The Practice of Social Research
Chapter Outline
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Topics Appropriate to Field Research
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Special Consideration in Qualitative Field Research
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Some Qualitative Field Research Paradigms
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Conducting Qualitative Field Research
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Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Field Research
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Ethics and Qualitative Field Research
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Quick Quiz
Topics Appropriate for Field Research
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Topics that defy simply quantification
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Attitudes and behaviors best understood in their natural setting
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Social processes over time
Topics Appropriate for Field Research
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Elements of Social Life Appropriate to Field Research
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Practices
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Episodes
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Encounters
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Roles and Social Types
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Social and Personal Relationships
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Groups and Cliques
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Organizations
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Settlements and Habitats
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Social Worlds
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Subcultures and Lifestyles
Special Considerations in Qualitative Field Research
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Roles of the Observer
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Participant, Researcher, Observer
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Reactivity – the problem of social research subjects potentially reacting to
being studied, thus altering their behavior from what it would have normally
been.
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Relations to Subjects
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Objectivity
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Alien / Martian
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Reflexivity
Some Qualitative Field Research Paradigms
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Naturalism
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Ethnomethodology
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Grounded Theory
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Case Studies
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Institutional Ethnography
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Participatory Action Research
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Naturalism – an approach to field research based on the assumption that an
objective social reality exists and can be observed and reported accurately.
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Ethnography – a report on social life that focuses on detailed and accurate
descriptions rather than explanations.
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Ethnomethodology – an approach to the study of social life that focuses on the
discovery of implicit, usually unspoken assumptions and agreement.
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Grounded Theory – an inductive approach to the study of social life that
attempts to generate a theory from the constant comparing of unfolding
observations.
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Guidelines:
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Think conservatively
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Obtain multiple viewpoints
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Periodically step back
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Maintain an attitude of skepticism
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Follow the research procedures
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Case Studies – the in-depth examination of a single instance of some social
phenomenon.
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Extended Case Method – a technique in which case study observations are used to
discover flaws in and to improve existing social theories.
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Institutional Ethnography – a research technique in which the personal
experiences of individuals are used to reveal power relationships and other
characteristics of the institution within which they operate.
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Participatory Action Research – an approach to social research in which the
people being studied are given control over the purpose and procedures of the
research.
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Emancipatory Research – research conducted for the purpose of benefiting
disadvantaged groups.
Conducting Qualitative Field Research
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Preparing for the Field
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Be familiar with relevant research
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Discuss your plans with others in the area
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Identify and meet informants (when appropriate)
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First impressions are important
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Establish rapport (an open and trusting relationship)
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Ethical considerations
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Qualitative Interview – contrasted with survey interviewing, the qualitative
interview is based on a set of topics to be discussed in depth rather than based
on the use of standardized questions.
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“Miner” or “Traveler”
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Stages in Complete Interviewing Process
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Thematizing
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Designing
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Interviewing
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Transcribing
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Analyzing
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Verifying
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Reporting
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Focus Group – a group of subjects interviewed together, prompting a discussion.
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Advantages: real-life data, flexible, high degree of face validity, fast,
inexpensive
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Disadvantages: not representative, little interviewer control, difficult
analysis, interviewer/moderator skills, difficult logistically
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Recording Observations
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Take detailed notes, but balance with observations
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Rewrite notes with observations soon after observations with filled in details
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Record everything
Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Field Research
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Strengths of Qualitative Field Research
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Effective for studying subtle nuances in attitudes and behaviors and social
processes over time
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Flexibility
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Inexpensive
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Weaknesses of Qualitative Field Research
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No appropriate statistical analyses
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Validity
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Greater validity than survey and experimental measurements
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Reliability
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Potential problems with reliability
Ethics and Qualitative Field Research