Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Field notes

I like this advice on field notes a lot and wanted to share it with you:

There is a balance to be struck with writing up field notes. For some observers, note taking is one (and perhaps the only) activity in which they feel they are really doing research. They may be tempted to over-write because of the satisfaction note-making brings. I worry about them less than I worry about those who resent the time they must devote to writing and who procrastinate, thus making the task increasingly formidable. If you are one of the latter, I suggest you try to discover how short you can make entries that nonetheless satisfy you for their adequacy, and then find a way to maintain that level of note-making as part of your daily routine (e.g., finishing up yesterday's notes while having your second cup of morning coffee).
However you approach it, you must make note-making sufficiently doable that you will always do it, rather than ever put it off. It may prove to be a chore, but it need not become a dreaded one if you follow the simple rule of keeping your entries up to date. There isn't much sense to going out and getting more information if you haven't digested what you took in last time.
Recognize that regardless of how much you write, most of what you observe will remain what Simon Ottenberg calls "head-notes". But some observations will make it into written jottings, whether simple or elaborate, and those jottings will prove invaluable. Your elaborated note-making also provides a critical bridge between what you are experiencing and how you are translating that you observe into a form you can communicate to others. Make a practice of including in your notes not only standard entries about day, date, and time, accompanied by a simple coding system for keeping track of entries, but also reflections on and about yourself - your mood, personal reactions, even random thoughts. These may later help you recapture detail not committed to paper but not lost, either.
Note taking is not the only kind of writing for you to consider at this stage. There is something temporary about any kind of notes that effectively says the real writing will come later. What is to prevent you from doing some of that real writing as fieldwork proceeds? Instead of putting everything in an abbreviated note form, take time to draft expanded pieces written in rich detail in such a way that they might later be incorporated into your final account. Disabuse yourself of the idea that as long as you are doing fieldwork, note taking is the only kind of writing you should do. (pp. 92-93)

Reference:
Wolcott, H. F. (2005). The art of fieldwork (2 ed.). Plymouth, UK: AltaMira Press.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Cynicism

Cynicism is an idea that captures me. M recently shared that "cynicism can sometimes be a protective mechanism". Cynics see every government action as a threat. Cynicism short-circuits critical thinking. Cynicism is an attitude that is heavily loaded with negative emotion, whereas critical thinking is more objective.

I recently read from this book:
... Whether this is a correct assessment is debatable, but what is salient is that such notions especially among the young are likely to breed apathy and alienation, which are detrimental for a country's well-being. As the decisions made by governments materially affect all citizens, politics should matter to everyone. Unless people take an active interest in politics and are vigilant, governments can abuse their authority. Cynicism is a weak defence when faced with the ills of politics and can be dysfunctional in the long run (Sridharan, 2008, p. 3).
Wow. Cynicism may be a very human and natural response, but it is not the best response. It is like a person who was cheated by one person and ended up with a conclusion that all people are cheats. Sure, it is a protective mechanism to prevent oneself from being cheated again, but it's not the most helpful action. It would make more sense for the individual to take a step back and see that there are both wicked and kind people and many other types in between, and one may have been cheated once, but it doesn't mean one stops trusting people, but it could mean one should exercise caution and learn how to discern. One doesn't have to close one's heart completely.

Reference
Sridharan, K. (2008) Political science: An introductory text. Singapore: Mc Graw Hill

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Writing the literature review

Among the many advice I've seen on writing the literature review, seldom do people remind you about currency. It is actually important that the resources you referred to in the writing of your article/thesis/book are current. I think this is why a book for every generation on the same topic is reasonable and logical. It is why we don't often read out-of-print books and why publishers don't reprint them, because they are meant for an audience from the past and the knowledge which supported those books are no longer as relevant for today's audience.

So I am going to quote from one of my favourite writing books called Writing Literature Reviews by Jose L. Galvan:
When you have finished reading the articles you have collected, you should re-evaluate your entire reference list to ensure that it is complete and up-to-date. A literature review should demonstrate that it represents the latest work done in the subject area. As a rule of thumb, use a 5-year span from the present as a tentative limit of coverage, keeping in mind that you will extend your research further back when it is warranted... However, remember that the reader of a literature review expects that you have reported on the most current research available. Thus, you should make it explicit your reasons for including articles that are not current (e.g., Is it a landmark study? Does it present the only evidence available on a given topic? Does it help you to understand the evolution of a research technique?). (p. 42)
Reference:
Galvan, J. L. (2013). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (5 ed.). California: Pyrczak Publishing.