Categories: Research Methods
Summary and Citations:
The second of Rainey's studies of technical communication doctoral research. He summarizes his findings brilliantly:
"The most significant result of this study is the identification of a robust theoretical, historical, and practical scholarly production of knowledge that buttresses technical, scientific, and business communication as a profession and solidifies its position among academic disciplines. A rich theoretical tradition is emerging from our study of language
and communication in all their highly ramified connections. Moreover, studies of the discipline itself verify that it has emerged as a viable scholarly pursuit. While in the 1992 study we found only five dissertations that addressed the history of technical communication, since then almost twice that number have emerged (see below). Many other areas of study also have witnessed an increase in the number of studies" (Rainey, 1999, p. 501).
"Second, a major finding of this study is identical to our finding in the previous article: research is occurring across a much broader range of departments and institutions than
those typically associated with professional communication as a discipline. ..." (Rainey, 1999, p. 501)
"Third, the number of studies in the field has increased significantly since 1989. ..." (Rainey, 1999, p. 501)
"Fourth, professional communication research continues to employ standard research methodologies, with a decided bias in favor of qualitative methods (see “Research methods used” in this article)" (Rainey, 1999, p. 502).
"Fifth, a number of areas for further research become evident while I was surveying the topics in these dissertations. Most notably, a number of studies early in the period
achieve negative results and need to be re-examined now to determine whether circumstances have changed. ... New foci for research have emerged since 1992, especially post-modernist, post-constructionist, and social construction interpretations of communication. ... The social/cultural/class impacts of computer-mediated communication
are clearly still to be assessed" (Rainey, 1999, p. 502).
"Studies of the profession itself remain to be made. The history of the discipline is still to be written, even though a number of historical studies have appeared. And in the international arena of technical documentation, studies need to be made of the emergence of standard curricula and national standards for certifying technical communication professionals. ... Doctoral studies of ethics in professional communication have not yet been made, as far as this search has determined. This area poses a rich field of investigation that would be useful to both scholars and practicing professionals, as well as to professional societies. A significant area for investigation is the scope of rhetorical studies; what is needed is a meta-analysis of all the research in rhetoric, both classical and modern, both theoretical and applied, both historical and contemporary (Rainey, 1999, p. 502).
"Finally, the richness of research surveyed for this article suggests both a continuing problem and a valuable opportunity for technical communication. Much of the research
discussed here is inaccessible to practicing professionals for the three reasons Kelly and I cited in 1992:
1. Potential users are not aware of it.
2. Even if they were aware of it, many assume that it is impractical and not understandable.
3. Researchers and their interpreters have yet to discover an efficient method to translate the results of scholarly studies into practical applications. (pp. 552–553)
"The problem is the continuing—actual or perceived—dichotomy between theory and application. Much of the research studied here is not immediately applicable to
workplace communication. What it needs are interpreters to analyze it and formulate ways in which it can be applied. And in that task lies the opportunity not only to
bring solid research into the economy of the workplace but also to demonstrate that even basic research as well as applied research need not be forever separated from
the very real and immediate concerns of practicing technical communicators in the workplace or in the classroom" (Rainey, 1999, p. 503).
