The field research Is one that is performed on a particular social area. Working in the field means being in contact with the social actors that we seek to understand.
Both sociology and anthropology use field research to immerse themselves in information and take the fine points of the problem to be solved. The fieldwork must be face-to-face, methodical, documented, and reliable.
You may also want to know more about the Socioanthropology: definition, characteristics and scope , Another of the disciplines that use this type of research.
Stages of field research
1- Start with History
All good field research begins with the use of historical sources about the place we seek to investigate. Before beginning your face-to-face work, you spend about three to four weeks to learn about the historical development of the place (Fife, 2005).
This will help you better understand the target population, the attitude you have towards people outside the community and the openness you have to foreigners.
This applies especially to remote villages that have little relation to the West's way of life. A little information in the library will help you avoid possible conflicts during your stay in the field.
2- Knowledge state
Since you have been in the library for a while, it is advisable that you also investigate the state of knowledge of the people you are looking to investigate.
Who have been before you? What kind of research have they done? What could you bring to the topic?
These and other questions could help you think of a better approach to the place you want to investigate. Field research is not only an on-site but also a mental activity.
The theory will help you complement what you see, in addition to providing you with Logical structures That you will not see so easily in a first approach with your object of study.
3- Notify the authorities
Although it sounds logical, not all researchers usually do this essential step. There are different levels of government that you should notify about your stay. Starting with local government and state authorities.
Do all the necessary procedures before inserting yourself in a place you do not know much about. This becomes more relevant when you are going to live with people in conflict or in an area of high danger.
Villagers may confuse you with someone who seeks to cause trouble in the community or with a person on the enemy side. Warning the authorities will avoid all kinds of problems.
4- Choose a method of observation
There are many ways to conduct field research. One of them is participant observation. In this type of research, participation with social study groups is vital.
Some authors recommend that you do it taking into account your impartiality for the events you see, as well as taking sides or influencing the actors analyzed with your ideas.
In addition to participating research, interviews are also possible. The interviews will serve to know in depth the intentions and motives that each of the actors have to perform certain actions within the space in which they live.
To set up an interview it is necessary that you have an idea of the questions that you would like to be answered. That's why you need to write a general outline or map of what you want the interview to do.
There are interviews that are semi-structured, that is, they have a guide that tells them if they are going the right way, however, they allow the respondent to say the things that interest him or her on the subject.
5- The experience is generated over time
The first field research does not have to be perfect. You may experience some setbacks as you first enter a social space new to you. Always have a notebook on hand that documents everything you have experienced in your research.
Even the most mundane data can be useful to you in the future. Some theorists even incorporate this type of research as"self-report". It is a research method in which all the information lived is of vital importance.
Although they are methods that have a wide freedom and are not as strict as other forms of research, rigor and impartiality are key to their scientific truth.
6- Codification and analysis of information
Once you have collected the necessary data, it is time that you codify the information and turn it into an abstract analysis of the object of study. For that you will use different instruments of the methodology that you are using.
For example, if you are working with information generated by interviews, there is a software called Atlas.ti that helps you to create labels, identify the most important concepts and generate schemes or networks of ideas that help you formulate your opinion regarding the specific problem .
In addition to this program, there are others like Zotero that also store all the information collected in both digital and physical sources.
With the information obtained, you will create concepts that explain the most important behaviors you have observed of the group to study. These concepts will serve as pieces of a bigger puzzle that you will have to build once you have completed your research.
Subsequently, you will need to do a secondary analysis so that you find patterns of regularity in the individuals you are investigating. This is known as secondary analysis.
7- The creation of theory
Although not all researchers reach this goal, for others it is one of the most important goals in the scientific work. The theory is the culmination of every effort to understand society and its actors.
The theoretical work will allow other researchers to understand other historical contexts that happen in the future. The theory can also serve as a basis for the creation of new research to test it.
Other areas of research may take the results of your work to counter them with your own work or even to question them.
Common Problems of Field Work
Field research is not without problems. Some of them can be presented to you at the beginning, during and at the end of the research. Experts in the subject consider the following:
1- Winning people
Even if you get all the necessary permits, it is necessary that the community accept you as one of yours. This is perhaps one of the most common problems for anthropologists and sociologists.
The methods to be accepted by a culture are varied. That is why it is important to understand the history of the place and to know how other researchers have approached.
2- Sponsorship
Another problem that field researchers may have is that they run out of resources to operate. The time needed to complete an investigation is delimited by educational institutions.
The strategy used by different anthropologists is to use sponsorships to support their stays for the long term. Of course, the more recognition and titles you have will be easier.
3- The arrival
Although you anticipate many of the problems that could happen during your stay, there will always be some that you did not expect. A terrible climate, defective transport or even a robbery are possible.
Be sure to stay calm and avoid these obstacles so that you can continue. Remember that good research also goes through these elements.
4- Key Actors
The number of researchers searching for the appropriate information in the field: the key actors. It is they who have the best information regarding a place or an event that happened in the past. Through the key actors, the investigations take shape.
5- Management of information
Another typical problem of field research is the anonymity of your key players. The information you get should have the veil of confidentiality. This means hiding the names of your informants or changing them to others.
In some cases you will have to give them some legal document in which they authorize you to handle the information they give you for academic purposes. This is of paramount importance, especially to avoid a demand for mismanagement of information.
6- Relationships and Empathy
Experienced anthropologists know how to win over people in a community. However, they always set boundaries between camaraderie and something else.
Getting too involved in a community or influencing people can make your data corrupt or favored by a researcher bias. This happens when the research is associated with an activism of the anthropologist or sociologist and its data are necessary to carry out a political action.
Avoid having a strong emotional attachment to your informants and avoid having sentimental relationships with any of them.
7- Fine observations
Finally, remember that you must have an eye that can see"beyond the obvious". A common conversation for the trained eye is something more: a power relationship, a political tension between two sides or an agreement between the State and civil society.
You have to learn to observe all gestures, verbal and non-verbal expressions of communication. For that it is very important that you generate experience as a field researcher.
References
- Antoninus C.G.M., R.J. (2007). Ethnographic Fieldwork: An anthropological reader. Boston: Boston University Press.
- Bailey, C.A. (1996). A Guide to Field Research. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press.
- Fife, W. (2005). Doing Fieldwork. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
- Grills, S. (1998). Doing Ethnographic Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
- Neuman, L. W. (2003). Social Research Methods. Boston: Pearson.