Part of our
Experiential Learning Module (ELM) involved us learning to conduct field research. Considering that
our ELM team consists of a law, psychology and media & communications’
graduate, none of us were very well versed with the ins and outs of field
research when we first began. Over the last six months, we’ve experimented,
adapted, erred, cried and finally (at least we feel) have reached a stage where
we feel like we have gotten our heads around the field research process. Here is
a rough road map for how to chart out preparing for your field research should
you find yourself doing it for the first time.
1. Identify the Sample Area
One very
important piece of advice that was given to us is to immediately identify the
area in which you are conducting the study. You should make the
decision whether you want a large area of study or a narrower scope. This
will depend on how much time you have to complete the project and how much you
are facilitated to travel to these areas. Decide whether your analysis will be
a village, set of villages, district or even a state. From here, try to obtain
a list of all the places that you wish to go to and select the ones which are
of interest to your project. This can be done deliberately or by random
selection. Either way, keep a tab on how you made your selection as it will
become important to note if your research is to delivered in a form of a
report.
2. Quantitative or Qualitative?
“Not everything important is measurable and not everything measurable is important” – Elliot Eisner
Next, ask
yourself whether you want to the research to be quantitative, qualitative, or a
mix of both. Quantitative research means observing phenomenon through
statistical, mathematical or computational techniques, which basically means
gathering data that can be objectively measured and can support your research.
An example of this would be gathering information about the amount of children
a person had, their education level, their household income and drawing
observations from this information. Qualitative research is a deeper inquiry into
the specific experiences of the person which develop themes that cannot be
quantified in the same way. An example of this would be conducting long
interviews with people to unearth their perceptions on caste. Many think that
quantitative is more accurate than qualitative, whereas both are extremely
useful and can be complementary. We decided to adopt a mixture of both
quantitative and qualitative for our research.
3. Academic Literature Review
Start
hunting down the academic literature that currently exists on your chosen
research topic. Start with (although not the most reliable source) a basic
Google search, then move on to articles from academic journals, books from the
library and any other sources you find. Identify the commonalities and
differences in the scope of study of your research topic and the
gaps in the current knowledge. Note when these articles were written, as the
reality on the ground could be vastly different if there has been a significant
time lapse.
4. Initial Research Question
Using your
academic literature review as a foundation, come up with an initial research
question. This question should be sufficiently broad as you have not yet been
to the field and therefore, do not have any real experience to contextualize
your theory. Notwithstanding your initial research question, you should go in
with as open mind as possible. Your initial research question is likely to be
modified upon contact with the field.
5. Research Methodologies
Next is to
familiarize yourself with the various research methodologies, based on whether
you wish to conduct a qualitative study, quantitative study or a mix. Research
methodologies include surveys, long interviews, focus groups, oral histories,
observations and homestays.
Surveys:
We are all
well versed with surveys, having been bombarded with them at one stage or
another. The next time you receive a survey, really take a look through it and
ask yourself, what is the researcher trying to find out? Surveys are very
useful to gather quantitative data. We have found that they are also a good way
of easing respondents in to answering more probing questions as everyone has
answered their basic information such as name, date of birth, a hundred times
before. For the drafting of your surveys, try to find accredited surveys that
have been tried and tested (and academically approved), which can usually be
found online. Some of the academic articles that you have read will also
contain the sample surveys that they have used which can clarify what questions
to ask. Else, you can draft your own questions.
Long
Interviews:
Long
interviews are a very beneficial qualitative research tool to probe deeper in
to people’s perceptions, understanding, thought-processes and prejudices which
you will not gage through a survey alone. For long interviews, we prepared a
list of prompts to conduct the interview but oftentimes, the conversation would
naturally evolve.
Focus
Groups:
Focus groups
are an excellent way to gage people’s reactions in a group setting. You decide
upon a theme that you wish to explore (such as caste) and then draft questions
to prompt the discussion. Focus groups are usually conducted with no more than
10 people sitting in a circle. One researcher leads the discussion as a
moderator and the other observes and takes note of the people’s answers and
also reactions. People reveal a lot in the form of their reactions and this can
be more tell-tale than the actual answers themselves. A moderator should ensure that the same
people are not dominating the conversation and that people who are more timid
should be asked to speak also. It is very important that researchers maintain a neutral stance during these discussions.
Observations
Observation
is just that – observing people and noting down your findings. The researcher
must adopt a neutral stance and be cognisant of their own biases. Try as far as
possible not to read your own meaning between the lines of people’s actions as
it could lead to erroneous conclusions.
