Writing ethnographic field notes

Writing ethnographic field notes

1. Field notes in ethnographic research

   • Ethnographic research means studying a group of people about their everyday lifes
     • Entering in the group
       • By making part of the activities they do
       • To collect data
   • It requires getting close
     • Phisical proximity
     • Social proximity
       • Immersion
         • Participation
         • Experience
           • Participation
             • Being neutral, not interrupting in the activities nor judging them from own experiences
         • It is necessary to take into account that researcher's presence in those places has implications and consecuences that can affect the research
   • It is essential to reduce social discurse
     • Survey/questionnaires
     • Videos
     • Recording

2. In the field: participating, observing, and jotting notes

   • Participation
     • Discrimination
       • What
         • The inormation that is important to be collected or remembered to be written down later
       • How
         • The way the researcher writes the jottings
           • Materials
             • Notepads
             • Sheets of paper
             • Technological devises
             • Particular pens or pencils
               • The one they feel more comfortable with and allows them to jot the data in the fastest and most appropriate way
           • Strategies
             • Write down literally what they see or hear
             • Write especific words and actions observed
             • Create a private system of symbols and abbreviations
               • Not only to make it faster but also to make it incomprehensible for other people that could steal or take advantage of the collected data
       • When
         • The writing process can take time and may interrupt in-development activities what makes the researcher not see some important actions or, even make it disrespectful for the group of people being studied
   • Steps of participating in order to write
     • To take note of initial impressions
     • To focus on key events or incidents
     • To move beyond personal reactions
       • Open sensivity