Chapter 3

The way most qualitative researchers collect data

Go to where the people they study areThese are the places where the subjects

do what they normally do

Build trust by stating they will not use findings to demean or hurt people

Learn from the subjectsParticipate in activities on a limited basisLearn how the subjects think but not think

like the subjectsAre empathetic but also reflective

How you should conduct yourself in the field

Gain access to leaving the fieldIssues involved maintaining and

establishing rapport

Research has been turned into in-depth interviewing (less time-consuming)

The term of “in the field” staying at home in the country

Shift from spacial to virtual – involving internet and chat room culture

Need to get permission to conduct a studyMake interests know and seek the

cooperation of those being studiedDo not lieMisrepresentation is devastating to

rapportPlay down your status

The approach depends on who you are, what you want to study and what you hope to accomplish

Find something about the hierarchy and rules of the particular school system

Get an endorsement from a teacher for your project before approaching the principal

Be sure to lay the groundwork for a good rapport to be accepted

No uniform policy Go to the board if doing a thesis,

dissertation, or a publication

What are you actually going to do? Be honest. Use friend terms and mention the research evolves

Will you be disruptive? Share your intentions of your schedule

What are you going to do with your findings? Mention who’s eyes will see your findings

Why us?What will you get out of this? Try not to

promise too much

Be persistentBe flexibleBe creative

First days can be rough – go in with a good attitude and humor

Plan to make mistakesEstablish rapport – learn the ropesBecome comfortable in the field and

others comfortable with you

Do not take things personallySet up first visit so someone is able to

introduce youEase into things – do not be too ambitious

the first few daysRemain passiveBe friendly and smile

What and how much participation varies during the course of study

Do not participate too muchParticipation needs to be calculated with

the particulars of the studyShare with the teacher what you are going

to observeHow participation is down depends on the

personality of the researcher

Study varies on how well the researcher knows the language

“Border Crossing” can raise problems for fieldwork

The definition of research or researcher is not always the same

Different rules of human communication

Understand how personal characteristics are going to impact what is being studied and the relationships being formed

Class and status differencesGender – the accessMeaning of skin color and ethnic

backgroundRace and cultural identity Disability Political consciousnessElite status

Try to fit into the setting (ex. clothing)Do not display too much of your

knowledgeRefrain from gossipingBe careful with the fieldnotesDo not act like you are writing secrets

when taking notes

Debates on policies and procedures often happen in certain environments that can be from mild to intense.

When trust level is low there can be difficult barriers between the subjects and a researcher.

Listen carefully, talk little and when asking questions, phrase them carefully.

The subjects might try to convince you to take their side.

It is best to remain neutral.Spread yourself around, spend time with multiple

people and have a sympathetic ear to all sides.

Feelings can have a positive impact on research

Do not repress your feelings because they can be helpful when doing qualitative research.

Sometimes sharing your feelings with the subjects will help with getting in touch with theirs.

Your feelings can be an important indicator of the subjects’ feelings which will help with reflection.

Feelings can also help generate specific questions.

An hour or less for the first few days.As you start to become more comfortable

increase the hours.Do not stay longer than your memory or

the time you can take notes allows after the observation

During qualitative research, interviews can be used in two ways:

-1. the main type of data collected -2. in combination with various other types of data

collection (document analysis and observations). Use interview to gather data on the participants

insights on how people view their world In participant-observation studies the researcher

mostly knows the subject and the interview will feel almost informal and like a conversation between people who know one another.

In studies that the main piece of data collection is interviews, the subject is usually someone the researcher does not know.

If the interview is a stranger try to do something that breaks the ice and will gain rapport

Most interviews are open-ended Questions should allow for a range of topics to be discussed In an open-ended interview the researcher lets the subject have

free flowing answers and then probes them deeper on specific topics

Choose a type of interview, structured or unstructured, based on your research goal

Different types of interviews can take place throughout the study Try to keep the subject at ease and allow them to speak freely Try to avoid questions that can answered with a simple “yes” or

“no” It is good to remember to not give up on the interviewee too

easily because it might take them a while to warm up to you Good and bad interviews can allow you to collect quality data BE A GOOD LISTENER

In qualitative research, focus groups are group interviews that allow the participants to discuss specific issues

Usually 7-10 peoplePick a general topic and try to get

discussions from varying perspectivesA big problem can be that people in the

groups fail to share experiences Guidelines for Focus Group Discussions:

page 109-110

Questions to take into account when organizing a focus group:

-1. Have you chosen a topic that will evoke multiple perspectives, and on which informants can bring their individual experiences to bear?

-2. Have you developed a strategy to emphasize to informants that their ideas will be valued and that they say in the group will stay confidential?

-3. Will you be able to build groups that have diversity among the participants?

-4. How will you plan the sequence of the group from the introductions to developing rapport to structuring the group’s talk?

Promise of Confidentiality- see page 111

When you use audio recorders there are a lot of things to consider

Ask if the subject minds if you use a recorderNever record without permissionGive assurance that private information given

will not be revealed at others expenseFor longer interviews it is fine to jot down

notesA recorder should be thought of as a third

party that cannot see

Most qualitative researchers do not use visual recorders because they feel they haven’t mastered the equipment

Some avoid it because it makes the research field “more visible”, which they don’t want

A camera can be useful because it can grab a lot of detail from a particular setting that field notes cannot

Triangulation has many definitions in regards to qualitative research

The term was started so researchers would know that they need more than one source of information

Many sources are better than a single source

Bogdan and Biklen advise to not use the term-simply say you are using many techniques to get data

Leaving the field from collecting data can be hard

Try to ease out of the instead of leaving abruptly