Rhetoric Society Quarterly Oct 2021

Responding to the Investigative Pivots of Rhetoric Research

Gavin P. Johnson ; Melissa Guadrón ; Keira Hambrick ; Yanar Hashlamon ; Addison Koneval ; Christa Teston

Abstract

In this essay, we offer the “investigative pivot” as a framework for teaching rhetoric researchers how to orient and withstand being re-/dis-/oriented by the research process. Investigative pivoting indexes how a researcher responds to material conditions under which they collect and analyze data. To illustrate investigative pivots, we present and analyze pivot narratives from four graduate student researchers. Drawing on the analytic power of E. Cram’s rhetoric of orientation, these pivot narratives detail how we negotiate infrastructural, ideological, and institutional influences on our research process. When adopted, the investigative pivot prompts researchers to anticipate, recognize, and respond to the material-discursive hurdles of life and learning that follow us into our research sites. Such a framework, we argue, facilitates simultaneous methodological and pedagogical opportunities for students, teachers, and researchers of rhetoric.

Journal
Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published
2021-10-20
DOI
10.1080/02773945.2021.1972130
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Johnson-Sheehan et al. (2026)
    Leveraging Human-Centered Design and Artificial Intelligence to Improve Rural H…
    Written Communication

References (31) · 4 in this index

  1. 10.1215/9780822388074
     ↗
  2. 10.28968/cftt.v1i1.28808
     ↗
  3. Ballenger Bruce P. (2009)
    The Curious Researcher: A Guide to Writing Research Papers
  4. 10.7330/9781607328186.c001
     ↗
  5. Charmaz Kathy (2006)
    Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis
Show all 31 →
  1. 10.2307/358602
     ↗
  2. Chávez Karma R (2013)
    Queer Migration Politics: Activist Rhetoric and Coalitional Possibilities
  3. 10.4324/9780203900055
     ↗
  4. 10.1080/00335630.2019.1553587
     ↗
  5. Dadas (2016)
    Messy Methods: Queer Methodological Approaches to Researching Social Media
    Computers and Composition
  6. 10.1080/00064246.2014.11413690
     ↗
  7. Driskill Qwo-Li (2019)
    Queer Indigenous Studies: Critical Interventions in Theory, Politics, and Literature
  8. Fleckenstein et al. (2008)
    The Importance of Harmony: An Ecological Metaphor for Writing Research
    College Composition and Communication
  9. 10.7330/9781607327394
     ↗
  10. 10.2307/j.ctt46nrtw
     ↗
  11. 10.18574/nyu/9780814748329.001.0001
     ↗
  12. Labov William (1972)
    Language in the Inner City: Studies in the Black English Vernacular
  13. Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson.Metaphors We Live By. U of Chicago P, 1980.
  14. 10.37514/PER-B.2021.1206
     ↗
  15. Malagon Maria C. (2009)
    Seattle Journal for Social Justice
  16. Maxwell John C (2007)
    Failing Forward
  17. 10.5325/j.ctv14gp46w
     ↗
  18. Muñoz José Esteban (2009)
    Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity
  19. 10.1215/00382876-8915966
     ↗
  20. Rhodes Jacqueline (2018)
    Making Futures Matter
  21. Rickly Rebecca (2007)
    Digital Writing Research: Technologies, Methodologies, and Ethical Issues
  22. Rickly et al. (2017)
    Failing Forward: Training Graduate Students for Research—An Introduction to the…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  23. 10.1215/9780822373421
     ↗
  24. Royster Jacqueline Jones (2012)
    Feminist Rhetorical Practices: New Horizons for Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy Studies
  25. Smagorinsky (2008)
    The Method Section as Conceptual Epicenter in Constructing Social Science Resea…
    Written Communication
  26. Strauss Anselm (1990)
    Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related articles

  1. Writing and Pedagogy Jun 2026
    Exploring Scottish University Teacher Educators’ Conceptualisations of “Good Writing” ↗
    Rebekah Sims; Sharon Hunter
    rhetorical criticism genre theory first-year composition writing pedagogy graduate education teacher development qualitative research
  2. Pedagogy Jan 2026
    Contributors ↗
    rhetorical criticism genre theory writing pedagogy graduate education two-year college teacher development social media race and writing gender and writing affect and writing literary studies editorial matter
  3. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter
  4. The Peer Review Sep 2025
    Moving Against the Grain: Combining Writing Center Theory and In-House Editing Services to Create a Graduate Writing Center ↗
    Brian Harrell; Brook Wyers; Craig Theissen
    rhetorical criticism composition theory writing pedagogy graduate education teacher development collaborative writing writing centers peer tutoring professional writing labor and working conditions online writing instruction multilingual writers grammar and mechanics editorial matter
  5. Pedagogy Apr 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism african american rhetorics cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing graduate education two-year college teacher development writing centers technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions digital rhetoric multimodality social media literacy studies race and writing gender and writing community literacy literary studies editorial matter