Social Research Process: Fieldwork, Analysis, and Reporting
Continuing Contact with the Applicant During Fieldwork
Contacts with the applicant can be maintained throughout the fieldwork, especially when it comes to qualitative practices. During initial interviews or discussion groups, changes to the script or even the design of the practices may be proposed. These changes should only be undertaken with the explicit agreement of the applicant. The open nature of qualitative practices allows for such adjustments.
Multi-Method Research
When conducting multi-method research, the ways in which different practices are articulated can vary. Typically, one approach is to perform qualitative practices first, which serve an exploratory role. These are then followed by quantitative practices, which are tasked with verifying the explored social reality. The specific forms of this combination are not predetermined. Their arrangement as distinct stages within a timeframe should be highlighted, even if their articulation was established earlier.
Post-Fieldwork Meetings and Preliminary Findings
Upon completion of fieldwork, meetings can be held with representatives of the applicant body. These meetings serve to present initial findings from each of the practices and their implications for subsequent steps and practices.
Analytical Work and Final Report
The analytical work is not finished at this stage. The preliminary findings provide the research manager with the ability to start operating based on the results that have been advanced. The research team, having gained a comprehensive understanding of the study, can now focus on aspects most relevant to the applicant body. The subsequent report will emphasize and further develop these aspects.
The delivery of the report marks the final point and the essential formal element of the research process.
Duration of Research: A Practical Example
A significant portion of the research timeline depends directly on the effort of the researcher and their team. This is the portion over which they have the most control. However, this is not the case with fieldwork.
In questionnaire surveys, the duration of fieldwork is conditioned by the characteristics of the sample.
It is difficult to establish precise timelines for qualitative practices. Their openness and flexibility prevent a comprehensive assessment of the duration of their fieldwork.
Research Calendar and Timeline
A research agenda is formalized through a timetable. Its development highlights the need to consider temporary breaks in labor, such as weekends, holidays, or vacations. In effect, the articulation of the various stages is integrated into the socially defined daily reality.
Three Main Aims of the Research Project Timetable
- Establish the total duration of the project, representing the most visible manifestation of the temporal commitment to its completion. It is a commitment to deliver all or part of the results by a certain date.
- Adjust tasks and activities to specific time periods, ensuring that time and personal resources are effectively allocated to each stage of the project.
- Provide a snapshot of the entire research project. A calendar offers a comprehensive view of the project’s timeline.
Setting a timetable correctly requires knowing the exact start date of the research, which in many circumstances is unknown.
If the start date is unknown, a hypothetical timetable can be created to provide a more realistic view of the project and its feasibility. Two basic principles should guide the construction of the calendar: generosity in time allocation to ensure commitments are met, and the deduction of non-working days. The calendar represents a commitment to the applicant, a kind of contract that must not be broken.
The calendar maps the stages of research onto the actual calendar. The basic steps typically included in a study are:
1. Collection, Reading, and Selection of Materials
This includes theoretical and documentary materials to be used in the fieldwork.