More on Field Notes

Sorry I missed you all in class this week.

But I did want to make some comments on field notes. Over the past several years I have read many different approaches to writing ethnographic field notes similar to the ones we read this past week, and I have found that writing field notes seems to be a very personal endeavor. I mean, what works for me might not work for everyone else, but I think discussing this topic will help us all learn more ways to capture the information we need later on for our analysis.

I don’t have to write a lot of notes right away after an interaction because I have a photographic memory. Even so, I still have to write notes. I can’t remember everything, either. I tend to write more notes then I probably need to but I really find having more is better than not having enough when analyzing data. You just need to be practical about it.

In my research position with the UW Teacher Ed program (TEP) and first-year teacher induction program, we take many observational field notes and sometime do not review them again for months or years later. Moreover, while we are collecting data we are also putting on a seminar and trying to interview people, so a lot is going on at the same time. During the day of the event, it is really hard to remember everything, let alone what occurred or who said what, without the aid of a good video document.

But our notes are essential too. I have learned a cool technique for taking field notes from my work associates and I think it may be helpful to others too. I have used this approach in my own personal research projects and R&I work as well and it was great.

I find it quite helpful to separate my notes into sections when I am taking field notes. First, I try to choose some guidelines to follow or look for before going in so I can focus on these but if something entirely different happens I certainly take that into consideration as well and am always up for changes. But I try to separate my notes in two or three parts the first part focusing on just what I see and hear going on, the second part on how it made me feel or thoughts I had about it, and the third part is for later if something else comes to mind about the situation or a theme relates to something on another day.

It may not be the best way to take notes but I find it really works well if I am very descriptive (as Melissa points out), so when I return to the notes later I am transported back to that experience. If I don't take very good notes things seem to be a bit vague and some valuable data get lost in the shuffle.

How does everyone else take field notes? Do most of you have a chosen technique or do you just write about it after its over, going on, etc? I would be interested how other people are approaching this topic.

Therese Dugan