Comparative Sociology, Laic and Analytic: Some Critical Remarks on Comparison in Conversation Analysis

En référence à l’analyse de conversation (CA), cet article examine deux niveaux de comparaison — ordinaire et analytique. L’accent est mis sur l’importance de garder cette distinction, comme l’est aussi l’importance de reconnaître certaines connexions fondamentales entre les deux. Bien qu’il ne soit peut être pas possible d’éviter absolument la comparaison au niveau analytique, nous arguons qu’il existe beaucoup d’inconvénients et qu’une approche minimaliste devrait être adoptée. La comparaison ne devrait pas être réifiée en « une » (et encore moins « la ») « méthode » CA, et les inconvénients de comparaison sont indiqués. Au lieu de cela, l’accent devrait demeurer sur l’analyse des cas uniques, pas tant en accord avec la conception de l’analyse des cas uniques de Schegloff qu’avec la notion ethnométhodologique de Garfinkel () de gestalt contexture. En tout et pour tout, l’EM devra se focaliser sur les questions concernant le CA, avec pour résultat espéré d’initier une respécification réciproque et un alignement plus approfondi des deux.With reference to Conversation Analysis (CA), this paper will examine two ‘levels’ of comparison—ordinary and analytic. The importance of maintaining that distinction is emphasised, as is the importance of acknowledging certain fundamental connections between the two. Whilst it may not be possible to absolutely avoid comparison at the analytic level, it is argued that there are many pitfalls and that a minimalistic approach should be adopted t. Comparison should not be reified into “a” (let alone “the”) CA “method”, and the pitfalls of comparison are indicated. Instead, the emphasis should remain on the analysis of single cases, not so much in line with Schegloff’s conception of single case analysis as on Garfinkel’s () ethnomethodology (EM)-based notion of gestalt contexture. All in all, EM will be brought to bear upon issues concerning CA, with the hoped-for outcome of initiating a reciprocal respecification and closer alignment of the two

Factors influencing the transformation of new teaching approaches from a programme of professional development to the classroom

A programme of professional development was designed consisting of 20 hours of workshops plus in-school activities. The implementation of new pedagogy was supported by teachers bringing examples of their work in the classroom to the workshops for discussion and reflection. The purpose of this study is to explore factors that influenced what teachers took from the professional development programme and how they used it in their own classrooms. It focuses on how the teachers’ perceived needs were affected by the programme and how the implementation of new pedagogy was affected the level of in-school support. Data were collected to evaluate the expertise of the teachers early in the programme, their learning through the programme and factors that affected their learning. These data included tape-recordings of selected discussions during workshops, field notes of the workshops, classroom evidence collected by the teachers and portfolios constructed from it, and interviews with teachers after the programme had finished. The results indicate that success in learning from the programme was affected by two key factors: how teachers' perceptions of their needs interacted with the learning opportunities offered by the programme and how the level of in-school support affected the introduction of new pedagogy in the classroom. Unless both factors were positive learning from the professional development programme was variable

First results from the Very Small Array -- I. Observational methods

The Very Small Array (VSA) is a synthesis telescope designed to image faint structures in the cosmic microwave background on degree and sub-degree angular scales. The VSA has key differences from other CMB interferometers with the result that different systematic errors are expected. We have tested the operation of the VSA with a variety of blank-field and calibrator observations and cross-checked its calibration scale against independent measurements. We find that systematic effects can be suppressed below the thermal noise level in long observations; the overall calibration accuracy of the flux density scale is 3.5 percent and is limited by the external absolute calibration scale.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, MNRAS in press (Minor revisions

Searching for non-Gaussianity in the VSA data

We have tested Very Small Array (VSA) observations of three regions of sky for the presence of non-Gaussianity, using high-order cumulants, Minkowski functionals, a wavelet-based test and a Bayesian joint power spectrum/non-Gaussianity analysis. We find the data from two regions to be consistent with Gaussianity. In the third region, we obtain a 96.7% detection of non-Gaussianity using the wavelet test. We perform simulations to characterise the tests, and conclude that this is consistent with expected residual point source contamination. There is therefore no evidence that this detection is of cosmological origin. Our simulations show that the tests would be sensitive to any residual point sources above the data's source subtraction level of 20 mJy. The tests are also sensitive to cosmic string networks at an rms fluctuation level of $105 \mu K$ (i.e. equivalent to the best-fit observed value). They are not sensitive to string-induced fluctuations if an equal rms of Gaussian CDM fluctuations is added, thereby reducing the fluctuations due to the strings network to $74 \mu K$ rms . We especially highlight the usefulness of non-Gaussianity testing in eliminating systematic effects from our data.Comment: Minor corrections; accepted for publication to MNRA

Visual repairables: analysing the work of repair in human-computer interaction

This article reports some (video-recorded) instances of 'visual culture' in action, namely the use of a new software tool designed for the visualization of scenes from Shakespeare's Macbeth in a classroom context. By considering whether or how far conversation analysis (CA) can be extended from natural conversation to cases of collaborative work in front of a computer, the article addresses the methodological question of how to study instances of visual communication. We take as an exemplar the phenomenon of remedial action and discuss how Schegloff, Jefferson and Sacks's (1977) canonical study of repair in ordinary conversation can be used to highlight aspects of 'visual repair' (the identification and remedying of items on the screen). Our attempts to apply the original CA model of repair of ordinary conversation highlight the differences of this setting, which constitutes an example of collaborative work. © 2009 SAGE Publications

Quem "Matou" Erving Goffman?

