24  

   

 

Chapter  3    

Creating  Your  Fieldwork  Project  Plan  

   

     

Introduction    In  Part  II,  let’s  plan  your  fieldwork  project.  There  are  a  number  of  different  elements  to  this:     your  ‘I  want  to  know  …’  research  statements     what  research  context  to  focus  on     who  your  participants  will  be,  and  how  you  will  find  them     how  to  ask  your  participants  for  their  consent  to  participate  in  your  project     what  data  to  gather     how  to  gather  and  analyze  that  data     how  to  manage  your  data     how  to  present  your  results      Chapter  walks  you  through  making  these  decisions.  Most  of  these  decisions  are  guided  by  common  sense.  Note  that  all  of  these  decisions  should  be  thoughtfully  connected,  so  that  all  the  different  parts  of  your  fieldwork  project  hang  together  logically.  

  25  

Your  ‘I  want  to  know  …’  research  statements    From  Your  Sempai:  Fieldwork  begins  with  decisions  –  choose  a  topic,  decide  how  you  will  collect  your  data,  determine  your  participants  will  be.  This  was  honestly  the  most  difficult  part  of  fieldwork  for  me.  I  had  to  choose  one  little  topic  out  of  a  world  of  possibilities.  Needless  to  say,  it  sucked.  Really  bad.  Once  I  had  chosen  on  topic,  though,  I  felt  a  sense  of  excitement.  I  could  finally  start  the  process.      Discussion:    Your  topic:        I  want  to  know  …  statements:    1.        2.        3.        I  will  collect  data  by  …    reading  documents:  (which  ones?)        interviewing:     informal  interviewing  (who?)           formal  interviewing  (who?)          observing:  (what?  where?  when?)      

  26  

   

 

Chapter  4    

Your  Participants:    

The  People  in  Your  Project  

       

  27  

What  makes  a  ‘good’  participant’?    Discussion:       What  do  you  think  makes  a  ‘good’  participant?    Your  participants  are  crucial  to  your  fieldwork  project.  With  good  participants,  you  can  have  a  delightful  experience  and  learn  a  lot  about  your  research  topic.  Without  good  participants,  your  project  cannot  happen.  So,  what  makes  a  good  participant?  They  should  be:       informed  –  they  know  about  the  topic  or  they  have  relevant  experiences.       reflective  –  they  can  reflect  about  who  they  are  and  their  experiences.       communicative  –  they  are  willing  –  and  able  –  to  communicate  and  share  their  

experiences  with  you.  They  are  often  described  as  an  insider  who  can  easily  communicate  with  outsiders;  in  particular,  they  able  to  simplify  their  language  for  you.  

               

What  are  the  characteristics  of  many  Japanese  participants?    Discussion:       How  would  you  describe  Japanese  participants?    As  you  will  soon  discover,  Japanese  participants  are  not  like  participants  from  Western  cultures.  Your  sempai  have  observed  that,  on  the  whole,  Japanese  participants  can  be  challenging  to  have  because:         prefer  an  introduction  –  they  are  generally  very  reticent  to  help  without  one.       need  orientation  information  –  they  would  like  to  know  how  long  an  interview  is  going  

to  be,  the  topics  covered,  and  so  on,  beforehand.       might  only  want  to  meet  once  –  they  are  often  unsure  about  what  the  relationship  

means,  as  they  may  not  be  used  to  participating  in  such  projects.       might  want  to  ‘essentialize’  Japan  –  they  often  uncritically  use  terms,  expressions,  and  

perspectives  commonly  heard  in  the  media  and  their  education  to  describe  Japan  and  Japanese  culture  e.g.  Japan  is  a  unique  country  and  a  unique  culture  /  Japan  has  a  long  special  history  /  Japan  is  an  island  country  /  Japan  has  a  special  sensitivity  to  nature  /  the  four  seasons/  Japanese  snow  is  different  to  snow  in  other  countries  /  Japanese  stomachs  are  unique  /  and  so  on.  

    might  ‘sanitize’  Japan  for  foreigners  –  many  Japanese  people  feel  that  they  should  only  

present  positive  images  to  other  countries.    

  28  

  might  offer  very  gendered  perspectives  –  Japan  is  a  much  more  gendered  country  than  Western  countries,  so  your  participants  might  offer  very  gendered  perspectives,  and  very  uncritically.  

    might  seem  remarkably  uncritical  and  uninformed  –  as  they  have  had  few  experiences  

in  their  education  that  requires  them  to  construct  or  critically  evaluate  arguments.  Also,  many  of  my  Japanese  students,  even  those  in  policy  studies,  do  not  read  any  newspapers.  Japanese  mass  media  tends  to  be  rather  uncritical  of  prevailing  norms.  

    might  see  chatting  with  you  as  an  opportunity  to  practice  their  English  –  which,  if  you  

prefer  to  do  your  fieldwork  in  English  can  work  to  your  advantage.  However,  when  setting  up  an  interview,  make  sure  that  you  specify  which  language  you  would  like  to  speak.  

