A.

Contact Surnmary Sheet Si

The
supplementary
methods are illustrated in
boxes,
with
brief
explanations. The aim is to
suggest simple methods
that can be used in
conjunction with the main
method being discussed.
The forma varios, but
usually has a brief
statement of the sorts of
problema the method can
help with, plus a brief
exhibit or illustration of the
method and concluding
advice.
Our Assumptions About
"Data'.
For the methods in this
and following chapters,
we as-sume that the fieldworker has collected
information in the form of
handwritten or typed
field
notes,'
notes
dictated a fter field
contact, or tape recordings
of interviews or other
events in the field setting.
In al! cases, we are
focusing on words as the
basic form in which the
data are found.2
We further assume that
the basic, raw data (the seri
bbled field notes, the
dictated tapes, the dire,ct
tape recordings) must he
processed before they are
available for analysis.
Field notes must be
converted loto "wrteups," either typed
directly or transcribed
from dictation. A writc-up
is an intelligible product
for anyone, not just for the
fieldworker, ft can be read,
edited
for
accuracy,
commented on, coded, and
analyzed using any of the
methods we are about to
describe.
Raw field notes are
usually fairly illegible and
eontain
private
abbreviations. They are

also sketchy. Field notes

taken during an interview
usually contain half or
lesa of the actual content.
Notes made afterward are
even worse. Rut a write-up
usually will add back some
of the miss ing content
because the raw field notes,
when reviewed, stimulate
the
field-worker
te
remember things said at
that time that are not in
the notes? Such additions
should, of course, be
marked to guard against
bias. Transcribed dictation
is subject to the same son
of prccessing.
Direct tape recordings of
field events also must be
processed in some way.
For example, the fieldworker listens to or
watches the tape, males
notes, selecta excerpts, and
makes judgments or
ratings. More typically, the
tape is transcnibed into
text.
This
process,
however, is fraught with
slippage; it is dependent on
the knowledgeability and
skill of the transcribing
person. Note, too, that
transcripts can be done at
different levels of detall,
from the "uhs," "ers,"
pauses, word emphases,
mispronunciations, and incomplete sentences of an
apparently
incoherent
speaker (whose facial
expressions, explanatory
gestures, and tone of
voice cannot be typed up),
to a smooth, apparently
straightforward summary
of the main ideas
presentad by the speaker.4
So we are focusing on
words as the basic
medium,
and
are
assuming that the words
involved
have
been
refined from raw notes or
tapc recordings into a text
that is clear to the reader

or anatyst. Note, however,

that ths text may be
reduced and simplified
considerably from the raw
events.

ar

Now, on to the
methods.
They
are
arranged roughly from
earlier to later in data
collection and from simple
to complex. Beginning
with the contact summary
sheet, a simple way to
summarize time-limitad
data, we proceed through
first-level coding, secondlevel or pattern codes,
and the process of
deriving even
more
general themes called
mernoing. As more and
more data pile up, the case
analysis meeting and the
interim case summary are
crucial for understanding.
The vignette presenta
focused,
timelimited
information on ene or
several episodes. The prestructured case is an
economice]
way
of
integrating case data.
We conclude this
chapter with a section en
sequential
analysis,
illustrating how methods
of this sort can follow
each other in a flow over

Sh

ee
t
An
aly
sis
Pr
ob
le
m

on

After a field contact

(from one to severa! days)
and the production of writeups, diere is often a need to
pause and ponder: What
were the main concepts,
themes,
issues,
and
questions that I saw during
this contact? Without such
reflection, it is easy to get
lost in a welter of detall.
And
communicating
important things about a
contact te one's colleagues
is essential for any project
with more than one fieldworker.

ta

Brief Description

time.

A.
C

ct
Su
m
m

A contact summary is a
single sheet with some
focusing or surnmarizing
questions
about
a
particular field contact.
The field-worker reviews
the written-up field notes
and answers each question
briefly to develop an
oyeran summary of the

ODT IITIIPHANESt
VIEW LIBRARY

main points in the contact.

Ifiustration
Deciding
on
the
questions. The main thing
here s being clear about
what you (en your
colleagues) need to know
now about a particular
field contad, with a writeup that may tun to dozens
of pages. Which questions
will go ro the essence of
the data set? Here are
some possible questions:

What people, events, or

situations were involved?
What Mere the main
themes or issues fn the
contact?
Which researeh questions
and which variables in
the initial frarnework
did die contact bear on
most centrally?
What new hypotheses,
speculatfons, or
htmehes about the field
situations were
suggested by the
contact?