OBSERVATION STUDIES/FIELD RESEARCH:Logic of Field Research

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Research Methods STA630

Lesson 38

OBSERVATION STUDIES/FIELD RESEARCH

Observation studies are primarily part of qualitative research. Though qualitative and quantitative

researches differ yet they compliment each other. Qualitative research produces soft data: impressions,

words, sentences, photos, symbols. Usually it follows an interpretive approach, the goal of which is to

develop an understanding of social life and discover how people construct meanings in natural settings.

The research process follows a non-linear approach (spiral).

Quantitative research produces hard data: numbers. It follows a positivist approach to research in

which the researcher speaks the language of variables and hypotheses. There is a much emphasis on

precise measurement of variables and the testing of hypotheses. The researcher tries to establish

causality. In most of the case there is a linear approach i.e. it follows sequential steps in doing research.

Participant/Non-Participant Observation

Observation studies can be participant or non-participant. In participant observation the researcher

directly observes and participates in small scale social settings in the present time. Such a study is also

referred to as field research, ethnography, or anthropological study. Here the researchers:

· Study people in their natural settings, or in situ.

· Study people by directly interacting with them.

· Gain an understanding of the social world and make theoretical statements about members'

perspective.

The people could be a group who interact with each other on regular basis in a field setting: a street

corner, a tea shop, a club, a nomad group, a village, etc.

Non-participant studies are such where the research tries to observe the behavior of people without

interacting with them. It could be observing the behavior of shoppers in a departmental store through a

mirror or on a closed circuit TV. Some body might be counting the number of vehicles crossing a

particular traffic light.

Field researchers study people in a location or setting. It has been used to study entire communities.

Field research has a distinct set of methodologies. Field researchers directly observe and interact with

community members in natural settings to get inside their perspectives. They embrace an activist or

social constructionist perspective on social life. They do not see people as a neutral medium through

which social forces operate, nor do they see social meanings as something "out there" to observe.

Instead they believe that people create and define the social world through their interactions. Human

experiences are filtered through a subjective sense of reality, which affects how people see and act on

events. Thus they replace the positivist emphasis on "objective facts" with a focus on the everyday,

face-to-face social processes of negotiation, discussion, and bargaining to construct social meaning.

Ethnography and Ethno-methodology

Two modern extensions of field research, ethnography and ethno-methodology, build on the social

constructionist perspective.

Ethnography comes from cultural anthropology. Ethno means people or a folk distinct by their culture

and graphy refers to describing something. Thus ethnography means describing a culture and

understanding another way of life from the native point of view. It is just an understanding the culture of

people from their own perspective.

Ethno-methodology implies how people create reality and how they interpret it. Ethno-methodologists

examine ordinary social interaction in great detail to identify the rules for constructing social reality and

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Research Methods STA630

common sense, how these rules are applied, and how new rules are created. They try to figure out how

certain meanings are attached to a reality.

Logic of Field Research

It is difficult to pin down a specific definition of field research because it is more of an orientation

toward research than a fixed set of techniques to apply. A field researcher uses various methods to

obtain information. A field researcher is a `methodological pragmatist,' a resourceful, talented

individual who has ingenuity and an ability to think on his or feet while in the field.

Field research is based on naturalism, which involves observing ordinary events in natural settings, not

in contrived, invented, or researcher created settings.

A field researcher examines social meanings and grasps multiple perspectives in natural setting. He or

she gets inside the meanings system of members and goes back to an outside or research viewpoint.

Fieldwork means involvement and detachment, loyalty and betrayal, both openness and secrecy, and

most likely, love and hate. The researcher switches perspectives and sees the setting from multiple pints

of view simultaneously. Researchers maintains membership in the culture in which they were reared

(research culture) while establishing membership in the groups which they are studying.

The researcher's direct involvement in the field often has an emotional impact. Field research can be

fun and exciting, but it can also disrupt one's personal life, physical security, or mental well being.

More than other types of research, it reshapes friendship, family life, self identity, or personal values.

What Do the Field Researchers Do?

A field researcher does the following:

1. Observes ordinary events and everyday activities as they happen in natural settings, in addition

to unusual occurrences.

2. Becomes directly involved with people being studied and personally experiences the process of

daily life in the field setting.

3. Acquires an insider's point of view while maintaining the analytic perspective or distance of an

outsider.

4. Uses a variety of techniques and social skills in a flexible manner as the situation demands.

5. Produces data in the form of extensive, written notes, as well as diagrams, maps, pictures to

provide very detailed descriptions.

6. Sees events holistically (as a whole, not in pieces) and individually in their social context.

7. Understands and develops empathy for members in a field setting, and does not just record

`cold' objective facts.

8. Notices both explicit (recognized, conscious, spoken) and tacit (less recognized, implicit,

unspoken) aspects of culture.

9. Observes ongoing social processes without upsetting, or imposing an outside point of view.

10. Copes with high levels of personal stress, uncertainty, ethical dilemmas, and ambiguity.

Steps in Field Research

Naturalism and direct involvement mean that field research is more flexible or less structured than

quantitative research. This makes it essential for a researcher to be well organized and prepared for the

field. It also means that the steps of project are not entirely predetermined but serve as an approximate

guide or road map. Here is just the listing of these steps:

1. Prepare yourself, read the literature and defocus.

2. Select a site and gain access.

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Research Methods STA630

Enter the field and establish social relations with members.

Adopt a social role, learn the ropes, and get along with members.

Watch, listen, and collect quality data. .

Begin to analyze data, generate and evaluate working hypothesis.

Focus on specific aspects of the setting and use theoretical sampling.

Conduct field interviews with member informants.

Disengage and physically leave the setting.

10.

Complete the analysis and write the report.

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