Literacy and ethnomethodology

I try to keep my eye on special issues of journals that are coming up. I had been watching this one for a little while and decided to put up an abstract for consideration. My thinking was that if it got accepted I would have another publication for 2012. So, I wrote this in late November and sent it off to the editors:

Ethnomethodology and literacy research: A methodological ‘road less travelled’
This article examines ethnomethodology in order to consider its particular yet under-used perspective within literacy research. Initially, the article outlines ethnomethodology, including its theoretical position and central concepts such as indexicality and reflexivity. Then, selected studies are used to illustrate the application of the methodology and related research methods to the examination of literacy and literacy instruction. This section delineates a number of constraints on the application of the methodology. Constraints include respecification of topic as practical accomplishment, bracketing by researchers of a priori interests and background information to produce unmotivated looking, and meticulous analytic attention to locally produced social phenomenon often only made visible in minute details of transcripts. Ethnomethodology’s contribution is discussed then in light of criticisms concerning the overly restricted nature of the methodology, or some versions of it. It is concluded that despite ongoing critique, the application of ethnomethodology to literacy research may: reveal taken-for-granted ways that literacy lessons are accomplished, lead to the description and explication of social actions that constitute literacy instruction, and enhance existing theoretical models of literacy learning and teaching.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an invitation to complete the full article for possible inclusion in the special issue. I'm especially chuffed because it gives me an opportunity to start thinking more about literacy research and ethnomethodology in preparation for supervision of two new doctoral research students who will begin with me this year.

Another reason for feeling happy about this is that the timeline for the article is short. It will be published in May so only six months from my conception of the idea to publication in the journal. I recommend this strategy to all those early career researchers who are painstakingly trying to shape up their publications profile (at a time when publishing timelines seem to be longer than ever).