A questão chave colocada por este artigo é “Por que o rico legado intelectual deixado por Erving Goffman raramente foi utilizado e desenvolvido por cientistas sociais e linguistas?” Em um espírito de jouissance, esta questão e a resposta que proponho vão ser apresentadas em forma de um mistério, assim como a investigação que leva à solução. Inicialmente, o legado de Goffman será apresentado levando em conta seus pontos ‘fortes’ e ‘fracos’. Em seguida, buscaremos a solução através de referências aos trabalhos dos defensores de Goffman, bem como de seus supostos oponentes. Em terceiro lugar, apresento uma barreira para a caracterização apropriada, desenvolvimento e apreciação crítica do legado de Goffman. Praticamente ninguém atualmente ligado a suas análises encontrou o nível apropriadoatravésdoqualdescreverou criticar sua obra. Argumento nesteartigo que o nível apropriado para a investigação e crítica profundas das análises de Goffman vem daquilo que Ludwig Wittgenstein, em sua obra tardia, denominou “gramática lógica” – a gramática lógica dos tropos, símiles e analogias de Goffman. Ilustrações claras deste tipo de análise são oferecidas a partir da obra do professore diretor de teatro Konstantin Stanislawski

Comparative Sociology, Laic and Analytic: Some Critical Remarks on Comparison in Conversation Analysis

En référence à l’analyse de conversation (CA), cet article examine deux niveaux de comparaison — ordinaire et analytique. L’accent est mis sur l’importance de garder cette distinction, comme l’est aussi l’importance de reconnaître certaines connexions fondamentales entre les deux. Bien qu’il ne soit peut être pas possible d’éviter absolument la comparaison au niveau analytique, nous arguons qu’il existe beaucoup d’inconvénients et qu’une approche minimaliste devrait être adoptée. La comparaison ne devrait pas être réifiée en « une » (et encore moins « la ») « méthode » CA, et les inconvénients de comparaison sont indiqués. Au lieu de cela, l’accent devrait demeurer sur l’analyse des cas uniques, pas tant en accord avec la conception de l’analyse des cas uniques de Schegloff qu’avec la notion ethnométhodologique de Garfinkel () de gestalt contexture. En tout et pour tout, l’EM devra se focaliser sur les questions concernant le CA, avec pour résultat espéré d’initier une respécification réciproque et un alignement plus approfondi des deux.With reference to Conversation Analysis (CA), this paper will examine two ‘levels’ of comparison—ordinary and analytic. The importance of maintaining that distinction is emphasised, as is the importance of acknowledging certain fundamental connections between the two. Whilst it may not be possible to absolutely avoid comparison at the analytic level, it is argued that there are many pitfalls and that a minimalistic approach should be adopted t. Comparison should not be reified into “a” (let alone “the”) CA “method”, and the pitfalls of comparison are indicated. Instead, the emphasis should remain on the analysis of single cases, not so much in line with Schegloff’s conception of single case analysis as on Garfinkel’s () ethnomethodology (EM)-based notion of gestalt contexture. All in all, EM will be brought to bear upon issues concerning CA, with the hoped-for outcome of initiating a reciprocal respecification and closer alignment of the two

Follow-up observations at 16 and 33 GHz of extragalactic sources from WMAP 3-year data: I - Spectral properties

We present follow-up observations of 97 point sources from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) 3-year data, contained within the New Extragalactic WMAP Point Source (NEWPS) catalogue between declinations of -4 and +60 degrees; the sources form a flux-density-limited sample complete to 1.1 Jy (approximately 5 sigma) at 33 GHz. Our observations were made at 16 GHz using the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager (AMI) and at 33 GHz with the Very Small Array (VSA). 94 of the sources have reliable, simultaneous -- typically a few minutes apart -- observations with both telescopes. The spectra between 13.9 and 33.75 GHz are very different from those of bright sources at low frequency: 44 per cent have rising spectra (alpha < 0.0), where flux density is proportional to frequency^-alpha, and 93 per cent have spectra with alpha < 0.5; the median spectral index is 0.04. For the brighter sources, the agreement between VSA and WMAP 33-GHz flux densities averaged over sources is very good. However, for the fainter sources, the VSA tends to measure lower values for the flux densities than WMAP. We suggest that the main cause of this effect is Eddington bias arising from variability.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, submitted to MNRA

A VSA search for the extended Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect in the Corona Borealis Supercluster

We present interferometric imaging at 33 GHz of the Corona Borealis supercluster, using the extended configuration of the Very Small Array. A total area of 24 deg^2 has been imaged, with an angular resolution of 11 arcmin and a sensitivity of 12 mJy/beam. The aim of these observations is to search for Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) detections from known clusters of galaxies in this supercluster and for a possible extended SZ decrement due to diffuse warm/hot gas in the intercluster medium. We measure negative flux values in the positions of the ten richest clusters in the region. Collectively, this implies a 3.0-sigma detection of the SZ effect. In the clusters A2061 and A2065 we find decrements of approximately 2-sigma. Our main result is the detection of two strong and resolved negative features at -70+-12 mJy/beam (-157+-27 microK) and -103+-10 mJy/beam (-230+-23 microK), respectively, located in a region with no known clusters, near the centre of the supercluster. We discuss their possible origins in terms of primordial CMB anisotropies and/or SZ signals related to either unknown clusters or to a diffuse extended warm/hot gas distribution. Our analyses have revealed that a primordial CMB fluctuation is a plausible explanation for the weaker feature (probability of 37.82%). For the stronger one, neither primordial CMB (probability of 0.33%) nor SZ can account alone for its size and total intensity. The most reasonable explanation, then, is a combination of both primordial CMB and SZ signal. Finally, we explore what characteristics would be required for a filamentary structure consisting of warm/hot diffuse gas in order to produce a significant contribution to such a spot taking into account the constraints set by X-ray data.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures. Accepted in MNRA