Field Research Flashcards
Field Research
Qualitative methoc in which a researcher directly obseres and often participates in a setting
Occurs outside the lab or office
Ethnography
Appraoch to field research that emphasized providing very detailed description of a different culture from an insiders viewpoint in order to permit a greater understanding of it
Better though of as a methodology
Natrualism
Involves oberving ordianry events ina. natural setting, not in contrived, invented or researcher created settings
Advantage - that you observe things unfolding naturally
Disadvanateg - that you have no control over what goes on in the setting
Steps in a field research
- Preparing, reading and defocusing
- Field research may begin a project based on their own expericens - Selecting a field site and gaining access to it
- A setting or site is the context in which events or activities occur, a socially defined territory with shifting boundaries - Entering the field and establishing social relation with members
- complete observer - no involvement int he activities
- 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 - Hatekeeping someone with the formal or informal authority to control access to a site
Negotioantin - Social relations are negotiared throughout the process of fieldwork
Covert observer - no one is in the field is aware that research is taking place
Overt Observer. -group member know that the research is present and what they are interested ins studying
- Adopting a social role and learning
Presentation fo self
Researcher as instrument
- Alert and sentivte to what happened int he field and disciplined about recording data
- Personal consequences
Buidling Rapport
Rapport is developed over time
Established by sharing experiences with members and building trust
Notes
Direct observation notes - immediately upon leaving the file
Inference notes - Seperate from observation notes
Analytic notes - Notes about methods
Personal notes - Record of feeling and emotions about the project
Observing and collecting data
Maos and diagrams
Audio or video recordings to supplements memory
Data Quality
Credibility - Related to how much truth value the results of a qualitative study have
Member checking - members of a study group are consulted about weather they agree with the researchers conclusions and interpretations
Prolonged engagement - when a researchers stays in the field long enough to make informed conclsuons about what they are studying
Negative case analysis - involves identifying data or cases that differ from the general pattern of finding and making attempts to explains these contradictory cases
Transferability - Concerns the extent to which the findings of the study can be applied to other context
REQURIES - thick description
Dependability - most closely associated with the quantitative idea of reliability as it concerns how consistent our results would be if the study were repeated under similar conditions
Confirmability - concerns the extent to which the research is neutral and is not simply the product of the teachers biases or motivations
Focusing
Begins with a general pictur than over time narrow the focus as particular topics emerge as most importnat
Sampling
Follows topics of interest to the research question
Leavinf the field
Discontinuing field researhc can impact both researcher and member
The process of leaving may play out quickly or slowly
Ethical Dilemas
Deception - If one thinks of leaving out the specific topics of interest thos is a minor deception if one thinks about covert research this is a major deception
Cofidentiality - Researchers are obligated to protect peoples identities
Involveemnt with deviants - Sometimes researchers hear and see things that they would rather not
Publishing field reports - Researchers are not in the business of writing exposes
