Field Research Analysis

Check Prior Knowledge

Determine how much you understand about field research by answering the following questions.

1. 1. Finding another person to question regarding your research topic, is a(an)

Interview
Observation
Survey

1. A type of research that allows basic data to be gathered from a group of people on a topic is a(an)Interview
   Observation
   Survey
2. A passive, site-specific form of researchInterview
   Observation
   Survey

Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions.”

Observations

Observations are very similar to interviews, except they tend to be silent. In other words, while you will coordinate with a subject to schedule and plan for an observation, no questions are asked, and typically you have no interaction with the people being observed. Finally, observations are site specific. While you can conduct an interview off-site, an observer typically notes the reactions between people and their environment.

Sometimes observations are formal—scheduled in advance and planned out using the same “manners” described above. Sometimes observations are informal—a student finds a public place he or she wants to study and takes notes accordingly.

Observations work best in those situations where your research describes human behaviors. For example, a student who wants to discuss the role of Japanese culture in America might silently observe a comic book convention, noting the numbers of people who browse Japanese themed booths or arrive in Japanese themed costumes. The weakness here is obvious- you can only observe one thing at a time, which is why it is essential to have a clear goal for your observation that is central to your research question. Secondly, people who know they are being observed tend to behave differently. Since you will need permission to record an observation, this could impact the information you derive. Don’t be sketchy—if you would feel uncomfortable being observed in a given context, you may need permission. General “people watching” in a public place, a crowd, or from a distance tends to work better.

On a final note, the best observations include multiple attempts. Just observing for one hour at a mall on a Saturday tells nothing about shopping trends. Observing over a course of a week or on multiple weekends at different times will glean more interesting results.

Surveys

If you want a general sense of how people feel about an issue or need answers to basic “why” questions, a survey might be the best choice. Surveys at this level should be short, to the point, and clearly related to your research.

In choosing who to survey, think about your research question. If you want to know people’s impressions on solar power, then demographics do not matter. If you want to know the gaming habits of teenage males, then you’ll want to ask questions to screen out females and respondents outside that age range.

The types of questions are also important. People are less likely to type responses and are more likely to answer multiple-choice questions. Further, multiple choice options are a lot easier to use—if 100 people answered your survey with 100-word short-answer questions, you would spend a lot of time deciphering the results!

The easiest way to conduct a survey is to set up a free account with SurveyMonkey.com or another Internet survey provider that offers a free service. These tools allow you to easily distribute your survey to anyone with an email address, and often, are easy to share on social networks. While paper surveys can reach those without the Internet, they can be costly. You need permission, for example, to distribute surveys in businesses and public places. Mailing surveys can become expensive in terms of postage. Email surveys can be easier, but you’re left to tally your results.

For more information on survey questions, read “Creating Good Interview and Survey Questions”

Integration

Once you have your data, you will need to think about how to present it. Since you are using data generated from another person, you will want to be careful with how you integrate his/her words into your paper. Removing words in order to change the meaning to better suit your thesis is unethical, as is falsifying survey data.

If you conduct a survey, a visual representation of your results can be meaningful for your readers. The Writing Commons covers formatting basics including the use of charts and graphs in research papers.

If you plan on using your field research results as part of the published product, you will want to consider how to represent them. For example, if a student videotaped an interview and then edited it to give a different impression without the interviewee’s knowledge, it could be a breach of research ethics unless it was discussed in advance. In other words, it is best not to do this unless you clarify your intended use of the footage with your subject! The video We Will Rock You provides a clear illustration.

For observations, if you intend to publish the results beyond the research paper, best practice is to get permission first. In other cases, if something is observed accidentally, you will want to frame it in a way that is professional, explanatory, and centered on your goal. The video Kids Play Safe provides a good example.