The Practice of Qualitative Research by Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber

Author:Sharlene Nagy Hesse-Biber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-10-17T13:30:19.156035+00:00

There are degrees of exiting the field as well. Some researchers may depart abruptly, severing all ties to that setting. This may happen because the researcher or the researched may be feeling uncomfortable with the interactions in the setting, or perhaps personal or economic circumstances require that the research project end early. Ruth Horowitz (1986) wanted to conduct research on a Chicano gang; however, unwanted sexual overtures from gang members made it impossible for her to remain in the field. She notes: “As the pressures increased to take a locally defined membership role, I was unable to negotiate a gender identity that would allow me to continue as a researcher” (Horowitz, 1986, p. 423). Others may maintain close ties to their setting, visiting and keeping in contact with the researched; some may even form friendships that last a lifetime. There are some important exiting strategies you might employ in leaving the field, such as preemptively informing members of the setting that your stay is only temporary and even giving others a sense of your own research timetable. Inherent in the field research process is the forging of reciprocity (rapport) between the researcher and the researched. Those in the setting can come to rely on the researcher for emotional support and advice, and when this is withdrawn, it may create a sense of loss and abandonment for both the researched and the researcher.

Whatever your reasons for leaving, it is important to come up with some strategies for your departure. Check in with others to get a sense of how they are feeling about your departure. You might arrange with those in the setting to mark your departure in a more public way, such as a party or ceremony, and inform them of your follow-up plan, whether that follow-up is a letter or a return visit.

Most ethnographic fieldwork lies in the middle of the observer-participant continuum. We can think of the continuum as a seesaw. At one end of the rise, we have the observer part of ourselves, at the other end the participant part. When the seesaw is not balanced, we might move too much to one side or the other, and the researcher’s selves may get out of balance—one self (e.g., participant role) is in the air while the other (e.g., observer role) is on the ground. Each of these sides can become unstable, and the balance point is when both of these roles are equal. The insights gained and understanding of what goes on in a given setting, however, sometimes lie in the constant interplay between each of these roles. These roles are not fixed in a research setting, and it is possible for the researcher to seesaw up and down the continuum depending on the social situation and the demands of the research problem.

The particular role or set of roles you take on in a setting directly influences the types of data you have access to. You will find that the amount of ethnographic data you collect will

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