Content of Fieldwork Part I

Introduction

There are many elements that are a part of the field work experience. We will
try and discuss each one of them one by one. In this module we will largely
focus on two elements that is, Observation and Interview. To begin with we
must understand that Field work is about learning by doing.

Learning by Doing

The student must be deeply involved to make learning an active process. In

fieldwork, you will need to learn how to plan your work in the organization
(oragency)that are are placed inThis includes, setting your learning objectives
and identifying and prioritizing the tasks for achieving these objectives.
Fieldwork should give you ample opportunities to question and discuss, thus
promoting self- learning. You will learn by applying the principles, concepts
and theories, which you learned in the classroom to fieldwork.

Setting Realistic Goals

The overall objectives of the tasks that are undertaken in fieldwork should be
such that they do not overwhelm you because they may be beyond your
capacity. The learning tasks which you will finalize after consultation with your
field contact and Supervisor may lead you to being overwhelmed or challenged,
or not sufficiently challenged at all. The tasks should stimulate your interest and
motivate you to do your best. Fieldwork provides several self- learning
opportunities; use these to set realistic learning goals. In doing so, you will
become aware of your expectations, what you must do to achieve them and
limitations that you need to overcome. Different goals require different kinds of
learning experiences. You will learn step by step from each task that you are
engaged with. You must record your experiences from the perspectives that you
are likely to develop. To make the appropriate inferences and deductions from
experiences, you must know how and when to generalize or apply learning to a
particular context. Example: Understanding the principle that all human
behaviour is meaningful. In developing inductive thinking capabilities, one
needs to be presented with a set of specific facts from a study of several cases
of the behavior of adult clients which can then be generalized to proposing that
adult behaviour is meaningful.

Observation

Observation is purposeful and systematic way of watching and listening to an

interaction or phenomenon as it is occurring. But there are many situations in
which observation may not be appropriate or relevant, such as
a. When you want to learn about interaction within a group.
b. When you have to know about the functions of a Paraprofessional or field
contact.
c. When you have to study the behavior or personality traits of an
individual. Observations are the appropriate method when complete or
accurate information cannot be gained by questioning or other modes of
inquiry.
It is important to bear in mind that, when the student is more interested in
understanding behaviours than perceptions, or when the subjects are so involved
in the interaction that they are unable to provide objective information, then
observation is the most appropriate method for collecting the required
information.

Types of Observation
Observations are of two kinds – participatory and non-participatory. Participatory
observation is when you participate in the activities of the group being observed in
the same manner as other group members, either with their knowledge or without.
For example, in an organization working with the physically challenged, if you
want to study the reactions of the general population towards people in
wheelchairs, you could imagine yourself to be handicapped and in need of a
wheelchair. You can then observe the reactions of people you encounter and make
observational notes necessary for your understanding. In another example, if you
have to study a tribe living in a remote area, it may be necessary to live with them
to collect the data you need. Many Anthropological studies are conducted by using
this approach.

On the other hand, non- participatory observation is when you are not involved
in the activities of the group. You are a passive observer, watching, listening
and drawing conclusions from your observations. For example, you might want
to study the various duties and tasks performed by nurses in a hospital. As an
observer, you will watch and follow them in their rounds and record their
activities. After making a number of observations, you may be able to draw
certain conclusion about the functions of nurses in the hospital. In fact, any
occupational group in any setting can be observed in a similar manner.

However, as a beginner and student, there are some important aspects of

observing that you must be aware of.
i. Problems with observing people
a) When individuals or groups become aware that they are being observed,
they may change their behaviour. Depending on the situation, this change
could be positive or negative. Such changes are known as the Hawthorne
Effect. In such situations, observations may be distorted and what is
observed may not represent normal behaviour.
 b) There is always a possibility of observer bias. It is easy to introduce bias
into the observations and there are no reliable ways to prevent bias or
identify them in a set of observations. Moreover, the interpretation made
from observations can vary from observer to observer.
c) There is the possibility of incomplete observation and/ or recording which
varies with the method of recording. An observer may watch keenly but at
the cost of detailed recording. The opposite problem may occur when
the observer takes detailed notes; but in doing so, misses some of the
events that should have been recorded.