      On  the  other  hand,  Japanese  participants  can  also  be  extremely  generous  with  their  time,  trusting,  and  willing  to  open  their  communities  and  their  lives  to  your  scrutiny.  As  one  of  your  sempai  noted,  “The  best  part  about  this  project  has  been  having  the  opportunity  to  make  some  really  great  connections  with  people.”  Helen  Hardacre  (2003),  another  eminent  fieldworker  who  studies  Japanese  religions,  notes  that  fieldwork  is  not  necessarily  a  one-­‐off,  never  to  be  repeated  experience  with  a  particular  group  of  people.  Instead,  contacts  and  friendships  formed  in  the  field  can  and  should  be  carefully  preserved  in  order  to  maintain  openness  to  future  researchers.  If  these  pragmatic  reasons  were  not  sufficient,  it  has  usually  been  my  experience  that  genuine  friendships  arise  spontaneously  in  the  course  of  fieldwork,  and  that  it  is  one  of  life's  greatest  satisfactions  to  go  through  life  together  with  those  who  have  provided  one  the  opportunity  to  study  living  religions.        

Finding  participants    Finding  participants  for  a  fieldwork  project  can  be  one  of  the  most  difficult  and  time-­‐consuming  aspects.    However,  I  am  here  to  help  you,  and  to  provide  initial  introductions  for  those  of  you  who  need  them.  Introductions  are  very  important  in  Japan:  as  Bestor  et  al.  (2003)  note,  such  introductions  involve  the  standard  Japanese  cultural  practice  of  borrowing  trust  from  other  people  in  order  to  gain  access  to  a  new  situation.  This  carries  complex  obligations  to  act  responsibly  and  not  misused  or  damage  the  trust.  The  person  providing  an  introduction  is  –  in  a  very  real  cultural  sense  –  accepting  the  role  of  social  guarantor.       Beyond  the  people  who  will  provide  you  with  introductions,  there  are  also  gatekeepers  –  people  who  decide  whether  or  not  you  will  be  able  to  enter  a  particular  research  context.  Examples  of  gatekeepers  would  be  principals  of  schools,  captains  of  university  clubs,  leaders  of  social  groups,  and  the  owners  or  managers  of  small  shops.  Gatekeepers  are  sometimes  referred  to  tongue  in  cheek  as  ‘fate-­‐keepers’,  as  they  are  the  ones  who  will  determine  your  access  to  participants.       It  is  important  to  find  the  best  participants  that  you  can.  Joy  Hendry,  one  of  Japan’s  most  well  known  anthropologists,  suggests  that  you  should  be  more  patient  than  she  was  in  making  sure  that  your  initial  arrangements  are  carefully  made.  That  may  seem  frustrating  at  the  time,  but  it  is  worth  waiting  for  in  order  to  establish  total  acceptability  within  the  community  that  live  in  your  field,  as  this  is  where  the  important  detailed  work  will  take  place.    

  29  

  There  are  a  number  of  different  strategies  you  can  use  to  select  your  participants:         random  sampling  –  this  is  rarely  used  in  fieldwork,  as  you  are  usually  not  

seeking  to  be  representative  so  as  to  be  able  to  generalize  to  other  populations  but  rather  to  obtain  a  deep,  narrow  understanding  of  a  particular  community  or  context.  

      convenience  sampling  –  you  ask  the  closest  and  most  convenient  people  around  

you  to  be  your  participants.  This  has  the  advantage  of  being  an  easy  way  to  find  participants;  however,  you  are  also  limited  to  the  people  that  you  know,  who  might  not  be  the  most  suitable.  One  of  your  sempai  notes:  decide  on  participants  carefully  –  do  not  base  them  on  convenience  and  unless  you  are  ready  for  the  trouble  that  comes  with  it!  

      snowball  sampling  –  once  you  do  find  a  few  good  participants,  then  you  ask  

them  to  introduce  you  to  other  similar  participants,  specifying  the  criteria  that  you  are  using.  This  has  the  advantage  of  using  established  social  networks  to  find  further  participants,  which  can  be  both  fast  and  also  revealing  of  the  relationships  that  exist  within  your  field.  

      purposive  sampling  –  this  is  the  most  common  sampling  strategy.  You  use  

specific  criteria,  such  as  membership  of  a  particular  group,  having  had  certain  experiences,  gender,  and  so  on.  It  is  sensible  to  make  these  decisions  very  carefully.  

