Ch13 field research Flashcards
subjects of field research
study people in location or setting - also study entire communities
start with a small group who interact with each other on a rgular basis in a fixed setting
people studied in field research called
members
insiders or natives belong
outsider is the research
ethnography
an approach to field research that emphasized providing a very detailed description of a different culture from the viewpoint of an insider in that culture to permit a greater understanding of it - narrative point of view
considered a methodology
methodology
- collection of methods that are tied together by an underlying theoretical orientation
ethnography assumes people make
inferences - go beyond what is explicitly seen or said to what is meant or implied
meaning is inferred from behaviour - move from observation to meaning is center of ethnogrpahy
explicit knowledge
what we know and talk about
tacit knowledge
what we rarely acknoqwledge
field reacher based on naturalism
naturalism is the principle that researchers should examine events as they occur in natural, everyday, ongoing social settings
field researchers goal
examine social meanings and grasp multiple perspectives in natural social settings
field research conducted by
usually single individual although small teams have been effective
field researcher steps
less structure than quantitative - steps not predetermined
genral field research steps
1 - prepare read defocus
2 - select and gain access to field site
3 - enter the field, establish social relations
4 - adopt new social role
5- watch listen collect
6 - analyze data and generate working hypotheses
7 - focus on specific aspects of the setting, theoretical sampling
8 - conduct field interview
9 - disengage and physically leave
10 - analysis report
complete observer
researcher who only observes the study group without participating in their activities
complete participant
researcher who fully participates in all aspects of the study groups activities as through a member of the group
semi-participant
researcher who participates to some degree in group activities but not as much as a full member
gatekeeper
someone with formal or informal authority to control access to a site
covert observer
secretly studying the group
overt observer
study group with their full knowledge
adopting a social role and learning the ropes
presentation of self
researcher as instrument for measuing data - be alert and sensitive to what happens in the field and disciplined, + personal consequences
attitude of strangeness
- hard to recognize what we are very close to
- question and notice ordinary details
build rapport - charm trust understanding
2 benefits of culture shock
easier to see cultural elements
facilitates self-discovery
attitude of strangeness
researchers study a field site by mentally adjusting to see it for the first time or as an outsider
Limits on roles chosen
affected by ascriptive factors and physical appearance
normalize social research
make the people being studied feel more comfortable with the research process and help them accept the researcher’s presence
Key informant
a member of a group who has first-hand info about a community and can reliably report on their activities
ideal informant has 4 characteristics:
- familiar with the culture and is in a position to witness significant events - live and breathe the culture
- individual is currently involved in the culture the researcher is trying to understand
- the person can spend time with the researcher - interviewing may take hours and some members just not available for extensive interviewing
- non analytical individuals make better informants - familiar with and uses native folk theory or pragmatic common sense
exchange relationships
relationships that develop in the field, in which small tokens or favours including deference and respect are exchanged
appearance of interest
researchers maintain relations in a field site by pretending to be interested and excited by the activities of those studied even though they are actually uninterested or bored
what does field researcher observe
physical surroundings, actions, physical characteristics,
jotted notes
what a field research inconspicously writes while in the field site on whatever is convienient to jog the memory later
direct observation notes
notes taken in field research that attempt to include all details and specifics of what the researcher heard or saw in a field site - permits multiple interpretations later
research inference notes 3 steps
- listens without applying analytical categories,
- compare what is heard to what was heard at other times and to what others say
- apply own interpretation to infer or figure out what it means
analytical memos
the written notes a qualitative researcher takes during data collection and afterward to develop concepts, themes or preliminary generalizations
alternative criteria to the quantitative reliability, validity, objectivity and generalizability for qual
credibility, confirmability, dependability and transferability
credibility
one aspect of trustworthiness, relating to how much truth value the results of a qualitative study have
Participatory action research
removes the researcher from the center of power and involves community members and research participants in the design, implementation, and interpretation of the research process.
member checking - credibility
way of establishing the trustworthiness criterion of credibility, whereby members of the study group are consulted about whether they agree with the researcher’s conclusions and interpretations
prolonged engagement - credibility
a researcher remaining in the field long enough to make informed conclusions about what they are studying
also used so that the researcher can be exposed to a variety of different settings and develop a rapport with members of the study group
negative case analysis - credibility
a way of establishing the trustworthiness criterion of credibility whereby the researcher closely examines cases that deviate from the dominant pattern
transferability
the component of establishing trustworthiness in qualitative research that is concerned with how generalizable the findings are
thick description
used to establish the transferability of a qualitative study through the detailed notes of a researcher
dependability
most closely associated with reliability
how consistent results would be if study was repeated in similar conditions
dependability - external audit
technique for establishing dependability and confirmability in qualitative research wherein researchers outside of the study examine qualitative data to see if they would have come to the same results as the original researcher
trustworthiness
alternative set of criteria by which to assess the validity and reliability of qualitative research
confirmability
a component of establishing trustworthiness that relates to the extent to which the findings of a qualitative study are value free
audit trail
technique for establishing the trustworthiness criterion of confirmability by collecting detailed and transparent qualitative data
transparent record keeping
reflexivity
technique for establishing confirmability in qualitative research whereby the researcher is self-aware of their influence and potential bias
Deception in field research
false role, name, identity
confidentiality
researcher learns intimate knowledge that is given in confidence - moral obligation to uphold confidentiality
Involvement with deviants - illegal behavior
guilty knowledge - researcher in field researcher’s learning of illegal, unethical, immoral actions - usually researcher makes an explicit arrangement with deviant members
publishing field research
researcher does not publicize member secrets, violate privacy, or harm reputation
