Field research

Field research is suitable when the research question involves learning, understand and describing a group of interacting people. Field research is to study people in their natural setting.

Three principles:

1. study people in their natural setting, or in situ
2. study people by directly interacting with them
3. gain an understanding of the social world and make theoretical statements about member's perspectives.

Ethnography (ethno: people; graphy: to describe)

Field research is based on naturalism, involving observing ordinary events in natural setting. The researcher examines social meanings and grasps multiple perspectives about the people he studies. The direct involvement often impose an emotional impact to the researcher.

The steps of field research: (flexible and not fixed)

1. begins with a general topic, not specific hypothesis, the researcher first empties his mind of preconceptions and defocuses.(cast a wider net to observe; not focus on own researcher's role, prepares oneself self knowledge and knowledge about subjects.

2. select a site, and gain access to it.
Gatekeeper is someone with formal or informal authority to control access to a site. Field researchers are expected to negotiate with gatekeepers and bargain the access.

Strategy for entering:

entering and gain access to a field site is a process that depends on commonsense judgment and social skills. Researchers need to plan, negotiate, and gain the trust of people they want to study. They often have to make judgment on whether to disclose, and how much to disclose their research objective and methods and how to present themselves, etc. Researcher in field research is the instrument for measuring field data. That implies, 1) the researcher must be alert and sensitive to what happens in the field and to be disciplined about recording data; 2)it has personal consequences, it involves personal feeling and social relationships.

It is vital to gain rapport with people in site. The researcher's personal charm and social skills play an important role. The researchers also have to decide the their roles in the field and the level of involvement.

The researchers have to cope personal stress, how to normalized the social research and how to be like an acceptable incompetent.

How to normalized the social research:

- presenting his own biography,
- explaining the field research a little at time
- appearing non threatening
- accepting minor deviance in the setting.

Acceptable incompetent: is someone who is partially competent, skilled or knowledgeable in setting but who is accepted as nonthreatening person who needs to be taught (a humble learner)

3. Maintaining social relationship
4. Observe and collect data, analyze data

listening, learning about argot (specially language shared among members of group), taking notes.

Four types of notes: direct observation; inference; analytic notes, and personal journal.

Data quality: valid and reliable
6. Conduct field interviews
5. Leaving the field, public the report.

Field research process: choosing a site, gaining access, relation in the field, observing and collecting data, and field interview.

Field researchers begin data analysis and theorizing during data collection phase.