Field research
Encyclopedia
Field research is the collection of raw data
in natural settings. It helps to reveal the habits and habitats of various organisms present in their natural surroundings. The term is mainly used in the natural
and social sciences
studies, such as in anthropology
, folkloristics
, archaeology
, biology
, ecology
, environmental science
, ethnomusicology
, geography
, geology
, geophysics
, linguistics
, paleontology
, and sociology
, although it is also used in other subjects, such as in auditing. The term "field research", is also used by many industries as a generic reference to collecting or creating new information outside of a laboratory or typical workplace.
Field research is less technically known as field work, a term originating in farm
and plantation
labor, and a term sometimes used to refer to the temporary fortifications constructed prior to battle
. Field work, which is conducted in situ
, can be contrasted with laboratory or experiment
al research which is conducted in a quasi-controlled environment. In survey
research, field work refers to face-to-face or telephone interviewing. Field work can also include methods such as sociometry
.
The interviewing or observation of people to learn their languages, folklore, and social structures constitutes field work. Especially when humans themselves are the subject of study, protocols must be devised to reduce the risk of observer bias
and the acquisition of too theoretical or idealized explanations of the actual workings of a culture. Participant observation
, data collection
, and survey research
are examples of field research, in contrast to what is often called experiment
al or lab research.
Business use of field research is an applied form of anthropology and is as likely to be advised by sociologists or statisticians in the case of surveys.
Consumer marketing field research is the primary marketing technique used by businesses to research their target market.
In biology, field research typically involves studying of free-living wild animals in which the subjects are observed
in their natural habitat
, without changing, harming, or materially altering the setting or behavior of the animals under study. Field research is an indispensable part of biological science.
In public health
the use of the term field work refers to epidemiology
or the study of epidemics through the gathering of data about the epidemic (such as the pathogen and vector(s) as well as social or sexual contacts, depending upon the situation).
Disadvantages of field research are that it takes time for the business to gather the information and that it is likely to be of a small sample size due to the high costs and time it takes.
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
in natural settings. It helps to reveal the habits and habitats of various organisms present in their natural surroundings. The term is mainly used in the natural
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
and social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
studies, such as in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, folkloristics
Folkloristics
Folkloristics is the formal academic study of folklore. The term derives from a nineteenth century German designation of folkloristik to distinguish between folklore as the content and folkloristics as its study, much as language is distinguished from linguistics...
, archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, environmental science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
, ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
, geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
, linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, although it is also used in other subjects, such as in auditing. The term "field research", is also used by many industries as a generic reference to collecting or creating new information outside of a laboratory or typical workplace.
Field research is less technically known as field work, a term originating in farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
and plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
labor, and a term sometimes used to refer to the temporary fortifications constructed prior to battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
. Field work, which is conducted in situ
In situ
In situ is a Latin phrase which translated literally as 'In position'. It is used in many different contexts.-Aerospace:In the aerospace industry, equipment on board aircraft must be tested in situ, or in place, to confirm everything functions properly as a system. Individually, each piece may...
, can be contrasted with laboratory or experiment
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
al research which is conducted in a quasi-controlled environment. In survey
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
research, field work refers to face-to-face or telephone interviewing. Field work can also include methods such as sociometry
Sociometry
Sociometry is a quantitative method for measuring social relationships. It was developed by psychotherapist Jacob L. Moreno in his studies of the relationship between social structures and psychological well-being....
.
The interviewing or observation of people to learn their languages, folklore, and social structures constitutes field work. Especially when humans themselves are the subject of study, protocols must be devised to reduce the risk of observer bias
Observer effect
Observer effect may refer to:* Observer effect , the impact of observing a process while it is running* Observer effect , the impact of observing a physical system...
and the acquisition of too theoretical or idealized explanations of the actual workings of a culture. Participant observation
Participant observation
Participant observation is a type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology, but also sociology, communication studies, and social psychology...
