Conversation analysis: an introduction to methodology, data collection, and analysis

Conversation analysis is a qualitative research methodology with roots in sociology, and, in particular, ethnomethodology. Over the past 50 years, it has developed not only within sociology but across the fields of linguistics, anthropology, and psychology. In health care research, conversation analysis has been successfully applied in researching interactions in primary care, surgery, pediatrics, and psychotherapy, to name a few examples. Conversation analysis allows the researcher to analyze the structures of interaction at a micro level, focusing on how the participants make sense of each other in conversation through shared interactional norms. In this chapter, I begin by surveying the history and development of conversation analysis. I consider methods of data collection and explore aspects of analysis in everyday conversation and in institutional interaction. I review key conversation analytic research in health care and consider its application and use for health care researchers.