Assignment Instructions
SOCIOLOGY 331
RESEARCH METHODS
Assignment 2:Field Observation
Purpose: The purpose of this two-step exercise is for you to conduct
inductive and deductive research using qualitative methods.
Note: it is important that you conduct the observations as two distinct
events during this class; ‘recalling’ past observations is not the same as
purposefully observing your surroundings from a sociological perspective, and
applying two different types of reasoning to one observation will not be
‘truthful’ or successful.
The
purpose of this exercise if for you to observe one
social setting or social artifact to begin to detect patterns in human behavior
– observance of norms and potentially behaviors that deviate from the
norm. This week’s exercise includes two
parts. First, without any prep work, you
will need to go to one public place (or conduct content analysis with your
social artifact) and observe the people/artifact for 25 minutes. Social Setting: Note people’s behavior, their
demeanor, their reactions/interactions to/with each other. Social artifact: from second to second (for
TV), or page to page (for print), Note themes, sounds (i.. music), texture of
page (i.e. ads in magazine), etc.
Second, you will develop a research design with research problem,
hypothesis and operational definitions for variables; then you will conduct
another 25 minutes of observations.
Disclaimer
Originality of attachments will be verified
by Turnitin.
The
place I would like you to write about is Barnes and Noble (Fayetteville, NC).
It is one of my favorite places to go and I believe it would be interesting to
do an observation there. Of course I know you will not do the observation, but
anyway, I am sure you have been in one.
Part 1
1) Choose whether or not
you will be conducting non-participant observation in a social setting, or
content analysis of a social artifact
a. Social setting: this
should be a public place such as a park, mall, restaurant, etc.
b. Social artifact: this may be ads in a
particular magazine; one television show, a time-block of commercials, etc.
2) For your inductive
approach, you will simply choose a time and location/artifact for where you are
going to conduct your observations
3)
a. Social Setting: Go to
the specified location and proceed with your observations.
i.
You must be a keen social observer; a ‘peeping Tom’ in the sociological
sense. Take handwritten (recommended)
and/or mental notes of:
1. details about your
chosen location (time of day, lighting, furniture, plants, sounds, temperature,
smell, vibe/energy, etc)
2. the people around you,
not only their behavior but general information about their sociodemographic
characteristics (age, race/ethnicity, gender, SES, etc);
3. your thoughts and
feelings while making observations
Social Artifact: At a specified time (i.e.
when a particular show is), carefully observe your social artifact
i.
Content analysis provides a sustained, systematic way to observe and
measure the portrayal of that reality, as opposed to the quick, impressionistic
way that we normally read consume media.
Take handwritten notes of:
1. Details about the
setting in the images you see (lighting, furniture, background, vibe/energy
portrayed); if audio-visual (note sounds such as pitch of voice, music, etc)
2. Note details about the
people portrayed, not only their behavior but general information about their
sociodemographic characteristics (age, race/ethnicity, gender, SES, sexuality);
4) When you have returned
from you observation, type up your notes.
Review your notes for patterns in behavior, socio-demographic
characteristics, etc.
5) Write-up your
observations using ‘thick description’ of the location (i.e. building you were
in (what is the architecture like), descriptions of people there (in terms of
socio-demographic characteristics: age, race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic
status), sounds, smells, temperature, time of day and week, etc);
6) Analyze trends you
identified in your observations/content analysis. What is a possible sociological/theoretical
explanation for the trends you observed?
This is best done by using sources to provide credibility to your
analyses.
Part 2
7) Based on your initial
observations and written analyses, develop a specific research problem/question
to be further investigated (i.e. the variation in behavior of males versus
females when entering a store with a glass store front)
8) Identify the key
variables you are going to be investigating, and develop an operational
definition for each of them (this should
include at least two variables, but not more than four). Your operational
definitions will help to provide parameters for how record variations in your
observations.
9) Write a hypothesis for
what you expect to observe in your second round of observations.
10) Repeat observations/content
analysis
a. Social Setting – this
should be done at the same social setting at approximately the same time of day
(if you can do this one week later on the same day, it would be great!)
b. Social Artifact – this
should be done at the same time (if commercial block), or with the same show,
or with a different issue of the same magazine , etc.
11) When you have returned from
you observation, type up your notes.
Review your notes for patterns in behavior, socio-demographic
characteristics, etc. and how they corresponded with your
expectations/hypothesis
12) Describe observations using
‘thick description’ of the location (i.e. building you were in (what is the
architecture like), descriptions of people there (in terms of socio-demographic
characteristics: age, race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status), sounds,
smells, temperature, time of day and week, etc);
13) Analyze your observations in
terms of how they supported/did not support your hypothesis.
14) What is a possible
sociological/theoretical explanation for the trends you observed? This is best done by using sources to provide
credibility to your analyses.
15) Discuss the differences
between your inductive observations and your deductive observations. How did the way you were observing
change? How did what you observed
change?
16) Briefly describe your
thoughts/feelings in the two steps. Did
you prefer one approach to the other?
Why/why not?
Some
details about this Barnes and Noble in Fayetteville:
A lot of military (Fort Bragg is
10 minutes away)
There is not a lot to do in Fayetteville, so this a busy store,
especially the weekends.
The store could use a few more power outlets and comfortable chairs in
the Starbucks area.
Large selection of food and desserts at the Starbucks inside (including
Cheesecake Factory cheesecake!)
There are limited tables that have access to outlets for charging
electronics.
There is Great kid’s area with a full Thomas the train set table and
books. (Lots of kids there)
Very clean and organized store. The staff is very helpful.
The parking lot is small and kind of tight.
Saturdays or Sundays they have story time for kids.
The store does not have an outside sitting area.
The location is good (right off the highway and in a strip mall with
some other stores (golf, sporting goods, etc.?).
Google the store for some pictures so you can provide some details of
the architecture as well.
Thank you so much.
Hello,
I liked the way you answered my two
previous questions. I would like you to help me with this homework too
See attachment for instructions please.
Thank you
