Data Session - Prof Jenni Ingram

A data session is an informal get-together of researchers to discuss some ‘data’ – in this case an extract from a secondary mathematics lesson. It is an established way of working for researchers working in an ethnomethodological or interactionist tradition looking at interactions, but this session will also be of interest to any researcher using interactional data, whether that is classroom interactions, tutor-tutee interactions, parent-child interactions or any other interaction with a pedagogical purpose. Data sessions begin with a period of seeing and hearing the data, through watching a video and annotating a transcript. Then participants are invited to offer an observation on the data, something they notice, find interesting or find puzzling. At this stage these observations are grounded in the data at hand, emphasising ‘accounts of’ before the next stage of ‘accounting for’. After all the participants who want to make an observation have shared their observation, the floor then opens for participants to make references to similarities and differences with existing research, methodological discussions or theoretical points – including 'accounting for’ features observed in the data.

Data sessions are a collaborative practice and an opportunity for researchers with different methodological and theoretical backgrounds to share their perspectives and experiences in studying interactional data. Everyone approaches data differently, with each researcher bringing a distinctive style, analytic experiences and ways of working.  A data session allows for a rich exchange of ideas and empirical observations that embraces these differences.

The aim of this workshop is for participants to experience a data session and to benefit from the diversity of experiences in the room as we work on data together.

Preliminary Timetable

More details will be announced in the coming months.