How Should We Interpret Silence in Qualitative Communication Studies?

Through an interdisciplinary literature review, based on empirical evidence, this research approaches different ways of interpreting silence(s) in three qualitative research methods—ethnography, focus groups and interviews—which, by their nature, are conducive to practices that resort to silence as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial sciences (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 6; p. 310
Main Authors Müller, Naíde, Tavares, Patrícia, Simão, João
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.06.2024
Subjects
communication
Empowerment
Ethnography
interaction
interpretation
Qualitative research
Research methodology
silence
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Summary:Through an interdisciplinary literature review, based on empirical evidence, this research approaches different ways of interpreting silence(s) in three qualitative research methods—ethnography, focus groups and interviews—which, by their nature, are conducive to practices that resort to silence as units of meaning. The findings presented in this paper demonstrate how, in different data collection techniques, it is possible to rethink not only the whole conception of what silence is but also what silence can (or cannot) help to express. From a qualitative perspective in the social sciences and humanities, silence can in itself be a means of expression and a valid communication resource.
ISSN:2076-0760
DOI:10.3390/socsci13060310