ii. Recording of observations

There are several ways of recording observations. The selection of the

appropriate method depends on the purpose of the observation. Narrative
Recording. In a narrative recording, the individual records descriptions of the
intervention in their own words. Usually, brief notes are made during
observation of the intervention and then, after completing the observation,
more detailed notes are prepared. The advantage of narrative recording is that
it provides a deep insight into the intervention. However, a disadvantage is that
an observer may be biased in his / her observation and, therefore the
interpretations and conclusions drawn from the observation may be biased.
Interpretation and conclusions made from observation are likely to be
subjective and reflect the observer’s perceptions. To minimize subjectivity,
some observers prefer to use a rating scale to ‘measure’ various aspects of the
intervention or phenomenon. A scale may be one- two- or three-directional,
depending on the purpose of the observation. For example, in the recording of
the nature of intervention within a group, there are three directions - positive,
negative and neutral.
The main advantage of using scales is that you do not have to spend time on
taking detailed notes. You will be able to concentrate on observing your
subject(s). On the other hand, one problem with using a scale is that it does
not provide specific and-in depth information about the intervention.
Sometimes, an observer may decide to use categorical recording in his/her
observation. The types and number of categories depend upon the type of
intervention. Typical categories that the observer chooses from are:
passive/active, introvert/extrovert, always/sometimes/never; strongly
agree/agree/uncertain/disagree/strongly disagree. However, the use of
categories for recording an observation may suffer from the same problems as
those associated with scales.
Observation can also be recorded with a video camera or other electronic
devices and analyzed later. The advantage of recording in this way is that the
observer reviews the observation as many times as required, making accurate
and objective interpretations and inferences. However, one disadvantage is that
 some people may feel uncomfortable, or may behave differently, before a
camera. Therefore, the interactions may not truly reflect the thoughts and
perspectives of the people or the intensity of the situation. The choice of a
particular method for recording your observation will, therefore, depend on the
purpose of the intervention and the kind of the population which is being
observed. It is important to consider these factors before deciding upon the
appropriate method for recording your observations.

The Interview

In your engagements with people in the field, you may need to interview some
people to collect information. Interviews are usually face-to-face or person-to-
person interventions. They take place between two or more individuals with a
specific purpose. Interviews involve an interviewer reading questions to
respondents and recording their answers. When you interview a client,
beneficiary, field contact or a para-professional, you have the freedom to decide
the format and context of your questions, as well as how to word them and
decide the order you want to ask the questions. Interview questions may be
flexible or inflexible. Being flexible means that you have the freedom to think
and formulate your questions. As they come to your mind, it means you do not
have to keep strictly to questions decided on beforehand including their
wording, sequence and the manner in which they are being asked.

Interviews are of two types – structured or unstructured

Unstructured Interview

The main advantage of an unstructured interview is in having complete

freedom in terms of its structure, contents, question wording and order.
You are free to ask what you want and in a format that is relevant to the
need of the situation. You also have freedom to word the interview in the
way you want and in explaining questions to the opposite party.
Unstructured interviews help the interviewer to exploring issues in both
depth and width. However, they require a high level of skill in conducting
them.

Structured Interview

In a structured interview, you are required to ask a predetermined set of

questions to all respondents in the same manner and order as mentioned
in the schedule, without changing the words. An interview schedule is a
written list of questions, open-ended or closed, which are pretested for
standardized wording, meaning and interpretation, required for use by an
interviewer in person-to-person intervention. One of the benefits of
structured interviews is that they provide uniform information which
assures compatibility of data. Structured interviews require fewer
interviewers than do unstructured interviewing because basically one has
already thought about the sequence to be followed whereas in unstructured
interviews there is an element of being led by the respondent.

Formulating questions for clients / respondents

The way you ask a question determines the kind of response that you are likely
to get from the respondents. The wording of the questions and the tone of the
interview are important. Here are a few points that you, as a student, would find
useful when you formulate questions.
d. Always use simple everyday language.
e. Avoid ambiguous questions. An ambiguous question is one that can be
understood in more than one way by the same or different respondents.
You will not get the responses that address the questions and you may not
be able to draw any useful conclusions.
f. Do not ask leading questions. A leading question is one which, because
of the way it is asked, may result in only one type of answer because the
respondent assumes that it is the answer that is expected from him/her.
Leading questions tend to be judgmental. An example of a leading
question: ‘Unemployment is increasing, isn’t it?’
g. Do not ask questions that are based on assumptions. In such kind of
questions, you may assume that the respondent fits into a particular
category and you seek information based upon that assumption. For
example, the question, ‘How many cigarettes do you smoke in a day ?’, is
based on the assumption that the interviewee is a smoker.

Sensitive and personal information

There is another aspect of an interview that you must be mindful about, which is
seeking sensitive and personal information. Sometimes one needs to ask
question that the respondent may consider as being personal or sensitive in
nature. In fact, many respondents get offended. It is essential that you are aware
of the likely reaction of your respondent to questions of such nature. While
asking a sensitive question, the advantage of the direct approach is that one can
be sure that an affirmative answer will be accurate. But there are situations
when a direct question can upset respondents, sometimes to the extent of
terminating the interaction. Therefore, they believe that an indirect approach is
preferable.