      Discussion:       1.  Describe  the  types  of  participants  that  you  would  like  to  have  in  your  fieldwork  

project.       2.  Explain  how  you  will  find  them,  stating  which  sampling  strategies  you  plan  to  use.        

Developing  trusting  relationships  with  participants       Discussion:       1.  How  do  you  think  that  you  can  develop  trusting  relationships  with  your  

participants?       2.  If  you  were  a  participant  in  a  fieldwork  project,  how  would  you  expect  the  

researcher  to  behave?  What  behavior  would  make  you  less  trusting?      Developing  trusting  relationships  with  your  participants  is  essential,  particularly  if  you  are  researching  a  group  or  a  relatively  small  community.  Here  are  a  few  simple  guidelines  to  keep  in  mind:      

  30  

  relationships  with  your  participants  are  more  important  than  your  research  –  the  ends  do  not  justify  the  mans.  

    fully  explain  your  research  –  to  your  participants  before  beginning  (see  the  next  

section).  Do  not  do  ‘hit  and  run’  fieldwork  –  also  called  ‘smash  and  grab’  research.       always  be  honest  –  never  deceive  your  participants,  and  never  ‘create’  data.       make  promises  carefully  –  and  keep  them.  Be  on  time  to  meetings,  bring  what  you’ve  

promised  to  bring,  and  only  explore  what  you’ve  promised  to  explore.       keep  confidences  completely  –  particularly  if  you  are  exploring  sensitive  issues,  or  a  

community  of  people,  do  not  tell  anyone,  and  particularly  other  participants,  what  someone  has  told  you,  even  if  they  ask  you  directly.  

    check  with  your  participants  –  at  each  step  of  the  way  that  they  are  okay  with  the  

process,  and  whether  they  are  comfortable  or  have  any  questions.  Just  because  a  participant  has  agreed  to  participate  once  does  not  mean  that  they  agree  to  everything.  Consent  needs  to  be  constantly  renewed,  and  occasionally  renegotiated  if  your  topic  changes  slightly  or  your  fieldwork  project  evolves.  

    do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  done  to  yourself  –  if  in  any  doubt,  follow  theis  golden  

rule  of  research.  Remember  that    you  are  not  only  representing  yourself,  but  also  all  fieldwork  researchers  throughout  the  world,  particularly  future  students  taking  this  class.  

   

Ethical  Research    

Ethical  research  “protects  the  well-­‐being  and  interests  of  research  participants”  (Stringer,  2008).  At  Nanzan  University,  there  is  a  Committee  for  Research  Screening,  similar  to  the  Institutional  Review  Boards  (IRBs)  at  North  American  universities,  which  evaluates  proposals  for  research  conducted  by  students  and  faculty.  Our  class  doing  fieldwork  projects  has  been  approved  by  the  Committee;  as  a  second  step,  each  of  your  project  proposals  is  also  individually  considered  by  the  Center  for  Japanese  Studies,  and  approved.         On  the  next  page  is  the  official  permission  to  do  our  fieldwork  projects  from  the  Committee  for  Research  Screening;  on  the  following  two  pages  are  the  documents  you  actually  use:     Research  Explanation  form  –  this  form  explains  your  fieldwork  project  to  your  

participants;  they  keep  this  form.     Consent  Form  –  this  indicates  that  participants  have  agreed  to  join  your  fieldwork  

project;  participants  sign  it  and  return  it  to  you.  

  31  

   

倫理審査結果通知書 2013年 7月 25日

Robert Croker 様

南山大学研究審査委員会

委員長 丸山 雅夫

（印省略）

受付番号：13-027

課 題 名：Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan I:Class Application

研究実施者名：総合政策学部総合政策学科教授 Robert Croker

研究責任者名：同上

上記研究計画等については、南山大学研究審査委員会の審議に基づき下記のとおり決定

しましたことを通知いたします。

記

判

定 結

果

承 認 （承認番号：13F-026

条件付承認（承認番号： － ）

要再申請

不承認

保留

備

考

・調査終了後、同意書の写しを研究審査委員会事務局（教育・研究支援事務室）

に提出すること。

以 上

  32  

   

