In this video, we are going to unpack the sometimes tricky topic of discourse analysis.
We will explain what it is consider its strengths and weaknesses and discuss when and when not to
use this analysis method. By the end of this video, you should have a clear understanding
of the basics of discourse analysis so you can make an informed decision for your research
project. By the way, if you are currently working on a dissertation, thesis or research project be
sure to grab our free dissertation templates to help fast-track your write-up. These tried and
tested templates provide a detailed roadmap to guide you through each chapter section by
section. If that sounds helpful you can find the link in the description below.
So what exactly is discourse analysis? Well, simply put discourse analysis is a qualitative
analysis method that looks specifically at the subjective underlying meaning of language
in written or spoken communication within the context in which it takes place. To break that
down a little more a good discourse analysis will interpret language in the appropriate
social, cultural, political and historical background so as to draw out its meaning.
That language data could be taken from interviews, speeches, group discussions, transcripts or even
recordings. In other words, discourse analysis can be used on both primary and secondary data
making it quite a versatile analysis method. Does that sound a bit fluffy and conceptual let
us look at an example to make it a little more tangible. Discourse analysis could potentially
be a useful approach if you were, for example, researching people’s perceptions of government
policy on immigration. In that case, you might analyse the use and meaning of particular words
and phrases taken from interview transcripts in the contemporary socio-political context. The idea
would then be to identify and analyse the intended meaning of those words rather than just their
definition or frequency. As you can see discourse analysis allows you to go deeper than just the
surface-level themes as you might do with thematic analysis or to observe the frequency of words or
phrases as you might with content analysis. Instead, its focus is squarely on meaning
within context. By the way, if you are interested in learning more about the other analysis methods,
I mentioned check out our analysis methods video up here or follow the links in the description.
Now that we have laid down some foundations it is important to understand the two main ways in which
you can approach discourse analysis. Specifically, these are the language-in-use approach and the
socio-political approach. Each of these works a little differently and sounds a little worse than
they are. So let us break down what they mean. First up is the language-in-use approach. Here
your analysis will focus on the technicalities in the use of language such as grammar,
syntax and phenology. With this approach, the idea is to analyse how the finer details of language
are used and manipulated within the context of communication. Let us look at an example to make
this a little more tangible. The English language has a relatively inflexible subject-verb object
syntactical structure. Producing sentences like Sarah, the subject, wrote, the verb, a research
paper, the object. So if an English speaker were to say something like the paper that Sarah wrote a
language-in-use analysis might investigate the function or effect of that sentence structure
within a particular social context. For example, a politician might deliberately bend or break the
rules of formal English syntax when speaking about a certain topic or in a certain context
and then adopt formal syntax in another. Here a language and use analysis could reveal that
particular speech patterns reflect assumptions about power or privilege and class disparities
between the speaker and their audience. Okay, now that we have looked at the language-in-use
approach next up we have got the socio-political approach which is sometimes also called the social
constructivist approach. More accurately we should say approaches as there are a few potential routes
within this category. Here we get closer to the philosophical roots of discourse analysis. But
do not worry we will cut through the complexities. One of the most common socio-political approaches
is known as critical discourse analysis or CDA. The main concerns of CDA are the use
and dynamics of power and power relations. This kind of analysis is inspired by the philosopher
Michelle Foucault and his work on how language reflects power in society. For Foucault, almost
all language tells us something about power and how it is used. That is all a little heavy I know
so let us look at an example of CDA in action. Let us imagine your research aims to explore
the opinions of university students regarding their professors by analysing recordings of their
lectures and communications. In one scenario you might find that professors’ thoughts and opinions
are often treated with deference, respect and authority reflecting a kind of normalised power.
This is the type of power that is expressed and imposed almost without anyone noticing
because it is built into students’ assumptions about professors. Conversely in another scenario
at another university department for example you might find that professors openly chastise
students for speaking out of turn which would reflect a form of repressive power. In this case,
power is actively asserted and easily identified. Either way, critical discourse analysis would
allow you to investigate the use of language in context to better understand power and its
dynamics. So to recap discourse analysis can be undertaken using either a language-in-use approach
where you are focused on the technicalities of language or a socio-political approach where you
are interested in the use of language to express normalised or repressive power and its dynamics.