, data collection
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
, and survey research
Survey research
Survey research a research method involving the use of questionnaires and/or statistical surveys to gather data about people and their thoughts and behaviours. This method was pioneered in the 1930s and 1940s by sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld. The initial use of the method was to examine the effects...
are examples of field research, in contrast to what is often called experiment
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
al or lab research.
History
Field research has a long history. Cultural anthropologists have long used field research to study other cultures. Although the cultures do not have to be different, this has often been the case in the past with the study of so called primitive cultures, and even in sociology the cultural differences have been ones of class. The work is done... in "'Fields' that is circumscribed areas of study which have been the subject of social research". Fields could be education, industrial settings, or Amazonian rain forests. Likewise field research could be done by zoologists such as Jane Goodal. Radcliff-Brown[1910] and Malinowski[1922] were early cultural anthropologists who set the stage for future work.Business use of field research is an applied form of anthropology and is as likely to be advised by sociologists or statisticians in the case of surveys.
Consumer marketing field research is the primary marketing technique used by businesses to research their target market.
Methods
Field research involves the collection of primary data or information that is new. This is collected through surveys and questionnaires that are made out specifically for a purpose.In biology, field research typically involves studying of free-living wild animals in which the subjects are observed
Observation
Observation is either an activity of a living being, such as a human, consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during this activity...
in their natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
, without changing, harming, or materially altering the setting or behavior of the animals under study. Field research is an indispensable part of biological science.
In public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
the use of the term field work refers to epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
or the study of epidemics through the gathering of data about the epidemic (such as the pathogen and vector(s) as well as social or sexual contacts, depending upon the situation).
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of field research are that people are closer to real world conditions and that the business can design the research in the best way to discover the particular information required. Business can also be sure that the information gathered is up to date.Disadvantages of field research are that it takes time for the business to gather the information and that it is likely to be of a small sample size due to the high costs and time it takes.
In anthropology
- Georg ForsterGeorg ForsterJohann Georg Adam Forster was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist, and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father on several scientific expeditions, including James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific...
- ethnographer (1772-1775) to Captain James Cook - Renato RosaldoRenato Rosaldo-Life:He graduated from Harvard University with a Ph.D. in 1971.He is emeritus professor at Stanford University.He teaches at New York University, and is a New York Institute for the Humanities Fellow....
- Victor TurnerVictor TurnerVictor Witter Turner was a British cultural anthropologist best known for his work on symbols, rituals and rites of passage...
- Margaret MeadMargaret MeadMargaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist, who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the 1960s and 1970s....
- Colin TurnbullColin TurnbullColin Macmillan Turnbull was a British-American anthropologist who came to public attention with the popular books The Forest People and The Mountain People , and one of the first anthropologists to work in the field of ethnomusicology.-Early life:Turnbull was born in London and...
- Clifford GeertzClifford GeertzClifford James Geertz was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology, and who was considered "for three decades...the single most influential cultural anthropologist in the United States." He served until...
- Bronislaw MalinowskiBronislaw MalinowskiBronisław Kasper Malinowski was a Polish-born- British-naturalized anthropologist, one of the most important 20th-century anthropologists.From 1910, Malinowski studied exchange and economics at the London School of Economics under Seligman and Westermarck, analysing patterns of exchange in...
- Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown
- W.H.R. Rivers
- Alfred Cort HaddonAlfred Cort HaddonAlfred Cort Haddon, Sc.D., FRS, FRGS was an influential British anthropologist and ethnologist.Initially a biologist, who achieved his most notable fieldwork, with W.H.R. Rivers, C.G. Seligman, Sidney Ray, Anthony Wilkin on the Torres Strait Islands...
In music
- Alan LomaxAlan LomaxAlan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
- John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
(with his Peel Sessions) - Vincent MoonVincent MoonVincent Moon is an independent filmmaker from Paris mainly known for his field work music videos of indie rock related musicians as well as some notable mainstream artists like Tom Jones, R.E.M. or Arcade Fire. Besides making music videos he also makes experimental films and documentaries...
(with his Take-Away Shows)