ABSTRACT

This case study, with methodology grounded in Mason's (1989) thesis and Merriam's (1988) approach, investigates the communicative exchanges between nurses using the Nursenet list, within a particular spatio-temporal context. The study utilises a tripartite frame of reference, incorporating postmodern/poststructuralist philosophy, a multiple paradigm view of nursing research, and Fairclough's (1992) social theory of discourse. This latter is grounded in Foucault's work on the socially constructive nature of discourse and its interrelationship with knowledge and power.

This report includes a brief description of types of CMC, and a selected review of aspects of the literature pertinent to the discourse analysis of nursing CMC. Contextual information (including numbers and geographical distribution of subscribers) was obtained from the list and a number of interviews with subscribers conducted using e-mail. Discourse analysis, using Fairclough's method, was undertaken on a selected corpus from the list.

The study indicates that, while nurses from around the world subscribe to the list, they are overwhelmingly from North America, and discussion often focuses on American issues. Males are over-represented both as subscribers and contributors, compared with the general nursing population. Several different genres are present in the discourse, including information requests and replies, and discussion of nursing issues, with multiple simultaneous discussion threads, a feature without parallel in face-to-face communications. There is some suggestion that nursing CMC challenges, rather than supports, traditional nursing discourse.

The study indicates a number of further areas for research into understanding nursing discourse conducted via CMC and its relation to the wider realm of nursing.

Contents page

Chapter 1

Copyright: Peter J. Murray 1996, 1997, 2000

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Created and maintained by:  Peter Murray
E-mail: peter@nursing-informatics.net
Last updated 23 June 2000 (contact email address changed; previous address on longer valid; previous job affiliation deleted)
Previous update: 21 June 1997 (design only changed; substantive text unaltered)