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Hypertext theory to date consists principally of speculative theorizing. Little attention has been paid to the particulars of the reading or writing processes, and empirical studies are virtually nonexistent. This study begins to address that imbalance by focusing on the actual habits and attitudes of writers at work. The overall design of my research is constructed around the phenomenological concepts and methods common to qualitative research using an emergent, field-based, modified case study approach. I have chosen this framework because it is well-adapted to the complex nature of the writing process—a process that is rooted in human experience, the characteristics of which vary among individuals and which often require a human-as-instrument research approach to be rendered apparent. As Donmoyer points out when arguing for the validity of qualitative research in the study of human behavior, the "social universe" does not exhibit the same kind of cause and effect consistency that is evident in the physical universe. He observes that "human action is constructed not caused" and therefore must be approached with a methodology that allows for the unpredictability and variability inherent therein (177-8). Donmoyer’s general observations regarding the inappropriateness of a positivistic approach to social research are echoed by Victor Villanueva in his discussion about the nature of research in composition studies. Villanueva observes that positivism has proven ill-suited to composition theory, which has "turned to three lines of inquiry in its search for alternatives to positivism. . . . anti-foundationalism, poststructuralism, and social-construction theory [which] say in common that there can be no universal truths, no truths free from contextual particularities" (391). Stephen North describes this phenomenological tradition in writing research as "a methodological celebration of the individual consciousness as the source of meaning" (139). Grounded in a constructivist/critical paradigm with a cultural perspective (Denzin 502), the overall design of my research may be described as a kind of micro-ethnography intended to study a "culture" of hyper-writers at work. In arguing for the appropriateness of the ethnographic approach to the study of writing, North cites the primacy of the individual consciousness in creating meaning, and observes that "authority lies not in ‘objectivity’ but in collaboration and articulation" (139). The methods common to qualitative inquiry complement the nature of a process grounded in individual experience but affected by social contexts. The emergent interdisciplinary paradigm of the ethnographic approach (Clifford and Marcus 3) further supports the goal of discovery and deeper understanding, important in a discipline such as hypertext theory which is itself interdisciplinary and emergent. Purposive sampling allows for a range of experience to be studied in order to achieve the maximum variation possible, and data collection in natural settings respects the importance of context in an intrinsically social activity. The inductive analysis implicit in qualitative studies helps to ensure that what is seen as important is determined not only by the researcher, but by the informants and the data they generate. My data collection methods included interviews, observations, correspondence, journal entries, and artefacts. A significant amount of data was collected over the Internet using asynchronous and synchronous communication. Little research exists yet on this methodology. I have published a separate article--in both print and electronic versions--that details my experiences using this approach and provides an overview of what little research does exist. (See: Mason, "Ethnography in Cyberspace".) I considered the viability of think-aloud protocols and decided against them. I agree with Bizzell's assessment that this methodology is "a controversial method even within cognitive psychology because it tends to affect what is being observed." Like Bizzell, I feel that this approach would likely "lead to 'self-fulfilling' prophecy because its assumption [is] that the subject's words mirror her thinking" (83-84). I originally reported my findings in the manner of an "emic" or "thick" description that contextualizes the data and is therefore suited to conveying the nature of a social process. (See: "Outcomes" in Mason, From Gutenberg's Galaxy if you wish to read these detailed descriptions in their original form.) The salient points from this lengthy description are integrated into the "Interpretations," Implications," and "Speculations" in this article.  Converging Theories
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