1 : Respond to one of the following questions a or b :a: What online communities are you part of? What subcultures are they part of, or are they subcultures in themselves? If you do not participate in any online communities, answer this question on behalf of a friend or family member who does.b : Museums have created many cultural and folklore websites that offer virtual access to cultures across the world and the ages. Choose one of the following websites, spend no more than half an hour exploring it, and identify how its content is relevant to you as a researcher.https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/www.britishmuseum.org/http://www.amnh.org/http://www.si.edu/Collections
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Q2:
Chapter SixWorksheetReview the list of guidelines below. Then go to a grocery store at a busy time, such as on a Saturday afternoon, or after work on a weekday, and do a 15-minute observation of peoples reactions to the prices and quality of goods in a particular department. Take notes, using a note pad or your phone. After you leave your site, revisit the guidelines. Which ones were helpful? Which ones were difficult to follow? What other guidelines would you add to the list? Start small, beginning with short periods of observation.
Pay attention.
Focus on a specific person, interaction, or activity
Look for key words in participants statements.
Concentrate on the first and last remarks in each conversation
Mentally play back remarks and scenes during breaks in the conversation (or when the department is empty).
Leave the setting after observing as much as can be remembered.
Record field notes as soon as possible after observing.
If there will be a time lag between observation and writing up your notes, immediately summarize or outline the observation.
Draw a diagram of the setting and trace movements through it.
Incorporate pieces of data remembered at later times into the original field notes
if possible, tape record what you recall from the observation just as soon as leaving the site (on the drive home, for example).
Avoid talking to anyone about the observation before notes have been recorded because talking about it diffuses its importance.
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the chapter we use is:
Chapter Six: Being a Careful ObserverObservations are a primary source of data in qualitative research, and are especially important in ethnographic studies. Unlike interviews, observations take place in the setting where the phenomenon of interest naturally occurs. Observational data represent a firsthand encounter with the phenomenon of interest. (The terms fieldwork and field study usually connote both observation and informal interviews, and may also include the study of documents and artifacts. )That caveat notwithstanding, the primary focus of this chapter is on the activity of observationthe use of observation as a research tool, the problem of what to observe, the relationship between observer and observed, the means for recording observations, and the whole phenomenon of online observation.I. Observation in ResearchObservation is a research tool when it is systematic, addresses a specific research question, is subject to the checks and balances in producing trustworthy results. It is distinct from everyday observation, such as a bystander watching a traffic accident. Training to be a skilled observer includes learning to pay attention, write descriptively, take disciplined field notes, separate detail from trivia, and use systematic methods to validate and triangulate observations.Observation is the best technique to use when an activity, event, or situation can be observed firsthand, when a fresh perspective is desired, or when participants are not able or willing to discuss the topic under study.Specifically, it is used-to notice things that have become routine to the participants themselves, things that may lead to understanding the context.-to substantiate emerging findings via triangulationthe use of observation in conjunction with interviewing and document analysis.-to see things firsthand and use your own knowledge and expertise in interpreting what is observed-to record behavior as it is happening.-to provide some knowledge of the context or to provide reference points for subsequent interviews.-to study topics that people may not feel free to talk about or may not want to discuss.II. What to ObserveWhat to observe is determined by several factors: the researchers purpose in conducting the study in the first place, practical considerations such as time and cost, and the extent of permission granted by those in the situation of interest. The focus must be allowed to emerge and in fact may change over the course of the study.A. Starting Points for Observation1. The physical setting:2. The participants3. Activities and interactions4. Conversation5. Subtle factors (circumstantial)6. Your own behaviorB. Duration of Observation:The duration of a single observation or the total amount of time spent collecting data in this way is a function of the problem being investigated. When learning to do field work, sessions of an hour or less are recommended. Observations take enormous energy and concentration. Allow time for writing up your field notes as soon after the observation as possible.C. Three Stages of Observation ProcessEntry: To optimize your chance of gaining entry be persistent; be able to adjust to modifications in your original request; and be ready to answer the following: What are you actually going to do? Will you be disruptive?What are you going to do with your findings? Why us? Why have we or our organization been singled out for study? What will we get out of this?Data Collection: During the first few days in the field, do not take what happens in the field personally. Have someone on site introduce you.Keep the first observations fairly short. Be relatively passive and unobtrusive. Be friendly and honest but not overly technical or detailed in explaining what you are doing. Establish