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Essay Instructions: Field Observation Report
Due: on or before May 2, 2011
In a setting such as a Self Contained or Special Class, an Alternative School or Life Skills program, you should be able to more easily identify the target areas that you are asked to comment on. Additionally, you will have a better understanding of the breadth and scope of the teaching extension that you are seeking.
Remember our discussion about ?gathering information?. In order to have the most thorough understanding of the role and responsibility of the special education teacher, consider several brief observations outside of the classroom; for example, (lunch, PE, Art) and/or remain to observe the student as transitions occur (a change of period or activity, lining up for lunch, boarding the bus, for example)
The observation report should be at least 2-3 pages long. The following indicates the information that should be addressed in the report
Background information:
? Type of class, age, educational classification, grade, present level of functioning
? How does the disability impact his / her ability to learn and function in school
Your Observations:
? Describe the setting that you observed. (How many students? Subject matter? Set up of class? Groupings of students? Technology in the classroom being used? etc.) What are the various roles of the professionals in the setting?
? How does the setting look/sound/feel similar of different from the mainstream environment that you are used to?
? What was the goal for student/lesson that you observed? Was the goal accomplished? What methods were used to evaluate the student?s progress throughout the lesson? How frequently was the student?s progress monitored?
? Describe the instructional strategies that you observed. How does the teacher react to student errors? Correct responses? Motivate? Direct/sustain attention, etc.
? Consider the degree and type of involvement and interaction that the student had with other students and the professionals in the classroom.
? What was the approach to building community an/or dealing with behavioral problems in the class? What strategies were used when behavioral problems did occur?

Reflection/Connection:
? Identify at least one thing observed that you might want to incorporate into your own classroom repertoire.
? Identify something you might want to see done differently than what you observed.
Conclusion:
? Could this child be included in a less restrictive environment?

Essay Instructions: This assignment is intended to test your knowledge and understanding of the relevant ideas and concepts raised in the Maxfield & Babbie textbook.

Field Observation

Pick a public (e.g. a park) or quasi-public (e.g. a shopping mall, a bar, a restaurant etc.) social setting of interest to you that you are unfamiliar with. Visit this setting alone twice. You are required to keep “field notes.”

**note to writer: please dont choose a coffee shop instead choose a bar or interesting public place

Engage in a ‘preliminary exploratory analysis’ of this setting. What is occurring in this setting? Describe the ‘action’. What is of interest to you in this setting? What ‘rules’ (both formal and informal) govern behaviour in this setting? What ethical issues are involved in observing in such a manner? Describe the level of your comfort or nervousness in making your observations in this setting.

There are faxes for this order.

Essay Instructions: This will involve a non-participant naturalistic observation of a public place. The exercise focuses on how to make detailed field observations, as well as learning to distinguish between your observations and your inferences and interpretations. . Naturalist observation is a primary method of data collection in qualitative research, especially ethnography. In some qualitative studies, this important source of data is the basis upon which analyses are possible.

Make notes regarding the atmosphere, the scents, smells, noises, spatial arrangements, activities, movements, interactions, etc. The first phase of taking field notes is to keenly observe and jot down your observations with as little interpretation as possible. Record what you see, hear, touch, and smell.

Usually field notes are initially handwritten. Since your original field notes will not be submitted, and only read by yourself, it is preferable that they are handwritten. Later, they will be written up, typed, and the typed field notes will be submitted. You will likely spend much more time writing up your field notes as you did observing. A great deal of detail can be recorded during the two hours of observation. Write up longer descriptions immediately after leaving the observation site. You should begin writing up your field notes as soon as possible so that detail is not lost or forgotten. Describe as much as you can about the setting. Your field notes should now describe the setting, individuals, interactions, events, and activities in a highly detailed and descriptive manner. Strive for "thick" and rich description. The level of detail should be such that someone who was not there with you would be able to clearly "see" the setting based on reading your description. Also, be reflective and reflexive. That is, include in your field notes your own experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

When writing up your field notes after leaving the setting, create a wide margin on the right side of the page. For now, leave this area blank. Later in the course, for your Final Project, this margin area will be used for notes, comments, coding, themes, interpretations, etc. On the left side of the page will be the write up of your field notes, and the larger-than-normal margin on the right side will allow room for you to later introduce your comments and interpretation of the observed events.

