Discourse analysis and constructionist approaches: theoretical background

Abstract

This chapter is structured in terms of questions and answers. There are several reasons for\nadopting this format. First, people often consult a handbook to find the answers to questions\nso the format may simplify this task. Second, most constructionist approaches place a\nconsiderable emphasis on dialogueand question-answer sequences are dialogue in one of its\nmost prototypical forms. Third, constructionist researchers have been at the forefront of\nmoves to rethink the literary forms in which social science is presented.\nI shall start with some general questions about constructionism and its place in psychology,\nand then I shall move on to focus on issues of method and analysis. I shall concentrate upon\ngeneral principles and arguments, however, this is not intended to be a how-to-do-it chapter.\nChapter 11, by Rosalind Gill, provides a more fleshed out example of a particular style of\nconstructionist research.