JV SV EW
TableThroughout the first half of this session, members JV and SV tended to hold their own
two-way conversation exclusive of EW. When there was a three-way conversation,
frequently, SV acted as a mediator between JV and EW. That is, she talks to JV and EW
more than JV and EW talk to one another. The effect of this is that EW, the recorder is
left to solve the problem by himself without any significant input from SV or JV. For a
brief time near the end of the problem session, EW moved to the middle position at the
table where both SV and JV could see what he was writing.
When this research was in the planning stage, much thought was given as to how
one would recognize a poorly functioning group. When all four groups that made up the
fourth taping session initially were viewed, it was clear that Group 4C was an excellent
example of a poorly-functioning group. The contrast with Group 4A is remarkable. The
transcription assistant made an initial comment on the poor functioning. He noted the
difficulty in transcribing this session due to the rapid fire nature of their conversation.
The segment of their dialog in Table 3-9 (page 87) also illustrates how
problematic it is to define episodes for this group. It is difficult to determine if a new
episode begins in line 90 or 92. Member SV’s thoughts come so fast, they do not seem to
connect with what comes before or after. Member JV’s comment in line 93 doesn’t
clarify the situation. If lines 90 to 93 comprise one episode, then they are an episode in
which there is minimal co-construction occuring.