Backhaus2018
| Backhaus2018 | |
|---|---|
| BibType | ARTICLE |
| Key | Backhaus2018 |
| Author(s) | Peter Backhaus |
| Title | Reclaiming agency in resident–staff interaction: A case study from a Japanese eldercare facility |
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| Tag(s) | EMCA, institutional, Agency, care communication, closing, eldercare, first pair part (FPP), institutional interaction, Japanese, opening, second pair part (SPP), turn taking |
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| Year | 2018 |
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| Journal | Discourse Studies |
| Volume | 20 |
| Number | 2 |
| Pages | 205-220 |
| URL | Link |
| DOI | 10.1177/1461445617734932 |
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Abstract
This article examines the problem of agency in resident–staff interaction in a Japanese eldercare facility. Data were collected during the morning care routines and analysed within the framework of Conversation Analysis. Focusing on the openings and closings, I show that the interactions in the setting under observation are marked by a clear dominance of the care workers. This becomes most obvious at the level of the turn-taking system, where the first pair part of a new sequence is commonly delivered by a care worker, thus assigning a mainly reactive role to the residents. However, the data also contain instances where this pattern is broken up by a reversal of the turn structure. I show how this sequential re-organisation enables a resident to take a more proactive role in determining the relevant next action, arguing that there is much potential for higher resident agency even in routine interactions such as the morning care activities. I also discuss the practical implications of these findings for care communication in general.
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