COM 408 Test 1

the practice of carefully considerating the ways in which researchers' interactions with, and interpertations of, the research scene

a concept coined by Clifford Geertz (1973), which captures the fact that researchers immerse themsleves in, and report on, particulars before moving toward grander statements and theories

research that is concerned with practical contextual knowledge and is carried out with an aim toward social commentary, action, and transformation

researchers' construct explanations for the particpants' explanations

autobiographical genre of writing that connects the analysis of one's own identity, culture, feelings, and values to larger societal issues

the researcher alternates between considering existing theories and paying heed to emergent field site data

the focus or topic of study

all the types of spaces where one could observe a phenomeno of interest; it consists of many potential sites, settings, and participants

a geographical or architectural area within a field

the specific parameters of the space of study within a field and a site

the focal people of the study

the common practice oc coming up with a decision that is merely adequate rather than optimal (Simon, 1997)

a catch-all term that refers to the field, sties, setting, and the group of participants

the specific desired research project outcomes (e.g. a class paper, a dissertation project, a publication)

the research project should encompass most , if not all of the theoretical issues and characteristics ofi nterest in terms of the research topic or problem

the research project should be practical, given the time and resources available

contextual talk, texts, and interactions (e.g. documents, emails, verbal routines, text messages, and comments)

the systematic study, analysis, and narrative descrption of one's own experiences, interactions, culture, and identity

the practice of making creative and resourceful use of a variety of piecse of data that happen to be available

refers to the control and exploitation of a weaker or racially different culture by a stronger (usually Western European) culture

a "top-down" type of reasoning, that begins with broad generalizations and theories and then moves to the observation of particular circumstances in order to confirm or falsify a the theory

a perspective in which behavior is described from the actor's point of view and is context-specific

the belief that one's own racial and ethnic values adn way of being are more important than, or superior to, those of other groups

the use of particpant observation and field interviews, but not necessarily accompanied by immersion in the field of by a holistic cultural analysis

researching marked by long-term immersion into a culture and by the thick description of a variety of cultural aspects including language use, rituals, ceremonies, relationships, and artifacts

a perspective in which behaviori s described according to externally derived, non-culture-specific criteria

a German word meaning literaly "form" or "shape" and used in many European languages to refer to an integrated system or culture where the whole is mroe than the sum of its parts

powerful systems of stories suggesting that people or processes unfold ina  parcticular way (e.g. the notion that aging equates with decline)

developed by Glasier and Strauss (1967) and extended by Strauss and Corbin (1190) and Charmazs (2006), grounded theory is a systematic inductive analysis of data (i.e. an analysis from the group up, or a "bottom-up" analysis

codes developed to protect people ("human subjects") from unethical research

creative, personal tales that present ethnographic knowledge in teh form of poems, scripts, short stories, layered accounts, and dramas

a "bottom-up" type of reasoning that begins with specific observations and particular cirumstances and then moves on to broader generalizations and theories

research that views stories - whether gathered through field notes, interviews, oral tales, blogs, letters, or autobiographies-as fundamental to human experience

the analysis of social action in uncontrived field settings

a research ethics code that arose in response to the Nazis' inhumane experimentation; the code includes clauses on vluntary and informed consent, freedom from coercion, comprehension of the potential risks and benefits of the research, and a scientifically valid research design

an umbrella phrase that refers to the collection, analysis, and interpertation of itnerview, participant observation, and document data in order to understand and describe meanings, relationships, and patterns

research methods that use measurement and statistics to transform empirical data into numbrs and to devellop mathematical models that quanitfy behavior

interpretive devices that serve s jumping-off points or lenses for qualitative study

enduring schools of knowledge, societal norms, and myths that shape and delimit action

a discipline dealing with the values associates with an area of research and thoerizing (e.g. the values of social justice are empahsized by the critical paradigm)

a common postmodern notion according to which all representations of meaning depending on their relationships with other signs, and therefore, it is impossible to identify one single true representation of reality

a way of viewing the worldthat is based on the idea that thought is fundamentaly mediated by power relations and that data cannot be separated from ideaology

a postermodern method of analysis introduced by  Derrida in which researchers dismantle a text, accentuate foundational word opposition, and show the complexity and instability of the text

a primary theoretical basis of deconsturctionism, this is the method in which reearchers point out the non-presence of certain words or meanings in a text

a key part of structuration theory, this concept refers to the idea that structure is created from the top down and from the bottom up; structures are only made "valid" when individuals follow them and make decisions that are based upon them

a traditional branch of philsophy that is concerned with the nature of knowledge

a theoretical framework developed by Dell Hymes, which is concerned with linguistic rules and how communication revelas norms of identity, relationships and culture

a theoretical approach that seeks to transform patriarchy; often marked by research on topics related to women, an ethical method of care, self-reflexivity, and attention to multiple voices in the field

occurs when people see hierarchial relationshipsa s normal, natural, and unchangeable and therefore accept consent internalize and are complicit in reproducing norms that are not in their own best interests

the discpline of interperting texts by empathically imaging the experience, motivations, and context of the speaker/author, and then by engaging in a circular analysis that alternates between the data text and the situated scene

the postmodern idea that many representations or signifiers are constructed and consumed, but lack a specific or materially authentic referent

a set of doctrines, myths, or beliefs, which guide or have power over individuals, groups, or societies

a situation where choosing one paradigm or way of seeing the world necessarily precludes another paradigm or way of seeing hte world (e.g. positivist notion of a single true reality is incommensurable with the postmodern view that reality is multiple)

a way of seeing both reality and knowledge as constructed and reproduced through communication, interaction, and practice