Your typed summary (not to exceed two pages) should include the following identifying information:


Type of setting.
Date and time of your observations.
Why you chose the setting.
Description of the setting.
Your observations of the interactions that took place.

Essay Instructions: S502- Evaluation Processes in Research
Mark D. Thomas, Ph.D., LCSW

Assignment #4 ? Unobtrusive Observation in Qualitative Research

You are collecting data for a qualitative research study examining interaction patterns of humans at OPEN 12 step groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous). Your task is to make a single continuous observation at an open 12 step group meeting. Record your observations using the guidelines below. Also, see Engel and Schutt (2013) chapters 10 and 11 for further guidance.

Field notes need to include the following elements.
1. The time you entered and exited the field; the date of the field observation; location of the field observation; and a brief descriptive topic label that captures the essence of the field session. (1 point)

2. A Description of the setting. This includes a description of the physical space including the furniture, decor, lighting, smells, and anything else that catches your attention. Also pay attention to the relationship of the setting to the community in which it is located and the pace or atmosphere of the place. First impressions are powerful and often convey what an outsider would have to say about the organization and its physical structure.
(5 points)

3. A Description of the people in the setting.
a. Who is in attendance? How many attended (excluding yourself)? What types of people? How many females? How many people of color? What is the range of ages of the attendees? Comment on the socio-economic status of the participants. Is the group predominantly middle class? Working class?
b. How would you characterize the personality of the group (e.g., friendly warm, or people don?t appear connected or interact)?
c. Include a list of people and their roles (make your best guess), short demographic and descriptive portraits of each person, and descriptions of their relationship to each other. Each time a person enters the site, notes should include a short description of the newcomer.
(15 points)


4. A Short description of the events of the day. This should include what your day was like previous to the observation and how you were feeling in general prior to entering the field. It should include a general overview of the pattern of the visit. This would include observation of your own behavior and thoughts such as where you located yourself during the observation, what the reaction of others were to you, how your dress compared to the observed, what your reactions were during the observation and how this varied over the time of the observation. This recording provides a picture of the rhythm of the site.
(4 points)


5. A Description of interaction among people in the setting
a. Did you notice a hierarchy in terms of status? Who appears to have the leadership role?
i. What do you believe is the nature of the hierarchy, e.g., income, level of attractiveness, experience in the 12 steps?
ii. Did you observe that some individuals talk more of the time than others (this can be an indication of status)? Roughly, how much did each member talk?

b. Did the group members provide their full attention to whoever was speaking?

c. Did anyone discuss their current doctor-prescribed medication? If so, what was the group?s prevailing attitude toward this topic? Did they equate the taking of doctor-prescribed medication with the use of alcohol and other drugs?

d. How would you characterize the level of religiosity of the meeting? Low, medium or high and what is your rationale for this characterization?
i. A low level of religiosity means that there is no mention of religion (e.g., no recitation of prayers), except for references to a ?higher power.?
ii. A Medium level of religiosity means that there is at least one prayer recited during the course of the meeting
iii. A high level of religiosity means that there is more than one prayer recited during the course of the meeting.

e. Count the number of times there was a reference to religion.

f. Was relapse discussed during the course of the meeting? If so, how frequently?

g. What else did you learn about the individuals in your setting?
(21 points)

6. Your overall impressions of the day and of the setting. (If you were to make multiple observations, your impression can change over time and are recorded to gauge how understanding of the site evolves.)
(4 points)


Remember that your ?experience? at your research site should be related to larger contexts. These may include description of the neighborhood and discussion of changes in the neighborhood in which the site is located, personnel or policy changes and so forth. For example, research in a church social service program should record events in the church that impact on the site. The number of people around a housing project or at a church during a particular setting should also be recorded in order to understand the frame of the micro setting.