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2.1.1 Critique on CDA Two aspects of CDA that have been subject of critique are CDA’s methodology, which allows for multiple, flexible approaches, and the political stance that is taken by the researcher towards the topic that is researched. Henry Widdowson has criticized CDA for its vague definition an its ‘biased’ approach: that is, he claims that no-one really knows what discourse is, and there is no clear demarcation between text and discourse (Meyer 2001, 17). He also claims that CDA is biased: “it is prejudiced on the basis of some ideological commitment, and then it selects for analysis such texts as will support the preferred interpretation” (Meyer 2001, 17). In other words, the researcher may select the text that will substantiate the hypothesis. Generally, CDA’s general response to critique on CDA such as Widdowson’s is that, firstly, the idea that a researcher can be neutral is a fallacy. CDA advocates reflexivity, “so the researcher reflects on his or her own position and how it develops as the research progresses” (Baker and Ellece 2011, 27). In this way, I understand that reflexivity creates a meta-context of the research itself, allowing the research to be assessed by other researchers. Secondly, CDA encourages researchers to include triangulation in their research (Baker and Ellece 2011, 27). Triangulation is the use of multiple approaches, e.g.: using different methods for the collection of data or combining qualitative and quantitative analyses. Triangulation “facilitates validity checks of hypotheses, it anchors findings in more robust interpretations and explanations, and it allows the researcher to respond flexibly to unforeseen problems and aspects of the research” (Layder in Baker and Ellece 2011, 154). In this study, it was attempted to incorporate both reflexivity (included in) and triangulation (see section 2.2 “Methods of data collection and analysis” and chapter 5, “Conclusion”) to avoid (confirmation) bias as much as possible. While I agree with CDA’s general response to its critique of biasedness, it seems that in Widdowson’s statement (which is exemplary of the general critique on CDA) one important things is ignored: scholarship. I would argue that researchers have and take a certain responsibility towards society. Researchers have been educated to consider multiple perspectives and interpretations in their research. Stating that researchers would substantiate their hypothesis by biased selection of their data is undermining scholarship itself and is not limited to specific methods or areas of research. 2.1.2 Fairclough’s approach to CDA Using CDA to study a particular subject is not like following specific order of predefined steps that will guide you through the research project. There is no single approach to CDA, but there are many (Meyer 2001, 14), even within specific forms of CDA (Baker and Ellece 2011, 26). All these forms of CDA are “strongly based in theory” (Meyer 2001, 17). There are approaches that come from micro-sociologies (Ron Scollon), from “theories on society and 27PDF Image | peek into the discursive construction of the Google Search Algorithm: A critical discourse analysis
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