Background
Field research is usually associated with qualitative techniques, although other applications are possible. This method encompasses two different methods of obtaining data: direct observation and asking questions.
When conditions or behavior must be studied in natural settings, field research is usually the best approach. One of the key strengths of field research is the comprehensive perspective it gives the researcher. This aspect of field research enhances its validity. Field research is especially appropriate to the study of topics that can best be understood within their natural settings.
Field observer roles range from full participation to fully detached observation. The term field research is broader and more inclusive than the common term participant observer. Gold’s typology provides an outline of the different roles that field researchers may play:
● complete participant
● participant-as-observer
● observer-as-participant
● complete observer
Field researchers frequently supplement observations by interviewing subjects. Field research interviews are usually much less structured than survey interviews. At its best, a field research interview is much like normal conversation.
Gaining access to subjects, sampling subjects, and making records of observations and interviews must be considered in planning for field research. Any research on a criminal justice institution, or on persons who work either in or under the supervision of an institution, normally requires a formal request and approval. The best strategy for gaining access to any formal criminal justice organization consists of a four-step procedure:
● find a sponsor – a person who is personally known to the executive director
● write a letter to the executive director
● arrange for a telephone conversation with the executive director
● meet with and/or interview the contact person
There is the question of how cases will be selected for observation in field research. The text discusses a strategy for studying active criminals that combines the use of informants and snowball sampling. Sampling in field research tends to be more complicated than in other kinds of research.
Just as there is great variety in the types of field studies we might conduct, many options are available for making records of field observations. Of course, the methods selected for recording observations are directly related to questions of measurement, especially how key concepts are operationalized.
In many field studies, observations are recorded as written notes, perhaps in a field journal. Field notes may be recorded on highly structured forms, where observers mark items in much the same way a survey interviewer marks a closed-ended questionnaire. Structured field observation forms often resemble survey questionnaires, and the text mentions the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s handbook for conducting structured field observations, called environmental surveys.
Criminal justice research sometimes combines field research with surveys or data from official records. The flexibility of field methods is one reason observation and field interviews can be readily incorporated into many research projects. The text provides examples of different applications of field research: shoplifting, traffic, and violence in bars.
Validity is usually a strength of field research, while reliability and generalizability are sometimes weaknesses.
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