Spradley

• Analysis and interpretation notes often represent a kind of brainstorming (72)
• Description observation:  approaching the activity in process without any particular question in mind, but only the general question “What is going on here?”
• Descriptive -> Focused observations -> Selective Observations

Question-observation

Firstly, when you make descriptive observations, you participate in a social situation, then treat yourself as an informant.  Descriptive observations include the following:

• Where you go
• What you do
• Where you sit
• How you overhear things
• Who you saw

Secondly, descriptions include the ethnographer’s thoughts and feelings.

Grand Tour Observations:

Identification of major features of house

9 Dimensions of every social situation

1. Space:  Physical place or places
2. Actor:  the people involved
3. Activity:  a set of related acts people do
4. Object:  The physical things that are present
5. Act:  single actions that people do
6. Event:  a set of related activities that people cary out
7. Time:  The sequencing that takes place over time
8. Goal:  The things people are trying to accomplish
9. Feeling:  The emotions felt and expressed

Mini-tour Question observation

1. What are all the…(places, acts, events, feelings…)
2. Can you describe in detail the…(objects, times, goals…)
3. Can you tell me all about the…(people, activities…)

• As you consider dimensions, you will discover that your questions tend to lead you to the way these dimensions are interrelated.

• The map-maker sets out to describe what can be observed (81).  Once we have a map, then we go out to formulate hypotheses.