NATURE AND OVERVIEW OF FIELD METHODS
Research Definition Advantages Disadvantages
Design (Strengths) (Limitations)
Qualitative Researchis an approach focused on exploringand
understanding themeaningsthat individuals or groupsascribe to
Archival Systematically • Experimenter • Researchers
social or human problems. It involves collecting and understanding
Research studying cannot change haveno control
non-numerical datato see how humans think, perceive,or give
existing participant over how data
meaning to things based on various stimuli.
records behavior. was originally
(diaries, • Enormous data collected.
● Core Values:Qualitative research prioritizessubjective
letters, census amounts reveal • Important
experiences, themeaning-making process, and acquiring
data, etc.) in trends/relationships. data may be
adepth of understandingthrough detailed informationfrom
lieu of actual • Oftenless missingfrom
a small sample.
behaviors. expensiveor free. records.
● Intersectionality:This is a lens used in researchto see where
powercomes and collides. It acknowledges that everyone Case Studies In-depth • Rich source of •Researcher
has unique experiences ofprivilege, oppression, and investigations real-world info. bias(beliefs
discriminationbased on factors like race, gender,class, and of asingle • Can investigate can influence
more. entity(person, sensitive issuesor data
group, or unusual collection).
event) to phenomena. • Findings are
retain holistic, • Multi-perspective hard to
Foundational Concepts in Field Research
real-life approach. generalize.
characteristic • Lacks internal
● Field Research:A qualitative data collection methodthat
s. validity.
aims to observe, interact with, and understand people while
they are in theirnatural environment.
Participant The • Hypothesis • Difficult to test
● Field Methods:A collection of tools and techniquesfor
Observation researcher generation. hypotheses.
studying users and their tasks in theactual contextof their
joins in • Observation of • Large
environment. The core activity is thesite visit,which involves
everyday phenomena from a amounts of
observation, interviewing, and note-taking.
routines and personal irrelevant data.
● Phenomenology:The descriptive study of how individuals
rituals perspective. • Researcher
experience a phenomenon. It asks: “What is themeaning,
alongside the • Captures strength presence may
structure, and essence of the lived experienceofthis
members of a and frequency of beobtrusive.
phenomenon?”.
setting. behavior.
● Nuance:In research, this means moving beyond
"black-and-white"conclusions. It involves recognizing Ethnography Collection • Long-term • Large
subtle, complex details and exploring shades of meaning to and analysis observation of amount of
ensure findings are not distorted or exaggerated. of data about social-psychologic qualitative
cultural al meanings. data to
groupsto • Researcher may code/analyze.
understand seemless obtrusive • Difficult to test
Comparative Analysis of Qualitative Designs
life patterns. over time. specific
hypotheses.
The following table outlines the various research designs, including their
specificadvantages and disadvantagesas highlightedin the sources. Interviews Directly asking • Access to • Subject to
questions of perspectives of self-report bias.
members individuals with • Bias in the
(Informal, specialized selection of
Semi-structure experience. interviewees.
d, or
Standardized)
.
Field Experiments • Betterexternal •Practical
Experiments conducted in validityand problems
real-life representativeness. (travel, access
settings • Larger scale to institutions).
(schools, research.• Possible •Ethical issues
workplaces) for professionals to (deception
rather than do "on the job". often
labs. necessary).
• Difficult to
replicate
conditions.
Observation and Analysis Techniques
1. Describing without Inferring
Effective observation requires reporting facts without making
assumptions.
● Inferring (Avoid this):"He looked like he was rushingto an
interview".
● Describing (Do this):"He clutched a briefcase...looked at his
watch twice... straightened his tie... shifted from foot to
foot".
2. Types of Observation
● Unobtrusive:Participant does not notice the observer;they
are less likely to act in "socially desirable" ways.
● Obtrusive:Participant is aware and may be predisposedto
meetexperimenter expectancies(also known as the
Hawthorne Effect).
3. Content Analysis
The study ofmessages and their meanings. This canbe applied to any
form of communication, such as books, songs, TV programs, or laws.
For example, researchers might analyze how TV ads orient children
toward traditional gender roles.
4. Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke)
A 6-step process to analyze qualitative data:
1. Familiarizationof data.
2. Initialcoding.
3. Generatingthemes.
4. Checking thevalidity and reliabilityof themes.
5. Defining and namingthemes.
6. Interpretationand reporting.
So ano, ready ka na mag qualitative study? Tara na!.