Fieldwork and Research
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Fieldwork- Working on gathering information, data, research etc. on a certain people.

Research methods

Quantitative (give number and/or ëyesí and ënoí answers)
· Surveys- a broad overview of particular subjects
· Sampling- investigating a small part of a larger whole

Advantages Disadvantages
· Easier to analyse · Analysis of a lot of data
· General · Too general
· Covers a large area · Bias

Qualitative (detailed answers)
· PO- involvement of anthropologist in daily activities of community.
· Interviews- conversations between ethnographer and informants.
· Focus groups- a group of people brought together to help explain a particular subject.
· Network analysis- focusing on individuals/small groups and studying their relationships with others
· Genealogies- tracing links between individuals to find out about relations.
· Life histories- personal study of an informantís life and all that influenced it
· Case Studies- focusing on a single individual/episode
· Filmed and taped records
· Team research- teams of ethnographers travelling together to study cultures etc.

Advantages: Disadvantages
· More specific · Can influence personís answers
· Informal & relaxed ·Time consuming (sometimes info is irrelevant)
· Less ëpowerí relations · Hard to extract information
· Bias

Variables- things which can change the process /outcome of research. The object is to minimise the variables, by looking at the same or similar group of people- the control group.

The control group- a group, similar in size and composition to the study group, is used for purposes of comparison or a cross-check on the data provided by the study group

Other Notes in this Category

1. Field Work Case Studies
2. Fieldwork and Research
3. Participant Observation
4. The Stages of Field Work

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