Chapter 13 - Field Research Flashcards
What is Field Research?
qualitative method in which a researcher directly observes and often participates in a setting
- conducted in a setting/group in which the researcher intends to observe as natural unfolding of activity as possible
What is Ethnography?
approach to field research that emphasizes providing a very detailed description of a different culture from an insider’s viewpoint in order to permit a greater understanding of it
What are 10 things that a researcher does?
- Observes ordinary events
- Becomes directly involved with the people being studied
- Acquires an insider’s point of view
- Uses a variety of techniques and social skills
- Produces data in the form of extensive written notes
- Sees events holistically (considers several influences on behaviour)
- Understands and develops empathy
- Notices explicit & implicit aspects of culture
- Observes without upsetting disrupting, or imposing an outside point of view
- Copes with high levels of personal stress, uncertainty, ethical Delia and ambiguity
What is naturalism?
involves observing ordinary events natural settings, not in contrived, invented or researcher created settings
- Advantage – that you observe things unfolding naturally
- Disadvantage – that you have no control over what goes on in the setting
What are the steps in a research project?
- Preparing, Reading and Defocusing
- Selecting a field site and gaining access to it
- Entering the field and establishing social relations with member
- Adopting a social role and learning
- presentation of self
- alert and sensitive to what happens in the field and disciplined about recording data
- personal consequences
What are some terms that go along with entering and establishing social relations?
- complete observer: no involvement in the activities of the group under study
- semi-participant: some involvement but do not immerse completely in the activities of the group under study
- complete participant: complete immersion in the culture
- planning: gatekeeper someone with formal or informal authority to control access to a site
- negotiating: social relations are negotiated throughout the process of fieldwork
- convert observer: no one in the field is aware that research is taking place
- overt observer: group members know that the researcher is present and what they are interested in studying
What is a rapport?
- developed over time
- increases willingness for people to talk with you and have candid conversations
What is charm and trust?
- demonstrate you care, your willing to make personal sacrifices to learn about a group
- identify common ground
- trust is influenced by the context
- presents of researcher may cause suspicion
What are key terms in maintaining relations?
- social relations
- small favours
- conflicts in the field
- occasionally researchers encounter merging or long standing disagreements among members
- other conflict is that researchers will run afoul of those I the setting - appearing interested
- demonstrate interest
What are field notes? And what are the different types of field notes?
- critical part of field research – they are a
record of what the researcher observed – provide the basis for analysis
jotted notes:
- notes written in the field
direct observation notes:
- makes notes immediately upon leaving the field
research inference notes:
- separate from observation notes
- record of social meaning of what’s happening
Analytic notes:
- notes about methods
Personal notes
- record of feelings and emotions about the project
1. provide an outlet for a researcher and a way to cope with stress
2. they are a source of data about personal reactions
3. provide a researcher a way to evaluate direct observation or inference notes when the notes are later reread
What is credibility?
relates to how much truth value the results of a qualitative study have
What is a member checking
members of a study group are consulted about whether they agree with the researcher’s conclusions and interpretation
What is a prolonged engagement?
when a researcher stays in the field long enough to make informed conclusions about what they are studying
What is a negative case analysis?
involves indentifying data or cases that differ from the general pattern of findings and making attempts to explain these contradictory cases
What is transferability?
- concerns the extent to which the findings of the study can be applied to other contexts
- REQUIRES Thick description – means that the researcher keeps very detailed accounts of his or her study
