Henry, Kylie (2008) A Discursive Analysis of Overlapping Talk in a Qualitative Research Interview. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
This study used conversation analysis to examine instances of overlapping talk that occurred in a qualitative research interview. The thesis considered the benefits and downfalls of using strict classification criteria to classify instances of overlapping talk. In order to do this the study looked at Ferguson’s (1977) taxonomy for classifying interjections and interruptions. Three of Ferguson’s classifications were applied in order to determine if instances of overlapping talk in the data archive could be classified effectively with Ferguson’s criteria. It was expected that Ferguson’s classification criteria’s would not provide an effective method for understanding and correctly interpreting instances of overlapping talk. It was also expected that through conversation analysis an alterative and more in-depth and accurate understanding of instances of overlapping talk would result. The data archive was analysed with regard to the normative conversation rules of turn taking identified by Sacks, Schegloff, and Jefferson (1974), and the normative rules of adjacency pairs identified by Schegloff and Sacks (1973). As expected it was found that Ferguson’s taxonomy is insufficient in correctly identifying and classifying instances of overlapping talk in a qualitative research interview. This is due to Ferguson’s ridged classification criteria, which is unable to account for every instance of overlapping talk. It is also due to the way in which the taxonomy does not consider the local context, that being the surrounding talk in which the overlapping talk is located, and does not consider the broader context of the conversation. The study found that the interviewer used encouragers to help facilitate answers from the respondent and that these encouragers often involved overlapping talk but did not cause an interruption. The study also demonstrated that context is of significant relevance and must be considered if any accurate interpretation of the data is to be made.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Steve Christensen |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Nov 2025 23:42 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Nov 2025 23:42 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52406 |
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