Emotional Dynamics in Fieldwork With Racist Activists, Research Paper Example

The instrumentation

Given that this research project is meant to highlight greater understanding of the types of individuals who would be in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and also due to the fact that this stage of the project is constructed towards identifying the activists which would have to be targeted because they would contribute to education about police conduct and human rights, the research instrumentation would have to contain both a list of queries based on which the activists to be chosen and also a list of questions to ask the chosen activists during the interview. Some of the recent research papers on activists (Plous, 1991, Blee, 1998, Kirby, 2004) highlight such instruments are most efficient. While the first instrument should be more general, the other one ought to be more flexible, since the interview will take place in a more disorganized manner.

Hence, the list of queries could be consisted of closed questions which would make it easier to hierarchize the alleged activists. Not only will it be important to highlight what characteristics the activists should have (Is he/she interested in the black community or not? What actual projects he/she was involved in can stand proof? etc.), but it will also matter whether he/she is an opinion leader or not. Solomon (1976) discussed in more detail why being an opinion leader in this community matters. Thereof, this first instrument could be comprised of yes/no questions. On the other hand, the second instrument should leave more room for conversation. Since this step is consisted of an in-depth interview, it is clear that the answer to the question will be elaborated. This means that the interviewer should be ready to adapt himself/herself to the conversation, which means that he/she must be ready to receive the answer to another question while discussing another one and, therefore, should be able to stay focused on receiving the information needed for the project. The questionnaire should not contain more than 10-12 questions which should be structured attentively. And by that I mean that each question should prepare the other one and should also be able to highlight personal information as well as professional.

Reliability and validity of the instruments

The validity of the instruments depends on the scholar who creates the questionnaires. These should be constructed clearly and should help identify the characteristics looked for in the activists. The reliability, on the other hand, depends both on the care given towards the questionnaire and the capabilities of the interviewer of keeping the discussion organized towards obtaining the required information. In other words, the first instrument is highly relative to the capability of the researcher of identifying exactly the characteristics which are relevant and the second one is both relative to the quality of the questions and to the ability of the researcher of helping the activist provide relevant facts about his/her appropriateness for the research project.

Instrument modifications

In order to realize a relevant research paper, it is compulsory that the scholar tests the instruments prior to applying them effectively. Thereof, as the two questionnaires are completed, they should be applied in a mock session which should highlight the pros and cons. This way, they will be able to edit the unclear information is, relevant or appropriate. In other words, the first instrument modifications should interfere after the testing of the instruments.

On the other hand, the interviewer should be able to stay focused during the interview in so far as to be able to adapt himself/herself to the situation. No problem should be raised if the questions were not asked in the exact order or if they were asked in different words. As long as the information is obtained, the interview could be restructured on location.

References

Blee, K. M. (1998). White-knuckle research: Emotional dynamics in fieldwork with racist activists. Qualitative Sociology, 21(4), 381-399.

Kirby, S. (2004). A historical perspective on the contrasting experiences of nurses as research subjects and research activists. International journal of nursing practice, 10(6), 272-279.

Plous, S. (1991). An attitude survey of animal rights activists. Psychological Science, 2(3), 194-196.

Solomon, B. B. (1976). Black empowerment: Social work in oppressed communities.