Research Explanation – Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan

Researcher Name: Nanzan University (student number) (student name) Research Title: (student’s mini-project title) Instructor: Robert Croker, Professor, Faculty of Policy Studies, Nanzan University Research outline: (1) Research Purpose Thank you for considering participating in this research project. It is part of a Nanzan University course in the Center for Japanese Studies, ‘Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan’. The purpose of this course is to learn how to do fieldwork research, through completing a mini-project. The topic of my mini-project is (short explanation of student’s mini-project topic). (2) Research Method I would like to interview you individually once or twice for about 30 minutes to one hour about my research topic. With your permission, I may record the interview. I will analyze the information you provide using simple thematic and statistical methods. (3) Release of Results I will give a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation to the others students in the Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan class in the final class in December 2014. I will also write a 2500-word fieldwork report or create a password-protected web page in December 2014. The instructor may show my PowerPoint presentation, class report and web page to students of future Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan classes.

Protecting your personal information: I understand that you may be worried about how I will handle the information that you share with me. I will use a number of strategies to protect your personal information and your privacy. I will protect your identity by not writing your name or the names of people that you say while I take notes in the interview; instead, I will create new, different names, and use these in my fieldnotes, class presentation, class report, and web page. No photos that could identify you will be used in the class presentation, class report, and web page. I will keep all the information I collect in a ‘research folder’ in a locked drawer in the dormitory or homestay. All electronic data will be on a password-protected memory stick that I also keep in this locked drawer; no data will be kept on my computer hard-drive. At the end of the Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan course in December 2014, all data will be securely destroyed. Physical data will be securely shredded, and electronic data securely deleted. I will complete a checklist and submit this to the course instructor, to show that I’ve done this. If you have any concerns about how I will handle the information that you provide in your interview, please feel free to discuss this with me at any time.

Impact and safety management: In the interview, the questions that I would like to ask you are not designed to get you to explore painful or distressing memories or experiences. However, please let me know if you sense that a question or topic may do so, and only answer questions that you feel will you can answer comfortably. You have the right not to answer any question, to stop the interview at any point, and to withdraw from this mini-project at any time.

  33  

     The  process  for  obtaining  consent  from  your  participants  is  straightforward.  First,  give  your  participants  the  two-­‐page  Research  Explanation  form.  This  form  briefly  introduces  your  fieldwork  project,  and  explains  how  you  will  protect  your  participants’  personal  information.  Note  that  your  participants  keep  this  form,  so  you  need  to  fill  in  all  of  the  information  before  you  give  it  to  them.  Tell  your  participants  that  if  they  do  not  understand  anything,  then  they  should  stop  and  ask  you  what  it  means.  Wait  quietly  while  they  read  over  the  form.         After  the  participant  has  finished  reading  the  form,  ask  them  again  if  they  have  any  questions.  If  they  do,  then  answer  them;  if  not,  then  give  them  the  consent  form,  which  is  on  the  next  page.    Again,  note  that  your  participants  keep  this  Research  Explanation  form,  so  do  not  get  it  back  from  them.       Again,  fill  in  all  of  the  possible  information  on  the  consent  form  before  you  give  it  to  your  participants.  The  participants  should  tick  all  of  the  boxes,  then  complete  the  information  at  the  bottom  of  the  form.  Then  take  the  consent  form  from  your  participants,  as  you  need  to  put  this  in  your  research  portfolio,  and  also  make  a  copy  for  me  to  submit  to  the  Nanzan  University  Research  Support  Office.              

Research Explanation: Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan Page 2 of 2

Informed consent: �� my participation in this research is voluntary �� I will not be disadvantaged by choosing not to participate in this research project �� I will have the opportunity to discuss with the researcher what information I provide before

participating in the research project �� only the information that I want kept will be kept �� I will be able to view my data if I so request �� information that I share with the researcher will not be provided to a third party without my permission �� I will able to withdraw my agreement to participate in this research project at any stage verbally or in

writing, even after agreeing to participate �� I will not be disadvantaged in any way by withdrawing from this research project �� my data will immediately be destroyed upon my withdrawal from this research project �� all of my personal data will be securely destroyed in December 2014 at the end of the Fieldwork

Research Methods for Japan course, except for the presentation, report, and web-page

Explained by (name of researcher) ____________________________________________________

to (name of the participant) ____________________________________________________

on (date) __________________________________

at (location) ____________________________________________________

Research supervision: If you have any further questions about this ‘Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan’ class, or about this mini-project, please contact: Robert Croker, Professor, Faculty of Policy Studies, Nanzan University 090-3953-9639 or <croker@nanzan-u.ac.jp>

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Consent Form – Fieldwork Research Methods for Japan On the Research Explanation, I have received a written explanation about the research project entitled _____________________________________________________________________________________ from ___________________________________________________ on _____________________, 2014 at ________________________________. I understand the purpose of the research, how the research will be conducted and the results released, and how my personal information will be managed and protected. I agree to participate in this project, by providing the personal information requested of me.