A few examples of an indirect approach are

a. By showing/ depicting / cartoons.
b. By asking the client to complete the question.
 c. By asking the respondent to pick out the answer from a set of cards, each
card having a possible answer written on it.
Sometimes organizations request students’ help in drafting a research proposal.
In such cases, the students must understand what is expected of them while
preparing the proposal. A research proposal contains the following information:

a. An introduction and a brief literature review

b. The theoretical framework for the study
c. The conceptual framework which forms the basis of the study
d. The objectives of the research questions of the study
e. The hypothesis to be tested if applicable
f. The study design
g. The setting for the study
h. The research instruments are planned for use
i. The sampling design and the sample size
j. The ethical issues involved and how they will be dealt with
k. Procedure for data processing and analysis
l. The proposed changes of the report
m. The problem and solutions of the study
n. The proposed time frame for the project

Planning an interview with a client

Meetings for interviews must be planned. There are two major reasons: the first
is that planning allows you to prepare. The second reason is respect for the
respondent’s time. The plan need not be rigid; there could be unforeseen
situations and you will have to be flexible enough to address problems and
issues that may come up.

A few questions listed below may help you to plan your interviews:
a. What are the overall goals and objectives of the interventions with the client?
How will my current session relate to their goals and objectives?
b. What needs to be accomplished during the interview or the meeting?
c. What are the decisions that need to be made during the session?
d. Should the next contact be face-to-face or a telephonic interview? Should it
be one-on-one, family or group session? Who needs to be present?
e. Will other professionals or concerned individuals participate in the session?
f. How much time do I have to for the interview or meeting? How much time
can the client and/or his/her family or friends give to this session?
g. Where and when will the interview take place? What arrangements are
necessary prior to interview?
h. What are the techniques that could be used during the session for completing
important tasks to fulfil the goals and objectives of the interventions?
i. What factors related to the client's current emotional state must I be
 concerned with while preparing for the interview?
j. What factors related to the client’s physical functions (Mobility, pain,
discomfort, hearing problems of medication) need to be considered when
preparing for the interview or meeting?
k. What feelings related to the client’s culture, values, religious beliefs need to be
considered in preparing for the interview?
l. What documentation of this contact is necessary for the agency records?
In every session, some time needs to be kept aside to talk about the client’s
experiences which are positive and which helps to reinforce the feeling among
clients/ beneficiaries/ target group.
Therefore, it is necessary that you create opportunities for clients/ target groups
to recognize and realize their success and strengths.

When providing information and advice

You need to constantly remind yourself that change is difficult. Often, clients
are fearful or unsure about taking the steps needed for change. A client may
resist the idea of using an important service or program which, in your view,
may be beneficial for the community. To ensure action by the client, you may
must provide client (or the target group) with information and, if required,
advice. You can also try and persuade them. But the important thing is that the
decision must be taken by the client. You must remain neutral in the decision-
making process.

While providing information or offering advice, there are a few guidelines that
you must follow which are mentioned here:
h. Adapt your message to the client's educational background and
capacity to understand. You must also consider the client's state of
mind. If the client is unable to grasp your message, you may need to
seek his/her permission and convey to his/her family members or
trusted friends/social support group so that they might help the client/
target group appropriate make use of the information.
i. Appreciate how easily a message can misunderstood /misrepresented
or forgotten. For this reason alone, your language should be simple and
unambiguous.
j. Give the client time to think over what you are saying and invite
him/her/them to ask relevant questions. You will need to check that
your message was understood and comprehended. You may need to
say something like “Now I want to make sure that i was clear in what
I have been telling you. Would you please repeat to me what you
heard me say?’
Try not to simply ask “Do you understand?” One of the common mistakes made
by novices is to give advice when the client has not asked for it. Remember that
there are many pitfalls in giving advice. Hence, you must be cautious.
 The following guidelines may be helpful when you are trying to offer advice.
I. Before offering advice to a client, reflect on how you feel when someone
give you advice. To test whether advice giving is appropriate it would
depend on the nature and purpose of the student worker/client interaction
if the purpose concern securing service or making a referral, advice giving
may be important.
II. It is best not to offer advice until you have determined that the client
generally wants your opinions and suggestion.
III. Try and explain the reason or logic behind the guidance you offer. You
will need to learn that the responsibility for accepting or rejecting the
advice is with the clients.
IV. You will need to be careful of giving advice to a client where he/she may
later cause a negative personal or financial consequences due to your
recommendation or advice. Examples: i. Do you think I should take a
divorce?
ii. Do you think I should leave my job?
You will also need to be alert to the dangers of giving advice to clients who
may be manipulated as also to the danger of encouraging dependency in a client
who should, in fact, take responsibility for decision making.

Summary

This module has helped you to understand the meaning of “learning by doing”.
It has also highlighted the importance of learning and practicing observation
skills in the field. The interview process was discussed in detail, including
preparing for the interview, formulating relevant questions, providing
information and advice and utilizing skills while asking personal questions.
Additionally, the difference between structured and unstructured interviews was
discussed in this module. The next module is continuation of the current module
and provides more details on the Content of fieldwork.