Field observation and qualitative analysis

In this lab you’re going to practice both an observational research method and the kind of
qualitative coding you’ll do with your survey answers to open-ended questions.

If any step is unclear, see the example on Canvas.

Step 1 - Go out on campus to a worksite (e.g. Help Desk, office, library, dining hall) and for 15
minutes observe one or more people working. If unobtrusive observation doesn’t fit into the
setting, ask permission to observe.

Take as many fieldnotes as possible, getting quotes, noting body language, sensory details about
the setting, your own reactions, whatever you notice. Try to hand-write or type with your eyes up
as much as you can.

Step 2 - Back in the classroom, read your fieldnotes and mark whatever strikes you as
noteworthy.

Step 3 - Now review your marks and note any recurring themes or items that pique your
curiosity. Make a list of those themes, clumping similar ones, and organize them into a short
codebook.

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Step 4 - Sort the data into a codebook

For each item in your codebook, go through your fieldnotes and type up quotes and observations
that fit the item.

Theme Quotes and observations that fit theme

Step 5 - What are your findings?

Re-read your themes with the examples under them. What do you notice?

This is the heart of qualitative analysis, the moment when you can have an “aha” experience, see
patterns and realize what your findings are. If you were going to write up these data, what might
you write about?

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This method is inductive research that could result in grounded theory: you are starting with
what you observe and drawing out themes, instead of starting with a hypothesis.

EXAMPLE OF MAKING A CODEBOOK FROM OBSERVATION

Each step of Lab #9 is demonstrated below with a made-up mini-study.

Step 1 - Example of fieldnotes from observation:

Einstein’s Bagels, watching from a table near counter, feeling self-conscious, 11:15 am
Two workers, both with Sodexo badges - uniform shirts but not pants - woman is in jeans - are
there rules about dress?
Customer (young white female in pajama pants so she must be a student) asks for schmear,
Sodexo guy asks what kind of schmear but he pronounces it “smear,” she says “thank you,
Manuel” - so that’s his name - ok
Sudden rush - both workers take orders, both make up order, take money, give change - like
there’s no division of labor - they duck behind each other so no contact even when moving very
fast - impressive ballet! Counting - 7 orders in 11 minutes - wow! I would hate that job.
5 thanked workers, 2 didn’t. The 2 who didn’t looked like students in a hurry, one male 1 female.
Sodexo woman said “here you go” to every customer.
Snow - mentions of the snow forecast for later - 2x Manuel said “Gonna snow tonight!” in a
cheerful tone - maybe he likes snow. Customer (middle-aged black male in suit jacket -
professional staff?) said “I need an extra bagel in case I get snowed in.”
Manuel spoke Spanish to 2 and English to 2 - how did he know which language for which?
“nieve” must be Spanish for snow. Woman worker (someone called her Elena? or Helena?) only
spoke English to customers. She says “schmear” with the “sh” sound - the Yiddish way - is she
Jewish or do others say it that way too? I only heard 2 customers say it, both with the “sh” sound.
One customer stays a while talking with Manuel - I can’t hear them - older white woman -
Multicolored scarf and earrings make me think she’s a faculty member (why do I think that?) -
she says “Smear” without the “sh” so it varies
Minutes are ticking by with no customers. What else can I observe? Manuel re-fills bagel bin.
Both workers wipe counters with yellow sponges, near each other but not talking. Now
murmuring, woman laughs, leaning forward on counters like resting arms. I think they are
chatting in Spanish - if so, Elena/Helena does speak it - but only with coworker, not with
customers. I wonder why. OK, time to go back to class.
Step 2 - Example of list of rough themes taken from recurring marks in fieldnotes:
Rush times, slow times - body language
Spanish or English
pronunciation of “schmear”
Clothes
Weather as a discussion topic
How workers and customers talk with each other

Step 3 - Example of codebook created from the marked themes

1. Pace of work - Body language for fast versus slow times
2. Handling language diversity
a. When do bilingual workers decide to speak Spanish or English?
b. Yiddish and anglicized pronounciation of “schmear”
1. Clothes that mark roles
1. How customers respond to workers
a. thanking or not thanking
b. chatting or not chatting
c. weather as a conversation topic

Step 4 - Example of fieldnote excerpts sorted into codebook

Theme Quotes and observations that fit theme

1. Pace of work - ● slow time - leaning forward on counters like resting arms
Body language for ● rush time - they duck behind each other so no contact
fast versus slow even when moving very fast - impressive ballet!
times ● 7 orders in 11 minutes - wow!

1. Handling language ● Woman worker (someone called her Elena? or Helena?)

diversity only spoke English to customers.
● I think 2 workers are chatting in Spanish - if so,
a. When do bilingual Elena/Helena does speak it - but only with coworker, not
workers decide to speak with customers. I wonder why.
Spanish or English?

b) Yiddish and English
pronounciations of
“schmear”
● Customer asks for schmear, Sodexo guy asks what kind
of schmear but he pronounces it “smear,”
● Woman worker (someone called her Elena? or Helena?)
only spoke English to customers. She says “schmear”
with the “sh” sound - the Yiddish way - is she Jewish or
do others say it that way too? I only heard 2 customers
say it, both with the “sh” sound.
● Customer says “Smear” without the “sh” so it varies

1. Clothes that mark ● Two workers, both with Sodexo badges - uniform shirts
roles but not pants - woman is in jeans - are there rules about
dress?
 ● Customer (young white female in pajama pants so she
must be a student)
● Customer (middle-aged black male in suit jacket -
professional staff?)
● older white woman - Multicolored scarf and earrings
make me think she’s a faculty member (why do I think
that?)

1. How customers ● Customer says “thank you, Manuel”

respond to workers ● 5 thanked workers, 2 didn’t. The 2 who didn’t looked
like students in a hurry, one male 1 female.
a. thanking or not
thanking

b) chatting or not ● Sodexo woman said “here you go” to every customer.
chatting ● Manuel said “Gonna snow tonight!” in a cheerful tone

c) Weather as a ● Snow - mentions of the snow forecast for later

conversation topic
● 2x Manuel said “Gonna snow tonight!” in a cheerful tone
- maybe he likes snow.
● Customer (middle-aged black male in suit jacket -
professional staff?) said “I need an extra bagel in case I
get snowed in.”

Example of Step 5 - Thinking about what I’ve found and possible findings

I think I will drop the topic of how schmear is pronounced - it connects to nothing, and I don’t
know anything about Yiddish pronunciations, I’m just guessing.

Everything else has to do with how we create a sense of one big friendly community at Lasell,
but also mark boundaries between sub-communities. That’s what I could write up!

Some ways we signal we’re one big friendly community:

● Weather as a shared topic
● Thanking workers who serve you
● Other friendly chat like “here you go!”

Some ways we signal sub-communities:

● Spanish speakers sometimes recognize each other and bond by speaking that language
● Clothing may mark boundaries between roles formally (uniforms) or informally
(pajamas, scarf)
● Workers with shared tasks develop routines, like the ballet behind the counter

I think this is a study about bonding across differences and similarities. I totally didn’t think of
that while in the bagel place observing! But that’s what I’ll write about.

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If you were writing up your findings, this could be the outline and raw material you’d start with.
Exercise 2 - Drafting some codebook items for your research

Soon you will create a codebook to analyze your survey answers to open-ended questions, by
drawing out themes from what your respondents wrote. Meanwhile, you can get some themes
from what you’ve done so far.

Go through your survey questions and answers, your analysis of existing data, and your literature
review to pull out some likely themes. Write a list of them here.

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If you have time left, start organizing your codebook by clumping items and putting them in a
logical sequence.