Multi-theoretic research involving classroom video analysis: A focus on the unit of analysis

摘要

Considerations regarding the unit of analysis in learning research can serve an important dialogic function between investigations informed by different research traditions. This paper discusses the issues arising from consideration of the unit of analysis in multi-theoretic research designs and illustrates these issues with examples drawn from the Social Unit of Learning project. Several analytical approaches were considered, including: coding using a fixed, common transcript unit as the unit of analysis (e.g., negotiative events or speaker turns); the interpretive annotation of interactions; and the narrative reconstruction of interactive sequences. The degree of correspondence between the units of analysis employed in the different analyses has implications for the connections that might be made between the parallel analyses.