a concept borrowed from symbolic interactionism, which suggests that identity is largely created through the reactions of others (i.e. we see what others tell us they see)

strategies for gathering, collecting, and analyzing data

a traditional branch of philsophy, which is concerned with the nature of reality

preferred ways of understanding reality, building knowledge, and gathering ifnormation about the world

a form of research based upon the notion that researchers should work together with research participants to help them address, understand, or improve local issues or dilemmas

a postmodern term that refers to the endless imitation, appropriation, and recycling of older cultural forms with a vew to making new but familiar forms (e.g. much of whati s fashionable today layers trends from the past)

perhaps the most common paradigm among traditional scientists, it suggests that there is one true reality "out there" in the world - one that already exists and is waiting to be discovered

a paradigm that approaches knowledge and power as dispersed, unstable, and plural, highlighting occasions of domination and self-subordination, but also avenues for reistance and change

like positivism, this paradigm, assumes a single true reality, but suggests that human's understanding of reality is inherently partial and that is impossible to fully capture reality

a term derived from the ancient Greek noun rhizoma ("root"), this qualifier emerges in the postmodern paradigm, where it refers to the idea that meaning is root-like and therefore interconnected, interdependent, and complex

a hypothesis connected to symbolic interactionism; it suggests that we do not see or understand issues or concepts for which we do not have words

solid and difficult to remedy; the term is used by postructural scholars, who argue that the examination of power relations is necessary in order to understand why some problems and ideas are held with more merit than others

the idea that people tend to shape themselves according to the expectationso f others

a theory deveoped by Karl Weick and typified by the three-part process of enactment, selection, and rentention; it emphasizes meaning making, ambiguity, and identity

natural symptons or indicators of an immediate (here and now) stimulus in the environment (e.g. thunder is a sign of storm)

in postmodern theory, this term refers to a representation that is a copy of something that never actually existed (e.g. Disneyland's "Mainstreet"

the interpretive idea that reality and knowledge are constructed and reproduced by people through communication, interaction, and practice

this theory directs the researcher's attention to the relationship between individuals and institutions; it focuses on the ways cultures, organziations, and social systems are constituted or created through the micro-practices of individual people

a word of gesture that arbitarily stands for an abstract concept; the linear sequence of letters S-T-O-R-M serves as an English-language symbol for a storm, with which it has no inherent connection

researchers using this theoretical aproach (whcih was devloped by Herbert Blumer) investigate how meaning and identity are co-created through interaction

a bundled system of principles that serve to explain certain phenomena

a practice in which researchers use multiple types and sources of data, variant methods of collection, as well as various theoretical frames and multiple researchers

a German verb meaning "to understand", used in English as a noun describing participants' first-person perspective on their personal experience as wel as on their society, culture, and history

a proposal for scene gatekeeprs that efficiently describes the rsearch project (it has title, practial rationale, description of the proposed research, statment of experience, and contact information)

man-made objects in the research context

an interview that creates the opportunity to informally meet with a series of participants, invite questions, and ask participants for advice as one moves forward in negotating access

a database docment that tracks key contacts met in the process of relationship with the contact, and relevance to the research

the adventure, curiosity and playfulness that occur during participant observation experiences

the person(s) who hold the figurative (or at times literal) keys to research site access

a term originally defined by Victor Turner, which describes the sense of being betwixt and between two locations

journals in which participants are asked to enter personal information related to research

a written document, usually accompany a visual map, that explores a scene's physical layout, feelings, smells, sounds, tastes, and temperatures, also providing rich description and tentative interpretations

the individuals whom qualitative researchers study are not known as "subjects", but as participants because they create, and participate in the research process togehter with researchers.

a table used to organize information about particpants; it may include a variety of demographic and methodological data

a method through which researchers generate understanding and knowledge by watching, interacting, asking questions, collecting documents, and making audio or video recordings.

websites, brochedures, pamphlets, or advertisments that provide information about a research site

the practice of using information (usually gathered from the Internet) without permission from the participant or regard for ethically questional repercussions

a term developed by Goffmant o refer to organizations like cruise ships, prisons, and hospitals, where some inhabitants of the institution never go home and therefore are controlled in a more total manner than in typical organizations

a visual representation of a research site, roughly drawn or professionally developed, that details the physical scene and key positions of the particpants

used instead of consent, with individuals who are vulnerable or have diminished capacities - such as children, the sick, and the mentally disabled

a statement of basic human subject principles issued by the National Comission for the Protection of Human Subjects

the indirect identification of respondents through the use and piecing together of known data

material outcomes of a research project such as (1) conference papers and presentations; (2) external grant applications; (3) scholarly articles; (4) white papers; (5) new class syllabi; (6) a strategic plan for a new center of research; (7) coordination of guest lecturers or; (8) a class paper

the quickest type of review for an IRB application; this level of review pertains to studies that exame public behavior and grant anonymity to particpants - for example, a study of how dog walkers communicate at local parks

the most common type of IRB review, where signed consent or assnet forms are required and the researcher maintains a record of the participants and of their personal information

the most involved type of IRB review; it is used when the research is risky - as in observing terrorist groups - or when particpants are especially vulernable and in need of extra protection - for example they are mentally impaired

codes developed to protect people from unethical research

the process by which researchers inform potential particpants about risks, benefits, and what else is involved in agreeing to participate in a study before they decide to do it on their own will

the part of a research paper or proposal that illustrates why your study matters and answers the question "Who cares?" from a theoretical, practical, and methodological point of view

the tools used to collect the data; for qualitative researchers, these are the researchers themselves, togehter with interview questions, focus-group plans, and open-ended surveys

a detailed plan that lays out the purpose, path, and procedures of the project