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CONVERSATION ANALYSIS SELF-STUDY
Name type your name here
Your task is to audio-tape a short, 5 to 7 minute conversation with one child about a topic
of mutual interest. Fantasy talk, a book, play dialog or a task will not be accepted for
credit. Rather the purpose of this analysis is to check on your ability to hold a meaningful
conversation by being responsive, accepting and fully present to the child. After listening
to the tape, select a section that contains the best conversational exchanges and transcribe
40 statements, approximately 20 of yours and 20 of the child. With the transcription
before you, answer these questions.
1.
Describe the context: Who? Where? What was happening?
type here
FUNCTION ANALYSIS
2.
Code the function of each statement made by you and each statement by the child.
See the Function Code sheet for the codes. Add the number of each kind of statement
across the top row and enter that total on the right. Do the same for the child. Compute
the percentage of each function by dividing each number by the total number. Enter data:
S
YOU
number
percent
CHILD
Number
percent
I
D
T
Q
Total
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3.
What pattern do you see in this function data?
type here a full description of the meaning of the function data
4.
What do you think about how well you did on these functions?
type here your evaluation of what you did
5.
What do you think of the demanding statements you made?
type here your evaluation of your D T and Q statements
6.
Just looking at functions, what specific things would you like to change?
type here what you intend to do differently in the future
TOPIC ANALYSIS
7.
Divide the transcript into topics by drawing a horizontal line where one topic ends
and the next begins. Circle the number of each statement that changed the topic. Enter the
numbers in the boxes.
How many topic changes did you make?
How many did the child make?
8.
What are the reasons for the topic shifts you made?
type in your reasons
9.
How did your changing the topics (or not changing them) affect the child?
type in what the effect was
10.
What were the child's topics about?
type here
11.
How might you have managed topics differently to make the conversation more
ideal?
type here
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12.
What lessons did you learn about topics? What is the lesson apparent here? If you
want a meaningful conversation with a child in the future, how should you behave?
it is important to answer this question fully
RESPONSIVENESS ANALYSIS
13.
When your statement responds to the child’s initation, label the responsive
technique with these codes: para for a paraphrase, ppc for a parallel personal comment,
Q/ct for a query on the child's topic, or obj for objective description of what the child
does or senses. Write the word parrot each time you copied most of the child's words. Not
all of your statements are coded with a responsiveness code. Only your responses to the
child's initiations that fit the categories we have described.
How many of these did you do?
Paraphrases
Parallel personals
Leading queries on topic
Parrots?
14.
How do you feel about your ability to responsively follow the child using these
ways of speaking?
type in an evaluation of your use of the responsive techniques
15.
What changes in your use of responsive techniques could have made it better?
it is important to answer fully and specifically
LOOKING AT THE CONVERSATION AS A WHOLE…
16.
In summarizing the whole experience, what abilities do you have that you would
like to hold on to and strengthen?
answer fully as you can
17.
What are the habits you have in talking to children that you would like to change?
specifics are required