Please tick the boxes to indicate that have received an explanation and understand that issue:

� � Research outline �� the research purpose and research design, and how information will be collected �� the method of releasing the results �� what information the researcher would like me to provide

�� Methods of protecting personal information �� it is necessary to gather personal information �� this information will be appropriately stored and managed

�� Safety management

�� any possible mental impact and pain, or risks involved, will be minimized

�� Informed consent

�� Participation in this research is voluntary. �� There is no problem if I do not participate in this research. �� I will have the opportunity to discuss with the researcher what information I provide before

participating in the research project.

�� Only the information that I want kept will be kept. �� I will be able to view my data if I want to. �� Information that I share with the researcher will not be provided to a third party without my

permission.

�� I will able to withdraw my agreement to participate in this research project at any stage verbally or in writing, even after agreeing to participate.

�� I will not be disadvantaged in any way by withdrawing from this research project. �� My data will immediately be destroyed upon my withdrawal from this research project. �� All of my personal data will be securely destroyed in December 2014 at the end of the Fieldwork

Research Methods course, except for the presentation, report and web-page.

Name: ____________________________________________ Signature: _____________________ [Student No.: ____________________________] Contact Phone No.: ______________________ Date: __________________________________

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Voices  of  Experiences    

Here  are  some  comments  that  your  sempai  and  other  researchers  have  made  about  participants:  Using  my  host  family  as  participants  was  difficult,  because  I  found  it  very  difficult  to  live  with  the  ones  you  are  trying  to  observe  and  research  as  you  are  constantly  surrounded  by  possible  data.  I  was  constantly  thinking,  how  does  this  relate  to  my  research?  Likewise,  I  always  felt  themselves  walking  on  eggshells  with  them.  I  was  worried  about  ruining  my  relationship  with  them.  However,  this  just  may  be  more  conscious  and  taught  me  a  major  lesson:  decide  on  participants  carefully  –  do  not  base  them  on  convenience  and  unless  you  are  ready  for  the  trouble  that  comes  with  it!    Bestor,  T.  C.,  Steinhoff,  P.  G.,  &  Bestor,  V.  L.  (Eds.).  (2003).  Introduction:  Doing  Fieldwork  in  Japan.  In  T.  C.  Bestor,  P.  G.  Steinhoff,  &  V.  L.  Bestor  (Eds.).  Doing  Fieldwork  in  Japan.  Honolulu:  University  of  Hawai’i  Press.  pp.  1-­‐17.  Researchers  also  might  have  problems  dealing  with  the  expectations  of  participants.  For  example,  religious  organisations  seek  converts,  and  bureaucratic  organisations  put  pressure  on  researchers  to  produce  only  favourable  reports.  …  Many  researchers  have  developed  strategies  to  show  their  gratitude  to  participants  and  organisations  are  making  their  research  possible,  without  compromising  their  position  as  objective  researchers.    White,  M.  I.  (2003).  Taking  note  of  teen  culture  in  Japan:  Dear  diary,  dear  fieldworker.  In  T.  C.  Bestor,  P.  G.  Steinhoff,  &  V.  L.  Bestor  (Eds.).  Doing  Fieldwork  in  Japan.  Honolulu:  University  of  Hawai’i  Press.  pp.  21-­‐35.  On  the  face  of  it,  Japanese  teens  still  belong  primarily  to  home  and  school.  They  are  still  referred  to  in  official  culture  via  a  year  in  secondary  school  and  in  traditional  family  settings  by  their  place  in  the  sibling  order.  This  is  in  contrast  to  America,  where  a  teenager  is  defined  by  a  collection  of  traits  and  behaviours  attached  to  an  age  stage  more  independent  of  these  institutions.  There  is  an  apparent  lack  in  Japan  of  such  a  generic  notion  of  the  team.  For  example,  Japanese  high  school  students  are  still  referred  to  as  “kodomo”  (children).    Hardacre,  H.  (2003).  Fieldwork  with  Japanese  religious  groups.  In  T.  C.  Bestor,  P.  G.  Steinhoff,  &  V.  L.  Bestor  (Eds.).  Doing  Fieldwork  in  Japan.  Honolulu:  University  of  Hawai’i  Press.  pp.  71-­‐88.  The  researcher’s  role  it  is  often  seen  by  the  host  as  childlike,  uninformed,  and  in  need  of  instruction.  It  is  vital  to  accept  this  role  sincerely;  if  one  does,  all  doors  can  open.  Refuse  or  distribute  it,  and  all  doors  close.    The  challenge  for  the  research  is  to  communicate  empathy,  to  come  across  as  someone  your  participants  trusts  who  will  receive  their  experiences  with  respect  and  a  sincere  desire  to  understand.    McConnell,  D.  L.  (2003).  JET  lag:  Studying  a  multilevel  program.  In  T.  C.  Bestor,  P.  G.  Steinhoff,  &  V.  L.  Bestor  (Eds.).  Doing  Fieldwork  in  Japan.  Honolulu:  University  of  Hawai’i  Press.  pp.  124-­‐138.  Fieldwork  often  involves  tension  between  juggling  the  role  of  researcher  and  that  of  friend  since  our  research  is  not  so  easily  separated  from  our  lives.  Obviously,  my  varied  group  of  “friends”  did  not  always  see  eye  to  eye,  and  I  learned  early  the  importance  of  keeping  “officially”  neutral  on  key  points  of  contention  while  becoming  a  bit  of  a  chameleon  (i.e.  lending  a  seemingly  sympathetic  ear  to  each  individual)  in  private  conversations.    

