These projects have used a range of theoretical approaches such as poststructuralism and genealogy

Abstract: This article introduces a qualitative research method called discourse tracing. Discourse tracing draws from contributions made by ethnographers, discourse critics, case study scholars, and process tracers. The approach offers new insights and an attendant language about how we engage in research designed specifically for the critical-interpretive and applied analysis of discourse. More specifically, discourse tracing analyzes the formation, interpretation, and appropriation of discursive practices across micro, meso, and macro levels. In doing so, the method provides a language for studying social processes, including the facilitation of change and the institution of new routines. The article describes the current theoretical and political landscape of qualitative methods and how discourse tracing can provide a particularly helpful methodological tool at this time. Then, drawing from a qualitative study on of school lunch policy, the authors explain how to practice discourse tracing in a step-by-step manner. Keywords: discourse analysis; research methods; critical; interpretive; applied Article: The last 10 years has witnessed an increased interest in qualitative, applied, and critical research. Examples of this work are continuing to infiltrate a variety of social scientific disciplines, including communication, education, sociology, management, gender, and ethnic studies (e.g., see Collinson, 2003; In short, a great deal of scholarly inquiry makes use of critical-interpretive and applied research on issues of language; power; discourse; and context for the purpose of providing grounded, practical insight. In this article, we outline a qualitative practice of analysis called discourse tracing that is specifically suited for such studies. Discourse tracing enables scholars to critically analyze the power relations associated with change and proceed with a systematic data analysis process that is accessible and transparent. In doing so, it provides an important chord to join the fermenting song of qualitative inquiry and performance Discourse tracing provides a method well suited for a variety of research projects, drawing upon and extending a rich tradition of qualitative methods and critical-interpretive theory. Projects that might find discourse tracin

An Innovative Dialogue about College Drinking: Developing an Immediate Response Technology Model for Health Promotion

New communication technologies, including personal response „„clickers,” have become increasingly popular across college campuses as a way to promote a wide range of practices. This paper calls attention to the need for communication models that account for the usefulness of these new technologies, especially as they relate to health promotion, dialogue, and the (re)construction of social norms. Based on observational data from a health promotion simulation game, the authors developed an Immediate Response Technology Model. The model describes the usefulness of new communication technologies in promoting the dialogue and reflexivity necessary to co-construct health-related norms and practices

Discourse Tracing as Qualitative Practice

This article introduces a qualitative research method called discourse tracing. Discourse tracing draws from contributions made by ethnographers, discourse critics, case study scholars, and process tracers. The approach offers new insights and an attendant language about how we engage in research designed specifically for the critical-interpretive and applied analysis of discourse. More specifically, discourse tracing analyzes the formation, interpretation, and appropriation of discursive practices across micro, meso, and macro levels. In doing so, the method provides a language for studying social processes, including the facilitation of change and the institution of new routines. The article describes the current theoretical and political landscape of qualitative methods and how discourse tracing can provide a particularly helpful methodological tool at this time. Then, drawing from a qualitative study on of school lunch policy, the authors explain how to practice discourse tracing in a step-by-step manner