Conceptual Framework and Analytical Construct

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CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD

A. Type of Research

This research was conducted by using mixed method of qualitative and quantitative method. The qualitative method was used to describe the results of the quantitative analysis. According to Hancock, Ockleford and Windridge 2009: 7, qualitative research is a type of research which focuses on description and interpretation of social phenomena. In this research, the findings were presented in a description to give a deeper understanding towards the result of the research. Qualitative research also focuses on people’s life experiences and interpretations of those experiences Vanderstoep and Johnston, 2009: 168. It fitted this research as this study aimed to find and describe types and functions of interruption in mixed-sex conversations in Gossip Girl TV series. To support the qualitative analysis, the data were also analyzed quantitatively with percentages showing the occurence of interruption. The percentages were used to show the most often and the least prominent types of interruption in mixed-sex conversations in Gossip Girl TV series.

B. Form, Context and Source of Data

The data of this research were in the form of the utterances spoken by the characters of Gossip Girl TV series within mixed-sex conversations. Meanwhile, the context of this research was dialogues that contained interruption. In addition, the source of data of this research was the videos of the first season of Gossip Girl TV series. Episode 5, 6, 7, 9, and 12 were chosen as the samples of the first season in this TV series since the occurrence of interruption is clearly visible in these episodes.

C. Instruments of the Research

This research was basically qualitative. Therefore, the researcher became the key instrument of this research. Croker in Heigham, 2009: 11 states that in qualitative research, the researcher becomes the primary research instrument as heshe takes a role as the designer, the collector, the analyst, the interpreter, and the reporter of the data. In addition, this research was also supported by the second instrument which was the data sheet. It was employed to note the occurrence of interruption in mixed-sex conversations from the selected episodes of Gossip Girl TV series.

D. Techniques of Data Collection

Vanderstoep and Johnston 2009: 189 state that the data collection techniques in qualitative research include interviewing, ethnographic observation, analysis of documents and material culture, and visual analysis. In this research, the data were collected using the technique of visual analysis. Visual analysis is the interpretation of mediated communication such as films or television programs. Therefore, the data were collected by interpreting the videos and it was supported by considering the contexts shown in the video. In collecting the data, the researcher took the following steps: 1. watching the selected episodes from the first season of Gossip Girl TV series, 2. taking notes of the characters’ utterances from the dialogues of the selected episodes which contained interruption and writing the time of the interruption, and 3. classifying the collected data to the data sheet. The form of the data sheet is shown below. Table 1. Sample of Data Sheet of Types and Functions of Interruption in Gossip Girl TV Series Code Data Gender Types of Interruption Functions of Interruption Explanation Cooperative Intrusive M F S O B Si A As C D F Tc T 9500:36:0 1-00:36:05 SERENA: Jennys not so bad either. DAN: Yeah? SERENA: Yeah, DAN: Yeah I-I-I know. I know. √ √ √ Serena tells Dan that Jenny is a good girl. Then, Dan overlaps Serena because he agrees with Serena ’s statement. In that conversation, overlap shows the cooperation of those two speakers. In this case, the type of interruption is overlap which functions as agreement. Notes: Types Functions S : Simple Interruption A : Agreement O : Overlap As : Assistance B : Butting-in Interruption C : Clarification Si : Silent Interruption D : Disagreement 1500:06:17-00:06:23: number of F : Floor Taking dataepisodetime Tc : Topic Change T : Tangentialization

E. Techniques of Data Analysis

According to Vanderstoep and Johnston 2009: 191 data analysis should follow after the data are collected and the initial analysis should verify the focus and strategies of the data collection process. Therefore, after the data collection, the process was continued by categorization and analysis. In this research, the techniques of data analysis were conversation analysis and referential analysis. Conversation analysis was used to help the researcher to interpret the data. Vanderstoep and Johnston 2009: 213 state conversation analysis is used in the interpretation of a naturally occurring conversation. Furthermore, in this research, conversation analysis was used to analyze the types and functions of the utterances in the mixed-sex conversations. In addition, referential analysis was used to analyze the data by referring back to the theory. In analyzing the data, the research took the following steps. 1. The data were classified into the data sheet based on the types and functions of interruption. 2. The types and functions of interruption were described and analyzed by referring to the theories that were presented in the literature review. 3. The data were consulted to the supervisors and linguistics students to check the data trustworthiness. 4. The findings were presented and concluded to answer the questions of the research. 5.