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Chapter  5    

Managing  Your  Research:                    

Staying  Organized    

     

Introduction    Fieldwork  can  get  messy.  You  collect  information  from  different  sources  –  different  participants,  various  groups  or  organizations,  and  a  variety  of  books.  You  also  collect  information  in  different  ways  –  by  observing,  interviewing,  reading,  and  surveying  –  and  you  might  observe  or  interview  someone  more  than  once.  Moreover,  your  fieldwork  project  continues  over  three  months,  and  you  usually  collect  data  irregularly,  depending  on  the  schedules  of  your  participants.  To  keep  on  top  of  this  mountain  of  information,  it  is  helpful  to  have  a  system  to  manage  your  data  before  you  start  your  fieldwork.  This  chapter  introduces  three:  a  data  catalog  system,  a  research  sheet,  and  a  fieldwork  portfolio.  

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Data  Catalog  System    

It  is  important  to  efficiently  keep  track  of  all  of  your  data.  Nothing  is  more  frustrating  than  having  to  look  through  a  lot  of  data  to  find  something.  The  best  solution  is  to  immediately  catalog  each  piece  of  data  as  you  gather  it,  using  a  data  catalog  system.  This  system  should  be  simple,  intuitive,  and  easy  to  use.  Each  fieldwork  researcher  develops  their  own,  but  here  is  one  that  you  might  find  useful  for  your  first  fieldwork  project.  It  consists  of  four  elements  –  who  you  collected  your  data  from,  how  you  collected  them,  how  many  times  from  that  participant,  and  finally  the  date  when  you  collected  them.  For  example:    

P2-­‐Int3-­‐141025    This  number  indicates  that  on  October  25  in  2014,  you  interviewed  participant  number  two  for  the  third  time:  

To  record  …   write  …   which  means  …  from  whom   P2   participant  #2  

how   Int   interview  how  many  times   3   the  third  interview  

when   141025   October  25,  2014    Let’s  consider  each  type  of  information  in  turn.      from  whom:  The  simplest  system  is  just  to  use  ‘P’  to  represent  participant,  but  other  possible  

abbreviations  include:     F   female     M   male       T   teacher   FS   female  student          MS    male  student                  Ss                students       C   club  captain   M   club  manager                F    female  player                M              male  player    how:  There  are  many  different  ways  to  gather  your  data  in  fieldwork,  but  the  main  ones  that  we  are  using  in  our  fieldwork  project  include:     Int   an  interview     Obs   an  observation     Que   a  questionnaire     Foc   a  focus  group     Rec   a  recording    how  many  times:  This  notes  how  many  times  you  have  gathered  data  from  that  participant  

using  one  form  of  data  gathering.  If  it  is  the  first  time  then  use  1,  the  second  time  then  use  2,  and  so  on.  

 when:  The  date  is  indicated  using  the  Japanese  time  system:  year-­‐month-­‐date.  This  is  very  

convenient,  as  when  you  put  your  data  numbers  in  numerical  order  you  will  also  put  them  in  chronological  order.    

