carrying out i.e the project you have the background, expertise, resources and access to data that are needed for the project.


Kinds of Discourse Analysis Projects
The author underlines many kinds of discourse analysis projects which are as under:
A. Replication of Previous discourse Studies.
B. Using Different Discourse Data but the same methodology
C. Analyzing Existing Data from a Discourse Analysis Perspective D. Analyzing Discourse data from Different perspective
E. Considering the validity of a previous Claim
F. Focusing on unanalyzed Genres
G. Mixed- Method Discourse Studies


Two Sample Discourse Studies
Group presentations (A+B)
vCombining perspectives strengthen the study.


Evaluating a Discourse Analysis Project
Tailor considers two key issues:
1. Reliability
It means the consistency of the result obtained in the project. There are two of its kinds i.e. internal and external reliability.
2. Validity
Investigate the truth or the accuracy of the generalization being made by the researcher.