Now that we have a clearer view of the different approaches available within discourse analysis
it will be useful to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this analysis method so that you can
make the right choices for your research project. One of the main strengths of discourse analysis
is the range of different types of information that it can incorporate. This includes speech
transcripts, written records, interview responses as well as non-text-based data types like audio
recordings. This versatility allows you to develop a rich data set by using a variety of sources
which means you will have a broader substantiation of your analyses and findings. Another benefit is
that almost by definition discourse analysis highlights the nuances and contextualising
factors of your data meaning your analyses and findings can have real-world implications for your
research area. Additionally, discourse analysis can provide insight into how language is used
to construct social reality and how it reflects social hierarchies, power dynamics and ideologies.
All that said just like all analysis methods discourse analysis has its weaknesses and it
is important that you understand these so that you can make the right decision for your project.
First, there is the problem of interpretive expertise. Since discourse analysis focuses
on investigating language it relies on the researcher’s familiarity with the language
understudy. In other words, if you are going to analyse the use and manipulation of language
to affect or change meaning it is essential that you have a strong understanding of that
language. This can even be true even within one language since the same English words can mean
very different things in different countries. Also if your data includes information that
has been translated or edited there is a risk that the meaning will quite literally be lost
in translation. The second weakness of discourse analysis is the related issue of reliability or
the subjectivity of how your data is interpreted. Since discourse analysis relies almost entirely on
the researcher’s interpretation of the data, the findings and the conclusions it will not always
be empirically verifiable. Of course, discourse analysis is not meant to be perfectly objective
given its focus on meaning but it is important to make sure that your project’s aims, objectives
and questions, allow room for interpretation if you plan to use this method. Last but not least
it is important to recognise that discourse analysis can be very time-consuming. Although
this type of analysis could be conducted by a team of researchers organising and maintaining
interpretive consistency it can get tricky. So if you are considering using discourse analysis make
sure that you have factored in sufficient time to really dig into the data deeply. Qualitative
analysis of any sort almost always takes a little longer than you expect. If you are enjoying this
video so far please help us out by hitting that like button. You can also subscribe for loads
of plain language actionable advice. If you are new to research check out our free dissertation
writing course which covers everything you need to get started on your research project. As always
the links are in the description. Okay, so now that we have covered the strengths and weaknesses
of discourse analysis it is important to discuss the question of when? In other words when exactly
would discourse analysis be appropriate and when would it not be? As a qualitative method focused
on analysing language in context to derive meaning discourse analysis is usually most appropriate for
research topics that are focused on social, political or cultural phenomena and how they
change across communicative contexts. For example, research aimed at evaluating changes in social
attitudes to poverty might look at political speeches or newspaper articles to identify
nuances in the use and manipulation of language around welfare, homelessness and unemployment.
Specifically, a language in use or socio-political approach to discourse analysis could then be used
to investigate the technicalities of the language used in these cases or the power dynamics that
the language reflects. On the other hand, if your research is more narrowly focused and
is not concerned with analysing the meaning of language use then discourse analysis would be
less relevant. For example, if your research involves evaluating consumer responses to a
new product or determining management methods for employee professional development those
research aims might be better suited to a more focused and verifiable analysis method such as
thematic analysis. If you would like to learn more about alternative analysis methods such
as thematic analysis, content analysis or narrative analysis we have got a wealth of
free information over on the Grad Coach blog. We will include the link to that below this video.
All right that was a lot. Let us do a quick recap. Discourse analysis is a qualitative
analysis method focused on meaning as derived from the analysis of language in context. As we
explained there are two approaches to discourse analysis. The language and use approach where the
focus is on the technicalities of how language is used and the socio-political approach where
the focus is on the normalised or repressive power dynamics reflected in language. Just like
all analysis methods discourse analysis has a particular set of strengths and weaknesses.
Based on those discourse analysis is generally most appropriate for research that is focused
on interpreting meaning as expressed in the use and manipulation of language in context.
If you got value from this video please hit that like button to help more students find
this content. For more videos like this check out the Grad Coach channel and subscribe for
more plain language, actionable research tips and advice every week. Also if you are looking
for one-on-one support with your dissertation your thesis or your research project be sure to check
out our private coaching service where we hold your hand throughout the research process step
by step. You can learn more about that and book a free initial consultation at gradcoach.com.