Incident-Analysis

1. Incident-Analysis * Theoretical background, conceptual remarks on a key-category of REDCo-classroom-analysis - PD Dr. Thorsten Knauth - Workshop „Research Methods and Empirical Fieldwork“, Granada, 25.5.2006

2. Relevance of classroom-analysis • Pupils´ perspectives are decisive for our focus: finding methods to deal with religious and cultural heterogenity • We don´t know much about structures of classroom-interaction

3. Possibilities of classroom-analysis • Direct insight into interaction in classroom • Observation and analysis of interactive patterns in statu nascendi • Analysis on possibilities and limitations of dialogue in classroom

4. Analysis on the views of pupils according to te REDCo-application • All projects will analyse RE at school in the 14-16-year age group • Analysis of interaction patterns in the classroom based on participant observation and videotaped RE-lessons

5. „We will focus on incidents exemplifying both successful dialogue and conflict in lessons“

6. Critical questions • How can incidents be defined and selected? • How can we avoid restricting ourselves to one method of interpretation?

7. The interpretive approach of classroom-analysis • 2. Incidents: term and methods of analysis • .

8. Interpretive approach of classroom-analysis

9. Classroom-analysis • Focussed on communication and interaction in classroom • Methodological perspective: to reconstruct the perspective of the participants • All activities in classroom are symbolic actions and interactions • Hermeneutical perspective of the approach

10. Basic aspects • Teaching and learning in RE as symbolic interaction • The relevance of the context • Interpretation as reconstruction

11. Teaching and learning as symbolic interaction • All activities in classroom are part of complex procedures of communicative action within the frame of an institution • Participants act on the basis of rules and structures which form a constantly renewed „social order“ • Doing classroom-analysis means to describe the daily negotiation of meaning

12. 2. The relevance of the context • The contextuality of each communicative action is taken into consideration, which means: each act of speech is to be analysed in it´s interactive environment • Indexicality: the way communicative action is embedded in structures of time, space, situation and knowledge of daily life

13. 3. Interpretation as reconstruction • Interpretive research of classroom- interaction wants to make clear how interaction functions by reconstructing the process of meaning-making.

14. Classroom-analysis: Active and meaning-making role of the subject Relevance of the context Interpretive approach (Jackson 1997, 2004) Interpretation:Religious practise as meaning-making process Representation: how is religion embedded in actions, life-world practise etc.? Interpretive classroom-analysis and interpretive approach of RE

15. The „coldness-scene“- example for an incident

16. Incidents –some remarks on the term • „Phenomenon“ (H. Mehan 1979): an event during the course of interaction which is relevant for the participants themselves • „Surprising phenomenons“ (S. Heil/ H.G. Ziebertz 2003): sequences in interaction which can´t be explained immediately and can´t be deducted from theory.

17. Incidents- remarks on the term 3. „cases“ (eg.Kallmeyer/ Schütze 1976): examples for special interactive patterns beneath the surface of interaction 4. „Critical Incidents“ (D. Tripp 1993): critical events in the lesson with a challenge for professional judgement on teaching.

18. Incidents- remarks on the term 5. Incident as key-category for classroom-research (Gogolin/Kroon 2000): incidents are phenomenons on the surface of interaction, which can tell something about the deeper structure of an interactive situation – like an iceberg looming with it´s peak out of the water.

19. „In the concept of incident-analysis an incident, for example in a teaching- lesson, represents a hidden aspect of the overall structure of the interactive happening. It serves as a key for comprehending the overall context , which is deeply rooted in the pedagogic tradition and the cultural concepts of the concerned country.“ (Herrlitz 1994, S.13)

20. Incident- remarks on the term Summary • Incidents are unusual, sometimes critical events on the surface of interaction. They are „little peaks“ looming out of the stream of interaction. • Incidents are selected on the basis of open observations which are guided by basic questions. • Incidents are cristallisations of a problem which is related to the basic question of the research (e.g.: dialogue and conflict).

21. Method of analyzing incidents • Making decisions on the basis of criteria: which lessons should be recorded? • Videotaping the lesson, • Reviewing the lesson via tape: Pre-selection of „incident-suspicious“, sequences – guided by the basic question of research, • Making a list with preliminary descriptions of the sequences,

22. Describing the context; delimitation of the incidents by embedding them in the course of • Interaction • Exact transcription on the basis of a simple transcription guide • Paraphrasis of the sequence and preliminary interpretation • Interpretation in detail by using the transcription

23. Enlarging the interpretation by adding • different „readings“ of the incident • Enlargement of the analysis: • search for incidents with a similar structure; • search for incidents which can contrast the • Interpretation, • Comparative analysis

24. Is Incident-Analysis compatible with ethnographic research? According to C. Geertz [1973] an ethnographic description of culture is: • Interpretive • Interested to discover the procedure of the social discourse • documentary (it snatches away the event from the transitory moments) • microscopical („intense aquaintance with tiny little things“)

25. Incident-analysis is in touch with the ground of facts and phenomenons. Incident-Analysis is „thick description“(C.Geertz)