Developing a New Major

collect data on an ongoing basis – in the field when possible, as soon as you get home otherwise

collecting and analyzing go on simultaneously (collection = write down our observations and ideas) & analysis (write down what you think is going on)

can’t watch everything – so ask what else is going on that you’re missing and (more importantly) what’s going on here that made you choose this site over others

things you can observe

• what people are doing
• sensory observations (sounds, smells)
• what is being said – meaning as well as tone, specific language, write down quotes)
• what is not being said (what’s taken for granted)

field notes are your data – take often, go for deep rich descriptions( thick descriptions)

• on the fly notes – key words and phrases to help you remember important things you want to wrie more about later, ideas that come up while ou’re observing
• thick descriptions – to help you remember exactly what was going on in the setting – quotes or as close to quotes as syou can get, be specific about visuals, don’t censor – write even mundane things
• data analysis notes – what does it mean notes to yourself, what things seem to go together, what do you think things mean so far, hunches
• personal matters and reflexivity notes – how do you feel about the things you’re seeing, do you think you’re being htere is changing things, do you think you’re censoring or having negative reactions to something, are you locked into one way of thinking about a situation, are you not observing some groups because ya don’t like them, also notes to yourself for future observation sessions – like bring more supplies or be sure to look for instances of somthing you haven’t seen much of yet

if observing on ongoing basis – every day write up a brief summary of what you found, some quick toughts about what it seems to mean so far, and how those things should affect what you study next – - can be just a couple of paragraphs, to keep ya up on teh actions you’re seeing, to make sure you watch everything you think is important in case ya can’t come back to the setting

notes can include pictures, diagrams, things ou pick up in th efield, articles related to your topic or the culture – they’re your notes – goal is to be complete, detailed so they’re good data

saturation point – when nothing new is found in the setting, you start to lose your research perspective – good time to leave the scene

triangulating data – look for independent/different sources to support your interpretations – might find stuff in documents you pick up while observing or in your interviews with people (not just more observations, but other kinds of data)

thick description – from clifford geertz – making notes about everything you can remember about what exactly took place, very detailed, using all your senses

gatekeepers – people who help you gain entree into a setting, make intros for you, give you a good reference to other people in teh setting, give you permission to be in the setting,m they might hold key positions in the culture and other people respect them and their opinions – they can also keep you from getting access by bad mouthing you to others

(from some websites that the book recommended)

be aware of time – do newcomers do things differently from expereinced people, are they treated differently — but also be aware of how your interpretations change over time as you gain more experience iwth hte culture and near the end of time as you’re preparing to leave/stop observing

be aware of how others perceive you – that perception probably cnanges over time – at hte beginning you’re a newcomer so people might seem stand offish or reserved, then as you hang around and get involved they warm up – your interpretations change – not because of the people necessarily but because of you and your role in the study

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