           

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Task:    Here  are  some  examples.  Try  and  work  out  what  each  one  means,  then  check  your  answers  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  page:       P1-­‐Int2-­‐120701     participant  #1’s  second  interview,  1st  July  2012       P4-­‐Obs1-­‐130316     participant  #4’s  first  observation,  16th  March  2013       Ss-­‐Que1-­‐150108     students’  first  questionnaire,  8th  January  2015       Fs-­‐Foc2-­‐131219     females’  second  focus  group,  19th  December  2013       P4-­‐Rec3-­‐140605     participant  #4’s  third  recording,  5th  June  2014    This  is  just  a  suggested  system  –  develop  one  that  works  for  you.    Documents:  Documents  are  slightly  different  to  these  other  forms  of  data:  it  is  not  when  we  collected  them  that  is  usually  important.  Rather,  the  author  and  the  date  that  they  were  written  is  usually  more  important.  If  I  know  the  name  of  the  person  who  wrote  the  document  (such  as  a  book  or  journal  article),  then  I  prefer  to  keep  them  in  alphabetical  order,  such  as:     Bailey  (1996)     Fetterman  (2010)     Omohundro  (2008)    However,  it  is  often  difficult  to  know  who  wrote  a  document,  particularly  if  it  is  a  written  by  a  group  such  as  a  volunteer  circle  or  school  club.  In  that  case,  you  could  order  them  in  terms  of  when  you  gathered  them,  or  alphabetically,  or  topically.      To  keep  on  top  of  what  you  are  gathering,  I  suggest  that  you  maintain  a  list  of  your  data  as  you  collect  it.  A  handy  place  to  keep  that  is  in  the  front  of  your  fieldwork  portfolio.  

   

Research  Sheets    

As  soon  as  possible  after  you  have  collected  your  information,  you  should  sit  down  and  explore  how  these  data  can  help  you  answer  your  ‘I  want  to  know  …’  statements.  Ideally,  this  should  be  immediately  after  you  collect  your  data  –  preferably  by  the  end  of  that  day,  and  at  the  latest  within  a  few  days.  One  way  to  help  you  get  your  head  around  your  data  is  to  summarize  them  on  research  sheets.      

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!

Research!Sheet:!The!Data!!Date!/!Time!/!Location:!! ! ! Data!collection!method:!!!Participant(s):!!!!!!Keywords:!!!Summary!of!the!data:!!!!!!!!!!!!My!reflection!or!interpretation!of!the!data:!!!!!!!!What!did!I!learn!(that!can!help!me!understand!my!research!focus!or!answer!my!research!questions)?!!!!!!!!!!What!questions!do!I!want!to!explore!next?!!!!!!!!!!How!can!I!explore!and!answer!those!questions?!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [1]: Date!/!Time!/!Location:!The!date,!time!and!location!where!you!created!the!data,!not!when!you!wrote!this!research!sheet.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:23 PMComment [2]: Data!collection!method:!!How!you!collected!your!data:!observation,!questionnaire,!histories,!interviews,!etc.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [3]: Participants:!!It’s!best!to!begin!anonymizing!your!data!immediately!from!now,!so!here!either!use!pseudonyms!or!research!numbers.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [4]: Keywords:!!Decide!on!your!keywords!and!keep!a!list!of!them.!If!you!consistently!write!your!keywords!here,!it!will!make!it!easy!for!you!to!find!data!that!you!are!looking!for.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [5]: Summary!of!the!data:!!This!should!be!only!a!summary!of!the!data!you!collected.!It!is!not!your!interpretation!M!that!goes!in!the!next!section.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [6]: My!reflection!or!interpretation!of!the!data:!!Here,!write!your!opinion!about!the!data!that!you!created.!You!can!explore!your!ideas!here.!You!can!write!sentences,!bullet!points!or!memos,!mindMmaps,!or!any!other!way!that!helps!you!think!about!your!data.!It!also!helps!to!discuss!your!ideas!with!others.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [7]: What!did!I!learn?:!!Tie!what!you’ve!learned!back!to!your!research!questions!or!research!focus.!This!helps!you!to!stay!on!track.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [8]: What!questions!do!I!want!to!explore!next?:!!Often,!many!new!questions!arise!as!you!do!your!research.!This!is!a!space!for!you!to!write!these!questions,!and!plan!the!next!step(s)!of!your!research.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [9]: How!can!I!explore!and!answer!these!questions?!!This!section!helps!you!plan!the!next!step(s)!in!your!research.!e.g.!interview!another!student,!observe!something!in!particular!in!your!class,!run!a!questionnaire.!

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!Reflection:!The!Research!Process!

