Fieldwork and the Collaboration Process While Conducting Fieldwork, Essay Example

So far, I have learned a great deal in this class regarding fieldwork and the collaboration process while conducting fieldwork. I have learned how to gather data and analyze it, as well as which types of qualitative research is most effective to use in my leadership practice as a student and for my future professional experiences.

Qualitative research is defined in our text by Van Maanen as “interpretive techniques which seek to describe, decode, translate, and otherwise come to terms with the meaning, not the frequency, of certain more or less naturally occurring phenomena in the social world” (Merriam, 2009, p. 13). Qualitative research is ideally suited for social science fieldwork, and the many different methods of qualitative research allow a variety of analysis and research to be conducted. With the individual assignments and group field study project, I have learned the importance of qualitative methods, such as interview techniques and observation. Specifically, the individual assignments involving object observation and interviews have significantly helped me in my study. Also, having the group field study experience has not only improved my research skills, but also given me different perspectives on how qualitative research is conducted.

My characteristics and world-view has obviously shaped the way I see field study, and in turn shapes the way I would approach research methods. This is why it is important to study ethics in research and field study, because it is necessary to understand limitations and bias so the researcher can address these issues before beginning a project or study. This is also why team collaboration is so important, because working with others give better opportunity to uncover and rectify any of those types of issues.

References

Merriam, S. B. (2009). (2nd ed.) Qualitative Research A Guide to Design and Implementation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.