1. Field Research

2.  Appropriate Topics: Is “satisfaction” appropriate to study via field research? Are group dynamics appropriate? How do you know whether a topic is appropriate? (public responsibility)

3. Observer Roles  Ethical dilemmas  Methodological concerns (going native; changing environment)  Roles: Complete participant Participant as observer Observer as participant Complete observer

4. The Field  Gaining Entrance  Informant – Don’t trust everything you’re told, ie. If everyone hates a person, why.  Staying “neutral”

5. Sampling  Which group are you studying?  The whole organization; one department; one clique within a department. Be specific who you are studying. Quota Snowball Deviant Purposive  When are you making observations?  Are you only observing workers on certain days? How might that affect your conclusions?

6. Gaining More Detail: Interviews and Surveys  1) Structured or Unstructured Interviews Keep your viewpoint out. Use Probes  2) Surveys

7. Field Notes or Journal  You CANNOT correctly complete field research without contemplating your interactions through journals!!!!!!  Field notes should detail what you “KNOW” and what you “THINK”

8. Journal  The Journal is NOT a log of what you did but a critical analysis of observations about:  Relationships (who interacts with whom--race, gender, age, smoking habits, status, class, job description, etc).  Job Tasks (why do certain groups do certain tasks. What are the meanings of those tasks. What “subtext” exists underneath the job descriptions.  Power (who has power over who and why. Race, gender, class, religion, etc). How do people in power act differently or the same as others. Why?  Space (How is the organization physically structured. How does that affect interactions?  OTHER SOCIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT INFORMATION

9. When to Take Notes  Buy a small notebook and pen and keep it handy  Scribble down something to remind you of interesting observations during your research time.  When you get home, type in the observations. Try to type up the observations as soon as possible so you remember what scribbles mean.  YOU NEED SELF-DISCIPLINE

10. Journal  When reading the notes, think about what metaphor/concept your observations best represent. Write the concepts in the margins in a different color and think about the notes.