Re: [RUME] Style when reporting interview data

[Ed Dubinsky <edd@MCS.KENT.EDU>]

Margaret,

The reviewer is wrong.  As I understand it, you are interpreting the
interviewee's responses.  Hesitations, repetitions, mispeaks --- or their
lack is part of this response and what you must do in the paper is give
the excerpt as close to exactly what it was, give your interpretation,
explain why you made the interpretation you made and then the reader can
decide if your analysis is indeed supported by the excerpt.  If you were
to change the excerpt in any way, then you would not be interpreting the
actual reaction of the subject.

Of course it would be easier to read if the excerpt read smoothly without
hesitations, misspeaks, etc.  But if you did that, then you would be
analyzing your revision (based on your understanding of the mathematical
issues in question) of what the subject said.  Thus to some extent you
would be presenting your analysis of your interpration, rather than your
analysis of the subject's reaction.  Such a change is in no way justified
by added convenience of reading a cleaned up excerpt.  Indeed, who ever
said that it was supposed to be easy to read and analyze the reactions of
a subject struggling to make sense of a mathematical point.

Ed Dubinsky

On Sat, 21 Dec 2002, Margaret Morrow wrote:

> Hi All -
>
> I have a question about appropriate style when reporting interview data in a
> paper.  My take on it is that by recording student hesitations, misspeaks etc,
> I am presenting the evidence and allowing the reader to decide whether the
> evidence supports my interpretation.  On the other hand a reviewer's comment on
> a paper I am working on suggests that including all of this makes it difficult
> to read, and I do take that point. What is appropriate style in presenting
> interview data?  I'd appreciate advice and comments on this!
>
> Margaret Morrow
>
> Mathematics Department,
> Plattsburgh State University of New York.
>

  %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

  Ed Dubinsky
  edd@mcs.kent.edu
  http://trident.mcs.kent.edu/~edd/

  Address from May to October:
     265 North Woods Rd.
     Hermon, NY 13652
     Tel:  (315) 386-2787
     FAX:  (315) 379-0250 (If busy, I am using it for the internet.
                            Call 386-2787 and tell me a FAX is coming.)

  Address from October to May:
     5638 Springdale, Apt 3
     Cincinnati, OH 45251
     Tel:  (513) 385-0417
     FAX:  (513) 385-1586  (If busy, I am using it for the internet.
                            Call 385-0417 and tell me a FAX is coming.)

  %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%