Test hypotheses Look at cause and effect Make predictions. Qualitative data such as: open- ended responses interviews participant observations field notes reflections. Quantitative data based on: precise measurements using structured validated data-collection instruments. Identify patterns features themes.
Search form icon-arrow-top icon-arrow-top. Page Site Advanced 7 of Disciplines : Communication and Media Studies , Sociology. Buy in print.
Through her education and practice, she had been socialized by professional readings, practical experiences, and ethical guidelines regarding how to approach ill and disabled individuals and was aware of the expressions nurse professionals use to describe them. The fluctuation between the various identified analytical levels in her notes illustrates her challenges of being a descriptive observer.
She did not fully manage to transcend her nursing background and jumped to conclusions too early in the process. Our findings actualize the advantages of entering the same field with different lenses.
First, the differences in foci and descriptions that we identified throughout the field notes create the possibility for richer data in a research project when more than one researcher enters the field.
Furthermore, these differences enable valuable discussions between researchers with different backgrounds about their interpretations of the data. Atkinson notes that differences between novice and experienced field researchers are not unusual. On the other hand, their note structures, lengths, visual appearances, and contents were quite similar. This finding is both interesting and surprising.
It is surprising that two researchers, one experienced and one inexperienced, produced such similar structures in their notes.
The inexperienced nurse researcher, who was the novice in our study, had to base her methodological approach on field studies in the literature.
She used this approach consciously for two distinct reasons. First, personal characteristics are useful for better remembering particular situations.
The nurse researcher experienced situations that were surprising from a professional standpoint or provoked thoughts that went beyond the scope of the study. She became unsure of how to manage the unexpected and occasionally, from a nursing perspective, thought-provoking situations. Her reflections may also be interpreted as confessional tales.
However, we are still left with an unanswered question: how did the inexperienced researcher, taking field notes for the first time, write notes that were similar to those of the experienced researcher? This question will remain unanswered for future investigations in which more than two researchers representing other fields are involved.
The characterizations and content of the field notes changed during the data collection period and during the observation period for both researchers. Typically, field notes are written during studies in which the observations and writing of field notes last for months. Our observations were conducted over an 8-month period in one specific context.
It is well known that spending a long time in the same field and context can eventually blind the researchers to seeing new things. In one of the reflection notes, the characterization of the field was described as being repetitive in rhythms and activities.
Another explanation of the identified changes in the notes is that data saturation was reached or that the researchers became more efficient in their note-taking. The findings should be interpreted in light of the fact that the identified genre, structure, and resizing of the field notes also have something to do with the nature of recording observations in a specific field. The roles of researchers in home health care are analogous to balancing on a tightrope.
The home is considered a private space, and it represents a place of safety and freedom for the resident. Therefore, it was difficult to remain detached, and we were not able to withdraw from the situation. Many patients treated us as their guests and wanted to include and involve us in their situations and everyday lives. Thus, the environment and involvement impacted our ability to take plain descriptive notes.
This conflict represented an ethical issue; we were torn between the different roles of researchers and emotionally involved human beings. The identified similarities should be interpreted considering the two observers had several discussions prior to entering the field. For example, both used mostly complete sentences.
However, the change identified throughout the notes regarding focus implies that we were not actively aware of the experiment during the course of our observations. The chosen approach aimed to provide data for investigating and reflecting upon whether different lenses would impact the notes taken.
Trustworthiness could have been strengthened by including more researchers representing a broader professional background in the study. This approach was chosen to avoid bias from the researchers who conducted the field study. The analysis revealed that different research lenses impact the focus and analytical level of the field notes, even if the structures of the notes exhibit similar characteristics.
Our findings contribute new insights concerning the execution of interdisciplinary observational studies. Conducting such studies — entering the same field with different lenses — allows for the production of richer as well as more varied data from a specific study setting.
National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List J Multidiscip Healthc v. J Multidiscip Healthc. Published online Apr 8. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer.
Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Background From a philosophy of science perspective, the literature has posited that different research approaches influence field studies. Methods A case study using a modified dynamic observation method was employed.
Conclusion The findings contribute new insights concerning the execution of interdisciplinary observational studies. Keywords: field study, observational study, interdisciplinary lenses, interpretation, home care nursing.
Background Taking field notes is a common method of documenting observations, 7 and the practice is well acknowledged within qualitative research. Setting and participants The study was conducted in three differently sized Norwegian municipalities, which were organized into nine independent units to ensure maximum variation in our observations.
Data collection We followed nurses during their visits to patients receiving health care in their homes.
Data analysis The analytical approach was inspired by the descriptions of qualitative research. Rigor The researchers who conducted the field study sent their notes to a research assistant who facilitated the notes for analysis.
Ethics The main project was reported to the regional ethical committee and to Norwegian Social Data Services. The text also changed from full sentences to short notes, similar to keywords or reminders, as illustrated below: She tells that she is going through all the patients for the purpose to become familiar with the patients she will visit that day … Yet she brings with her a paper-list with names of all the patients she will be visiting this morning.
The patients were often described using value-laden terms and were allotted much space in the notes: Big lady in a wheelchair.
Differences in the analytical levels of the field notes The most striking difference between the two researchers was the analytical levels of the field notes.
From different experiences Atkinson notes that differences between novice and experienced field researchers are not unusual. From extensive to pointed notes The characterizations and content of the field notes changed during the data collection period and during the observation period for both researchers.
Methodological considerations The identified similarities should be interpreted considering the two observers had several discussions prior to entering the field.
Conclusion The analysis revealed that different research lenses impact the focus and analytical level of the field notes, even if the structures of the notes exhibit similar characteristics. As such, it is probably most related to the method of participant observation. The field researcher typically takes extensive field notes which are subsequently coded and analyzed in a variety of ways.
Grounded theory is a qualitative research approach that was originally developed by Glaser and Strauss in the s. The self-defined purpose of grounded theory is to develop theory about phenomena of interest. Instead the theory needs to be grounded or rooted in observation — hence the term. Grounded theory is a complex iterative process. The research begins with the raising of generative questions which help to guide the research but are not intended to be either static or confining.
As the researcher begins to gather data, core theoretical concept s are identified. Tentative linkages are developed between the theoretical core concepts and the data. This early phase of the research tends to be very open and can take months.
Later on the researcher is more engaged in verification and summary. The effort tends to evolve toward one core category that is central.
0コメント