ASSIGNMENT #2: Observational Research

Instructions:

1. Formulate a research question that will allow you to observe some kind of public activity (e.g. How do people behave when they line up at a show? What different kinds of people do I find at the dog park?)

Field notes (10 marks)

1. Find apublicsetting where you can observepublic behaviorthat will address your research question. Sit and watch and listen for about fifteen minutes. When you are finished, go immediately to a quiet place and write notes of everything you can remember. Return to the site again 3 or 4 times, watch, and take notes later.Remember, you are only to observe, you are not to ask people questions or intrude upon the setting.
2. Repeat Step 2 but at a different time. Take more field notes.

Coding Data (5 marks)

4. Examine your field notes. Look for general patterns or themes. For example, did you observe any similarities/differences in how people behaved? Did the time of day affect what you found? Can you identify certain types of groups of people? Did certain kinds of dress/speech appear in your data? Can you identify a leader? Are there physical objects that affect how people behave and, if so, how do people respond to those objects?

NOTE:You do NOT need to address all of these questions. They are included here only as an exemplary guide. A great deal of what you describe will depend upon your field site and what you observed happening there. You may also find it useful to underline common observations/happenings/characteristics and so forth with different coloured inks as a way of separating/identifying them.)

Analyzing Data (5 marks)

5. Using your sociological imagination, explain your research findings. Remember to use examples taken from your field notes to support your claims.

NOTE:Your explanation of your research findings should NOT just be a summary of your field notes! Here you should consider your original research question and focus on how your data clarifies/responds to the question.

Assignment length: 2-3 pages double-spaced (this does NOT include your field notes). Your field notes do not need to be typed but they should beattached as an appendixfor grading. Assignment Value:20% of your final grade.
Assignment due date: May 28, 2015 before class begins.