!What!went!well?!!!!!!!!!!!!What!didn’t!go!well?!!!!!!!!!!!!What!would!I!do!differently!next!time?!!!!!!!!!!!!What!have!I!learned!about![e.g.!interviewing!/!doing!observations]!this!time?!!!!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [10]: Reflection:!The!Research!Sheet!focuses!upon!the!‘what’!of!your!research;!the!Reflection!focuses!upon!the!‘how’!of!your!research.!It!is!a!space!for!you!to!reflect!about!how!you!are!developing!as!a!researcher,!and!how!you!can!become!a!better!one.!!Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [11]: What!went!well?!!Here,!reflect!about!what!went!well!for!you,!such!as!managing!the!interview!well,!being!a!good!listener,!and!so!on.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [12]: What!didn’t!go!well?!!Here,!reflect!about!what!didn’t!go!well!for!you!this!time.!This!will!help!you!to!avoid!having!the!same!problems!next!time.!!This!question!is!tied!to!the!next!one.!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [13]: What!would!I!do!differently!next!time?:!!This!question!is!a!space!for!you!to!prepare!yourself!to!be!a!better!researcher!next!time.!Thinking!carefully!about!your!answer!to!this!question!will!help!you!develop!and!mature!as!a!researcher.!!

Robert Croker� 9/17/12 1:22 PMComment [14]: What!have!I!learned!this!time?!This!question!is!an!extension!of!the!last!three!questions,!and!helps!you!become!a!more!reflective!researcher.!!

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Research  Sheet:  The  Data    Date  /  Time  /  Location:         Data  collection  method:      Participant(s):            Keywords:      Summary  of  the  data:                        My  reflection  or  interpretation  of  the  data:                What  did  I  learn  (that  can  help  me  understand  my  research  focus  or  answer  my  research  questions)?                    What  questions  do  I  want  to  explore  next?                    How  can  I  explore  and  answer  those  questions?  

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Reflection:  The  Research  Process    What  went  well?                        What  didn’t  go  well?                        What  would  I  do  differently  next  time?                        What  have  I  learned  about  [e.g.  interviewing  /  doing  observations]  this  time?                  

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Fieldwork  Portfolio    

Another  way  to  help  you  organize  your  data  is  to  keep  all  of  your  data  and  notes  in  a  folder  or  fieldwork  portfolio.  You  have  seen  your  sempai’s  portfolios,  and  you  can  see  that  they  are  very  well  organized.  For  our  fieldwork  project,  a  portfolio  with  about  32  or  40  plastic  pockets  is  sufficient.         At  the  front  of  the  portfolio,  keep  your  class  materials  such  as  the  class  schedule  and  important  information  relevant  to  your  project,  such  as  your  fieldwork  research  plan,  your  list  of  data,  and  your  participant  list.  In  each  pocket  in  the  middle  section  of  the  portfolio,  put  one  research  sheet  and  the  associated  data,  such  as  observation  field  notes,  interview  notes,  questionnaires,  and  documents.  Next,  put  articles  that  you  have  read,  in  order  of  the  first  author’s  family  name.  At  the  back  of  the  portfolio,  put  your  report,  a  copy  of  your  PowerPoint  slides,  and  your  reflection  essay.  In  summary:    front  section:     class  schedule     fieldwork  research  plan     list  of  data     participant  list    middle  sections:     research  sheets  and  associated  data  (one  folder  for  each  sheet)     copies  of  book  chapters  and  articles    back  section:       your  report     your  PowerPoint  slides     your  reflection  essay       To  help  you  manage  your  data  effectively,  it  is  essential  to  put  your  documents  into  your  fieldwork  portfolio  as  soon  as  you  have  gathered  your  data.      

Voices  of  Experiences    From  Your  Sempai:  Reviewing  the  weeks’  worth  of  materials  collected  may  be  daunting,  but  looking  back  at  notes  and  quotes  has  proved  useful  in  making  conclusions.  I  was  able  to  make  sense  of  data  or  observations  collected  longer  ago.    McConnell,  D.  L.  (2003).  JET  lag:  Studying  a  multilevel  program.  In  T.  C.  Bestor,  P.  G.  Steinhoff,  &  V.  L.  Bestor  (Eds.).  Doing  Fieldwork  in  Japan.  Honolulu:  University  of  Hawai’i  Press.  pp.  124-­‐138.  The  real  danger  lay  in  being  overwhelmed  with  data  and  in  keeping  track  and  making  sense  of  the  multiple  and  competing  points  of  view.  …  By  now,  I  had  thirty-­‐four  thick,  yellow  pads  scribbled  full  of  notes  from  interviews,  …  after-­‐the-­‐fact  summaries  of  important  conversations,  and  theoretical  memos  to  myself,  all  in  the  order  in  which  they  had  occurred  in  the  field.  I  kicked  myself  for  not  organizing  and  summarizing  my  fieldnotes  at  regular  intervals  while  in  Japan.