Homestay:
Homestay is a technique where a researcher goes to live with the respondent for a period of time. This is
invaluable as it premised on the belief that people are more at ease and will
behave more naturally in their own home, thus opening up to the researcher and
giving them a holistic view of the person’s circumstances. Homestays allow you
to somewhat live the daily reality of the person whom you are researching and
provides a great deal more context. You cannot just ask someone if you can stay
with them, it is better to first build a rapport or go through an organisation
(if you are affiliated to one) which have long-standing relations with the
community. A researcher should always bear the costs of their stay to cover
food etc. The aim is to live and partake in the daily activities of the
household so as to gain a deeper understanding.
6. Ethics
Ethics are
an essential component of your research. It is imperative that each researcher
commits themselves to conducting their study as ethically and as sensitively as
possible. Confidentiality should be ensured at all times, sensitive questions
should be asked compassionately and data should be kept securely. Sometimes,
when you are recording interviews, a person may open up to you about sensitive
information, start to cry or disclose deeply personal things. These things can
be extremely pertinent to your research and you can be torn between wanting to
continue filming but at the same time, wanting to comfort the person and give
them their space and privacy to process their emotions. Your responsibility
should always be to the person that you are interviewing first and your
research second. Should you need to stop filming, take a call and stop there
and then, even if it means losing out on valuable data. Use this information that you gather to inform
your thinking rather than compromising the person’s privacy or identity. You should always
treat those around you with the utmost empathy and humanity.
7. Identify your Limitations
Identify the
limitations that you and your team have. A limitation could be if you are a
team of all men, conducting a study about women, you may assume that some women
will not be as comfortable opening up to you about sensitive information. It
may be, like us, as a team of three women, that travelling on trains for long
distances to unknown places can make us wary of our safety. It may be, like our
team, that since I am not a Hindi speaker, provisions have to be made so that I
am not left alone to conduct surveys. All teams will have some limitations.
Come up with a list and then figure out the best route to minimize them.
8. Plan
9. Minimize your ‘Otherness’
Without
making too many judgements about the community which you are going to, try to
think about how best to blend. If you are going to a rural community, think
about wearing ethnic dress. Be respectful of people’s customs so always carry
extra layers and shawls should you need to cover your hair. If the community is
not English speaking, think about minimizing your communication to each other
in English. Should you be arriving in cars to rural villages, ask to be dropped
a bit away from the village and walk in to the village. If they have laid out a
special place for you to sit, ask can you sit with everyone. We have found that
these measures greatly help in removing the barrier that exists when we are
received as guests.
10. Context is Everything
Anyone would be skeptical if someone arrived, whipped out a folder and started asking
a load of questions. Who are you? What is this information to be used for?
Spend the first 5 minutes talking about who you are, what the purpose of your
research is and how you are going to conduct the next 1 or 2 hours. Let them
know that they are not obliged to answer any questions that they do not want to
and that their answers will be kept confidentially and securely. Ask them if they
have any questions for you and facilitate the flow of interchange. There is
always anxiety in the initial stages of meeting, for the group and for the
researcher also, so starting this way does wonders for dispelling this anxiety,
which leads to better research outcomes.
11. Ice-breaker Sessions
Come up with
some creative ice-breaker sessions, which help people to loosen up. Ice-breaker
sessions which use names are particularly good for you to learn the names of
the people you are interviewing so that you can address them individually.
12. Data Collection
Have a
discussion as a team about how you are going to store the data that you have
collected. Usually, people input data on to Excel, but figure out a method that
works for you. Once you have a method, organize and categorize your data
meticulously. In my opinion, one person should take on this role and ensure
that they are kept up to date. Should you have a control and test group,
ensure that both sets of data are kept separately. You will thank yourself
later when it comes to analysing trends and patterns. Any interviews you take
should also be transcribed in to text. Transcribing an entire interview can
take a huge amount of time. If you are pressed for time, it is advisable to
listen back to the interview and only transcribe that which is relevant to your
work.
13. Expect the Unexpected
Despite
planning your sessions, you must be prepared for things to go off track or take
another direction. People can stray from the questions being asked of them and
there can be interruptions. Go with the flow and don’t be too strict on time or
sticking to the original format.
14. Give Back
Think of a
way in which you can present your research to those who were kind enough to
participate in it. Should the community be largely illiterate, think about
presenting it visually, such as in the form of a documentary.
15. Have fun!
Apart from
teaching me a whole set of skills, field work has given me the opportunity to
explore rural villages in Uttar Pradesh and to interact with a range of truly
inspiring women. I am deeply indebted to my team mates, Rabsimar and Isha, as
well as Swati, Monica and Ravi-ji of RGMVP, for supporting me on this journey.
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