Homework Week 4 PS
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da3data_week_4_ps308.docSO308 Principles of Social Research
Data Analysis 3: Field Observation
Directions:
Choose two different public locations for your field observations (SITE 1 and SITE 2 below). Both locations should be places where people from different groups regularly have the opportunity to interact with one another. Each field observation should last at least 30 minutes. Take detailed and exhaustive notes! Record everything because you may not realize that something is important until after the fact.
Remember that the purpose of these observations is to gather data about how members of different groups interact with one another (or avoid interacting). You don’t have to record information that does not pertain to our purpose, but do record everything that may shed light on our research topic!
Once you are done, leave the field and find a quite place to transfer your field notes into this form. Clean your notes by removing your shorthand and explaining every detail. Remember that these notes need to be understandable by someone who wasn’t there with you. Include everything and add additional details as you recall them. When you add detail after the fact in this first pass, use “Bright Green” text to distinguish it from your first observations.
Then set your notes aside for about 24 hours so that you can think about them some more. Make a third pass through your notes and use “Blue” text to distinguish these subsequent reflections from your observations in the moment and your initial additions.
It is important to make these distinctions clear because your understanding of the observation may change with time. Do not worry if your first, second, and third passes through your data agree with one another. Again, your perspective may change. It is important that you do not delete previous notes, but merely add to them each time through.
Finally, in all three passes, be careful to distinguish between events that actually occurred and your interpretation of these events. Actual observations should be recorded in regular text (in the appropriate color), but your interpretations, opinions, and inferences from the data should be italicized. Try to maintain this “fact-value” distinction as carefully as you can (although it is impossible to be perfect in this regard).
You can use as many pages for your field notes as you need. This document will expand to make room. But please be conscientious about recording everything, including your reactions as the observer! And make sure you keep your observations from Site 1 and Site 2 in their appropriate places.
Good luck and have fun!
SITE 1
Data Collector ID:
Location:
Date:
Time Started:
Time Ended:
Description of Physical Location:
Descriptions of Principal Groups Represented:
Descriptions of Principal Interactants:
Narrative of Events:
SITE 2
Data Collector ID:
Location:
Date:
Time Started:
Time Ended:
Description of Physical Location:
Descriptions of Principal Groups Represented:
Descriptions of Principal Interactants:
Narrative of Events:
