Thick description as the analytic basis for understanding transactive discourse¶
Research Method · All research methods
Evidence · no claims cited
Description¶
Stahl draws on Austin and Geertz's notion of thick description: CSCL researchers understand transaction meanings because they share a community with their subjects. He contrasts "a thin description of someone's eye twitching vs. a thick description of someone winking" — a wink is a meaningful transaction requiring subtle cultural knowledge, unlike objective physiological description. Computers cannot formulate or understand thick descriptions of discourse moves.
Accounts¶
- Thick description as the analytic basis for understanding transactive discourse: Stahl draws on Austin and Geertz's notion of thick description: CSCL researchers understand transaction meanings because they share a community with their subjects. He contrasts "a thin description of someone's eye twitching vs. a thick description of someone winking" — a wink is a meaningful transaction requiring subtle cultural knowledge, unlike objective physiological description. Computers cannot formulate or understand thick descriptions of discourse moves. (Gerry Stahl (2013))
Claims¶
Related Research Methods¶
Key Sources¶
- Gerry Stahl. (2013). Transactive discourse in CSCL. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning 8:145–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-013-9171-6
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
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research-method |
id |
thick-description-as-the-analytic-basis-for-understanding-transactive-discourse |
title |
Thick description as the analytic basis for understanding transactive discourse |
description |
Stahl draws on Austin and Geertz's notion of thick description: CSCL researchers understand transaction meanings because they share a community with their subjects. |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-18 |
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unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
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