What are the two approaches to research methods?
Top-down (deductive) : abstract (theories) to concrete (observations)
- traditionally quantitative models - hypothesis testing
Bottom-up (inductive) : concrete (observations) to abstract (theories)
- mostly qualitative
What is field research?
When we observe or participate in social behaviour and try to understand it and report our observations
- in addition to data collecting; a theory-generating activity
What are the goals, data, and samples involved in qualitative and quantitative research?
Quantitative:
Goal = measure variation in social life in terms of categories that vary by amount
Data = either numbers or attributes that can be ordered in terms of size/amount
*more probability samples
Qualitative:
Goal = measure variation in social life as participants experience it, rather than in categories predetermined by the researcher
Data = mostly written or spoken words/observations that do not have a direct translation into a number
*fewer probability samples (ex. theoretical sampling) –> more likely to choose participants based on need - what do you need for the study
Is qualitative or quantitative research more generalizable?
Quantitative
What did Heber do?
She tried to understand - specifically tried to understand MAGA people
- idea of Verstehen (to understand)
What are the main methods of quantitative and qualitative research?
Quantitative:
- surveys
- experiments
- unobtrusive measures
Qualitative:
- P.O. / ethnography
- case studies
- in-depth interviews
- focus groups
- oral history
- unobtrusive measures
What are the general reasons for using field research techniques?
- many topics defy simple quantitative observation and analysis
- study of attitudes and behaviour of people is best in a natural setting
- field research is well suited for the study of social processes over time
List some elements of social life that are appropriate to field research?
- practices - kinds of behaviour (ex. talking)
- episodes - ex. events like divorce
- encounters - interactions
- roles and social types
- social and personal relationships
- groups and cliques
- organizations
- settlements and habitats - smaller-scale societies like neighbourhoods
- subcultures and lifestyle
What is ethnography?
What would a report focus on?
It is participant observation
- varies by researcher
- focused on undersanding
Would focus on detailed and accurate description rather than explanation
May also refer to:
- data collected in the natural setting
- naturalistic observations and understandings of cultures or subcultures
*both ethnography and PO mean researchers immersing themselves in a social setting and gathering data that lends itself to interpretation
What is the main takeaway from the parking ted talk video?
idea of hidden obvious - something is there but you don’t know it until you observe it
What is a case study?
It is a focused, detailed investigation of a single instance of some social phenomenon like a town, industry, community, organization, or person
- common in qualitative fieldwork
- instead of a method for gathering data, it is a type of research design
- attention to a single instance of some social phenomenon
- often exploratory or descriptive
- focus on the specifics of the case and provide rich, detailed data
*Not so much about the method, more about your unit of analysis (who are you getting your information from)
What are the three categories in the continuum of observation?
overt observation - taking the role of a complete observer (those being observed are aware of that)
- less likely to develop a full appreciation of what’s being studied
overt participant observation- participant observer (ppl are still aware)
- studied directly at the scene of action
- also some concerns - are you going to over-identify with the group?
covert - complete participant (less likely to have reactivity bc ppl are not aware of them observing)
- ppl only see you as a participant, not a researcher
*is it ethical to deceive ppl?
- this is less common
*decision about these depends on the subject matter
What is a big problem with many types of observation? What are the potential outcomes of this?
problem = reactivity
- the changes in attitudes and behaviour that may result when people know they’re being observed
potential outcomes:
- might expel the researcher
- might modify their speech to suit the researcher
- the social process might change
what is lofland and lofland? and what is bellah?
lofland and lofland = insider understanding
bellah = symbolic realism
What are the advantages (strengths) of field research?
- depth of understanding that it permits
- flexibility
- relatively low cost
- great wealth of information
- high validity - measurements actually measure what you intend
- can be appropriate to topics that appear to defy simple quantification
What are the disadvantages (weaknesses) of field research?
- not appropriate for arriving at statistical descriptions of a large population
- low reliability - can your measures be duplicated?
- although they are in-depth, field research measurements are also often very personal
How does field research’s validity and reliability compare with surveys and experiments’
field research measurements generally have more validity but less reliability
what is the governing criterion for assessing field research outcomes?
authenticity –> does the constructed narrative meaningfully capture the lived experience of the participants?
What is a key informant?
A person with specialized knowledge that researchers can use as a source of information
How do field observations differ from some other models of observation?
It’s not just a data-collecting activity, frequently it’s a theory-generating activity
When is field research most appropriate?
Most appropriate to the study of attitudes and behaviours that are best understood within their natural setting, as opposed to the somewhat artificial settings of experiments and surveys
- also most suited to the study of social processes over time
what is phenomenology?
a term associated with the idea that reality is socially constructed
- prominent is qualitative research
ethnography is historically associated with ______ while participant observation has often been linked to _______
anthropology
sociology
What are some unique things you may have to deal with as a participant observer or complete participant in field research?
- do you have to take on a groups beliefs fully? how do you decifer between your true beliefs and the beliefs of the group - is it going to get jumbled up? –> psychological problem
- what happens if you become too deeply involved in people’s lives - how far should you go? –> social level problem
