Tag: Method

Blyler, N. (1998). Taking a political turn: The critical perspective and research in professional communication. Technical Communication Quarterly, 7(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.1080/10572259809364616

In Nancy Blyler’s (1998) article “Taking a Political Turn: The Critical Perspective and Research in Professional Communication.,” she promoted that “research in professional communication ought to take an increasingly political turn” (p. 1). Blyler investigated the resistance of political communication in a pedagogy setting along with the possibilities, the sources of power, the ethical benefits, the goal of research, the necessary relationship between knowledge and politics, self-conscious recognition, empowerment and emancipation, the relationship between researcher and participant, free and open communication, ideology and subjectivity, disciplines, theoretical perspectives, and methodology. Blyler’s purpose was to demonstrate the realization that “the same benefits in our research that accrue to us from our political turn in our pedagogy: the benefits of empowerment, emancipation, and social action” (p. 12). Blyler’s intended audience was scholars involved in professional communication who may have been weary of incorporating political features. Blyler’s innovative perspective appeared possible in the article, but it would be interesting to see how the funding issues and political logistics evolve.

Boettger, R. (2017). An overview of research methods in technical communication journals (2012–2016). Professional Communication Conference (ProComm), 2017 IEEE International, (pp. 1-4).

In Ryan Boettger’s (2017) article “An Overview of Research Methods in Technical Communication Journals (2012-2016),” he reported “an empirical content analysis of research methods utilized by technical communication researchers over the past five years” (p. 1). Boettger studied 117 articles for three content variables using a highly effective system of coding, broke down the results into three tables and one figure, noticed patterns, and the high percentage of articles that couldn’t be verified but were driven by a rhetorical analysis method. Boettger’s purpose was to highlight “future opportunities to bolster specific topics that might benefit from a more balanced distribution of research methods and approaches” (p. 4). Boettger’s intended audience was researchers curious about the mathematical breakdown of topics within technical communication articles and whether those articles were reputable. Boettger’s research was very thorough and systematic, but it seems like more research is required to substantiate the emerging patterns.