Qualitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences:
Innovation, Integration and Impact
Multimodal Qualitative Research
Plymouth University
30-31 May 2007
Encouraged by the proliferation of multimedia technologies, qualitative researchers may now produce
very diverse kinds of data in their fieldwork: field notes, sound recordings (of interviews, conversations or
naturally occurring events), photographs (created by participants and/or researchers themselves), video
images, drawings, e-mail correspondence, etc. It is important to be critically aware of the opportunities
and limitations that these various modes of data create for knowledge generation. How they can we
make informed choice between various modes and media? How can various modes be meaningfully
combined in research practice? What are the implications of broadening out our tools and technologies?
This two-day workshop will encompass the collection and analysis of multiple modes of qualitative
research data. Primarily based on the combined use of textual, visual and audio data this workshop will
give participants practical insights into the affordances and limitations of different modes of qualitative
data. Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with collecting and analysing different kinds of
qualitative data and to consider how they might be combined, both practically and theoretically.
Day 1 Programme – What is multimodality and why it is relevant for qualitative research
The day will focus on exploring the research setting and recording data via film, sound, photography and
fieldnotes.
9.30 – 10.00
10.00 – 1.15
Registration and Coffee
Morning session: Introduction to the topic and demonstrations
Session 1 – A multimodal social semiotic approach to analysis (Dr Diane Mavers,
Lecturer in Contemporary Literacy, Institute of Education, London)
This session will provide an opportunity to engage with some of the key issues in
social semiotic theory and multimodal approaches to analysis. Starting from examples
of representation in graphic texts and communication in video footage, we will explore
how meanings are made with the resources of different modes and how these are
combined in multimodal ensembles. This will lead to consideration of methods of
transcription and units of analysis. The overarching aim of the session is to stimulate
discussion around a multimodal approach, for example: How might it affect how
research questions are shaped? What implications does it have for which data are
gathered? How might it provide insights beyond linguistic analysis alone? How might it
be relevant to your work?
□
What can the theory of multimodality in particular and social semiotics in general
teach qualitative researchers in the social sciences? What are modes and why are
they important?
□ How are meanings made with the resources of different modes and how are these
combined into multimodal ensembles?
□ How can multimodal data be transcribed?
□ What are the units of analysis in multimodal data?
□ How might a multimodal approach affect how research questions are shaped?
□ What implications does it have for which data are gathered?
□ How might it be relevant to your work?
Session will be followed by discussion
Coffee Break
Session 2 – Sound, writing and vision: what do different modes of data imply?
Demonstration and roundtable session, led by members of the Cardiff Qualiti research
team, aimed at thinking further about how sound and image differ, how to be sensitive
to different modes of meaning, reflections on recording technologies, how to use a
selected recording medium and take account of the losses and affordances.
1
1.15 – 2.15
2.15 – 5.30
Lunch
Afternoon session: Generating data records in different media – practical tasks
Task 1 - Everyone is allotted an on-site research setting to explore, and selects a
research question to answer. Participants work in small groups on the following tasks:
Explore research setting/question, what are your ideas/hypotheses about it? In the
group consider which modes present in the setting convey the meaning/messages
relevant to your research question. Notice how your experience involves different
senses.
Session followed by discussion and feedback
Task 2 - How can we answer our research question using given media (how can we
record data that may help us answer the question?). Participants will experiment with
using different recording media in their research setting. When ready, participants
return to the computer room where the team helps them to log their generated datarecords and/or transcribe and download them onto PC.
Each group selects a ‘short’ extract for analysis on the following day.
Day 2 Programme – Analysis: Theoretical and practical issues
9.30 – 1.15
1.15 – 2.15
2.15 – 4.15
4.15 – 5.15
Morning session:
Session 1 Presentations and roundtable discussion: how to analyse video,
photographs, sound data and field notes. Use of software, methodological issues to
consider. (Members of the Qualiti team)
Coffee Break
Session 2 – Hands-on analysis using software packages where appropriate
Lunch
Afternoon session: Small Group Discussions
Participants join together in small mixed-media groups to share their insights and
consider the ways in which the specific modalities of the data they generated,
together with their respective recording-media, allowed them to reach
similar/different insights into the research question.
Presentations from the groups, discussion and feedback on the workshop
2