Observation and fieldnotes for social science research

Practical instruments for

the observation experiment

Harry Wolcott’s observational strategies

Strategy What it is Helpful for

Look for everything Try and fail to observe everything Forces narrowing; highlights sc

Look for nothing Looking for things that seem somehow out of Avoid familiar scenarios: urge
line with the norms complex scenarios (tensions, c
ideologies, change)

Look for paradoxes Inconsistencies; contradictions Surfacing interesting problems

tensions, conflicting ideologies
Look for the key problem Central challenge/ concern/objective that Understanding what a group h
observed group orients to in their activities highlighting/organizing motiva
priorities

Dell Hymes’ SPEAKING methods

Setting:

◦ ie. Time, place, circumstances, cultural setting

◦ e.g. home, co-working space, evening, vacation, noisy, fluorescent lights

● Participants

◦ i.e.Who is involved and in what role

◦ E.g.demographics, age, gender, ethnicity, profession, profIciency with

technology, attitudes, beliefs

● Ends/objectives:

◦ i.e. purposes, goal and desired outcome

● Act sequence:

◦ i.e. form and order of the event sequences (action, reaction, interaction)

◦ E.g. Participant’s’turn-taking, one person speaks followed by question &

answer, overlapping talk and interruptions applauses, change of topic

● Key:

◦ i.e. tone

◦ E.g. playful, serious, sarcastic, rushed

● Instrumentalities:

◦ i.e. forms/types of speech

 ◦ E.g. writing or commnication medium, language variety/register/ dialect

● Norms:

◦ Social rules expected of the event (may be violated)

◦ E.g. no applause, raise your hand to speak, call and response, wait in line

● Genre:

◦ i.e. type of event

◦ e.g. personal anecdones, political debate, casual converstaion, lesson

SPEAKING Model : Observation grid

Situation1 Situation 2 Situation3

Setting

Participants

Ends

Act sequence

Key

Instrumentalities

Norms

Genre