rapport.Exit: Leaving the field may be even more difficult than gaining entry, and requires an exit/disengagement strategy. Ease out of the field by coming less frequently and then eventually stopping altogether.III. Relationship between Observer and ObservedGold (1958) proposed a spectrum of four possible researcher stances:1. Complete participant: The researcher is a member of the group being studied and conceals his or her observer role from the group so as not to disrupt the natural activity of the group.2.Participant as observer: The researchers observer activities, which are known to the group, are subordinate to the researchers role as a participant.3.Observer as participant: The researchers observer activities are known to the group; participation in the group is definitely secondary to the role of information gatherer.4.Complete observer: The researcher is either hidden from the group (for example, behind a one-way mirror) or is in a completely public setting such as an airport or library. Covert observation can give rise to ethical questions.A fifth stance has evolved recently:5. Collaborative partner: The investigators identity is clearly known to everyone involved, and the investigator and the participants are equal partners in the research process.All researchers have to achieve a workable balance between participating and observing. In traditional conceptualizations of the participant observer role, the researcher tries to stay sufficiently detached to observe and analyze, while participating. The ambiguity of participant observation can be a source of anxiety for the qualitative researcher.Another concern is the extent to which the observer investigator affects what is being observed. The question is not whether the process of observing affects what is observed but how the researcher can identify those effects and account for them in interpreting the data.IV. Recording ObservationsA. Field NotesWhat is written down or mechanically recorded from a period of observation constitutes field notes, which are analogous to the interview transcript. It is highly likely that actually writing field notes will take longer than time spent in observation. Writing field notes is an onerous task, but field notes constitute the basis for data upon which the study is based. Cost and obtrusiveness often preclude the use of mechanical devices to record observations.On-site recording can range from continuous to sketchy to nonexistent. But even if you have been able to take detailed notes during an observation, it is imperative that you write, type, or dictate full notes in a narrative format as soon after the observation as possible.B. Field Note FormatField notes based on observation need to be in a format that will allow the researcher to find desired information easily. Suggestions: Begin by stating the time, place, and purpose of the observation. List the participants. Include a diagram that indicates where participants and the researcher are situated. Use layout tools like wide margins, quotation marks, spacing, and line numbers.C. Field Note ContentField notes should be highly descriptive of the participants, the setting, the activities or behaviors of the participants, and what the observer does, with enough detail that readers feel as if they are there, seeing what the observer sees.The content of field notes usually includes verbal descriptions of the setting, the people, the activities; direct quotations, or at least the substance of what people said; and observers comments put in the margins or in the running narrative and identified by underlining, italics, or bold and bracketing, and the initials OC. Observers comments can include the researchers feelings, reactions, hunches, initial interpretations, speculations, and working hypotheses. These comments are over and above factual descriptions of what is going on; they comprise preliminary data analysis.D. Other DocumentationQualitative researchers are most likely to use the integrated format described earlier, although some (particularly ethnographers) do keep a separate journal of the experience. That becomes a data source, and the researcher sometimes uses it when writing about the methodology. In addition to field notes and the fieldwork journal, some researchers write analytical memos containing some preliminary analysis and interpretation.V. Online ObservationMany cultural and folklore sites have been created by museums and digital ethnographers to create access to cultures across the world. Virtual and digital ethnographers explore and conduct online observations of such sites to examine the unique features of these online cultures in digital, virtual, or cyber ethnographies.The online or virtual world is a whole culture in and of itself; furthermore, online communities are typically subcultures of larger communities made up of people with a particular interest..Some issues are particular to online and virtual environments. One is the distinction between an observation and what counts as an online document, since in many online discussions, blogs, etc., the data is exclusively text based and can be printed out. Another issue is that it is possible to do virtual or online observations from a completely hidden perspective as a lurker. Collecting data through lurking is generally considered ethically acceptable if the data is totally public and archived, no password is required for archival data, and the site doesnt prohibit it.When you conduct observations in online settings, it is important to carefully document the process and to keep field notes in some disciplined form. A tool such as a smartphone can be used as a field data gathering tool, to communicate with participants, and to share data with third parties. But whether one conducts observation in physical or virtual settings, observation is only half the process. Observations must be recorded in as much detail as possible to form the database for analysis.
Merriam, S.B. & Tisdell, E.J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco, CA:Josey-Bass.