Abstract
This collection of chapters showcases a variety of current innovations, practices and perspectives in clinical research methods. It is particularly welcome to bury oneself in a methods’ guide that specifically caters for clinical linguists and phoneticians. The aim is to introduce a range of relevant topics, and Müller and Ball certainly do this. There is a useful and expertly-informed taster in each chapter. Each contribution signposts current resources and key references.
The first chapter gives a preliminary account of the scope of the field and its early proponents (Müller and Ball). In Chapter 2, Powell introduces issues in ethics, giving guidance on the process and also outlining concepts such as ‘nonmaleficence’ and ‘beneficence’. The next three chapters cater for experimental and quasi-experimental designs; Mildner gives a particularly clear discussion of reliability and validity in clinical linguistics. The subsequent two chapters evaluate methods suited to use with particular client groups in speech and language therapy. In Chapter 4 Bernhardt et al. focuses on research methods in speech production. This section usefully differentiates ‘acceptability’, ‘intelligibility’ and ‘comprehensibility’. Oxley then introduces designs for projects involving children with language disorders, including data-matching. These chapters will be relevant for both specializing clinicians and researchers.
The focus then turns to a disparate range of qualitative methods. Müller gives an expert, experience-driven account of interviewing and phenomenology and the use of case study designs. Guendouzi and Currie discuss the domain of ethnography and foreground interactional research in a practical and replicable fashion. Barnes and Ferguson introduce conversation analysis and its application to atypical interactions. This is clear, succinct and a relevant introduction to what is a keen, emergent area of interest (Antaki, 2011; Clark, 2010). It perhaps down-plays some of the difficulties in applying this approach to interactions involving those with communication disorders (ten Have, 2007). Nonetheless clinicians may find examples relating to children with autism of interest (Tarplee and Barrow, 1999). Ball and Keegan then give an informative account of clinical sociolinguistics, including, notably, a fine-grained discussion of stylistic variation in clinical data.
The next five sections relate to data-recording, transcription and analysis, all of which will be of importance when establishing adequate research design. Cunningham and Rutter will please readers with their up-to-date guide to data-recording methods. Ball, Howard, Müller and Granese introduce a broad range of relevant transcription approaches to include notation for representing phonetic, conversational and prosodic aspects. Huckvale gives valuable insights into acoustic methods and the digital analysis of speech. Rahilly then introduces a plethora of concurrent instrumental approaches to speech imaging, nasometry, electropalatography and magnetic resonance imaging. Rossi’s Chapter 14 deals with foundational concepts and methods in statistical analysis. This is extremely clear, and examples are specifically related to linguistics, which makes this particularly accessible. The last two chapters relate to data-sharing, storage and dissemination. MacWhinney, Fromm, Holland and Forbes give an account of the background and design of the important work of the AphasiaBank. Finally in Chapter 16, McLeod provides useful suggestions around writing-up and dissemination.
Notably, the guide provides accessible introductions to conversation analysis, sociolinguistics, statistics and ethics. There are suggestions from experts around interviewing methods, transcription, data collection, writing-research projects and literature dissemination, all of which will be valued by post-graduate research students. The guide would be perfect for those designing methodologies for research studies or seeking to extend their field of enquiry. Specific examples from the field are particularly welcomed, such as variability in American Sign Language and an aphasic speaker using gestural compensation in interaction with communication partners (Goodwin, 2003).
The book contains a healthy balance of instrumental and perceptual methods. There is adequate consideration of paediatric and adult participants, of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Theoretical aspects and philosophies are by no means neglected, and useful accounts of differing perspectives are provided, e.g. generative theories (Thompson and Shapiro, 2005) versus emergentist theories (Evans, 2001).
Clinically applicable aspects include the interactive case study example within the ethnographic approach. This book perhaps best caters for clinicians wishing to specialize in research careers, or those considering research careers. Pre-qualification students completing dissertations may find key topics relevant, especially the statistics, transcription and ethics sections. In places, it would be helpful to have more detailed definitions of terminology, such as ‘microgenetics’, for the uninitiated. There are, however, clear summaries in the conclusions section of each chapter.
This book does not aim to do more than introduce individual topics and, consequently, there are sections of the book where readers will quickly want to broaden their knowledge base of the area of interest substantially; however, guidance is provided on where to look for further information. In summary this is a thoroughly enjoyable whistle-stop tour of research methods, accessible at a glance and highly readable.