Summary
Highlights
The video introduces the topic of field notes, emphasizing what to note, why, and how it depends on the research focus, level of structuredness, topic, research question, and ontological/epistemological positions. These factors influence the type of data collection and methodology.
Structured observation begins with a coding system, a clean sheet with a clear focus, designed to specify behaviors into mutually exclusive categories. Rules of interpretation must be readily available in the field. An example is the Flanders Interaction Analysis Categories used in educational science to codify teacher-student interactions.
In qualitative research, unstructured observations are more common. Luke and Shenzu suggest three types of notes: inscription, description, and transcription. Inscription notes are made during fieldwork and include mental notes, scratch notes or jottings in a notebook, and notes taken with modern tools like mobile phones for typing, photos, videos, and audio recordings.
Description notes are made after an event in the field and involve writing full field notes, descriptions of observations, meeting minutes, situated descriptions, or interview summaries. Transcription involves converting recorded audio or video interactions into written language, often using recording devices and computers.
Beyond inscription, description, and transcription, researchers also make comments, annotations, and various types of memos (reflections, methodological, theoretical) and maintain diaries or logs during fieldwork. The video concludes by noting that structured and unstructured note-taking can be combined, as exemplified by Laud Humphreys' tearoom trade study, which used both maps for structured data and detailed written descriptions.