field research Flashcards
field research wel suited for:
-study of social processes over time
-recognize several nuances of attitude and behaviour that might escape researchers using other methods (looking at numbers)
-appropriate for the study of those attitudes and behaviours best understood within their natural setting
elements of social life appropriate for field research
-practices: behaviour, talking, reading
-episodes: events such as divorce, crime, illness
-encounters: two or more people meeting and interacting
-roles and social types: analysis of positions people occupy and behaviour associated with those posititons
-groups and cliques
-settlements and habitats: small-scale ‘societies’ villages ghettos neighbourhoods as opposed to large such as nations
-subcultures and lifestyles
reactivity
problem that subjects of social research may react to the fact of being studied, thus altering their behaviour from what it would have been normally
-may expel the researcher
-might modify speech and behaviour to appear more respectable than would otherwise be the case
-the social process itself might be radically changed
symbolic realism
to indicate the need for social researchers to treat the beliefs they study as worthy of respect rather than as objects of ridicule
emic(mimic) perspective
taking the point of view of those being studied
etic perspective
distance from the native point of view in the interest of achieving more objectivity
naturalism
an approach to field research based on the assumption that an objective social reality exists and can be observed and reported accurately
ethnography
a report on social life that focuses on detailed and accurate description rather than explanation telling stories the way they really are, not how the researcher understands them
virtual ethnography
for inquiry into cyberspacea
auto-ethnography
intentionally assumes a personal stance, breaking with the general proscription against the researcher getting involved at that level
institutional ethnography
links individuals and organization
ethnomethodology
study of social life that focuses on the discovery of implicit, usually unspoken assumptions and agreements; often involves the intentional breaking of agreements as a way of revealing their existence: inductive approach to study of social life that attempts to generate a theory from the constant comparison of unfolding observations
case study
the in-depth examination of a single instance of some social phenomenon such as a village, family or a juvenile gang
extended case method
Michael Burawoy, case study observations are used to discover flaws in and to improve existing social theories
institutional ethnography
personal experiences of individuals are used to reveal power relationships and other characteristics of the institutions within which they operate
-inquiry does not focus on the subject but starts with individuals but procedes to uncover the institutional power relations
PAR, Participatory action research
the people being studied are given control over the purpose and procedures of the research
emancipatory research
research conducted for the purpose of benefiting disadvantaged groups
rapport
open and trusting relationship; especially important in qualitative research between researchers and the people they are observing
qualitative interview
contrasted with a survey interviewing, qualitative interview is based on a set of topics to be discussed, rather than the use of standardized questions, know which topics but no set questions
7 stages interview process
-thematizing; clarifying purpose and concepts
-designing; laying out process
-interviewing; doing interview
-transcribing; creating a written text of the interviews
-analysing; determining meaning of materials
-verifying; checking reliability and validity materials
-reporting; telling others what you have learned
focus group
group of subjects interviewed together, prompting a discussion (market researchers, ask a group of consumers to evaluate product)
focus group advantages
-capturing real-life data in social environment
-flexibility
-high face validity
-speedy results
-low in cost
focus group disadvantages
- researches has less control than individual interviews
-data is difficult to analyse
-moderators require special skills
-difference between groups can be troublesome
-groups difficult to assemble
-discussion must be conducted in a conducive environment
