Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
from the observation of drug transactions in a playground to funerals.
However, most ethnographers use their trained recall to record the information
immediately after the event when necessary, typically using paper and pen.
The drawbacks are obvious: The fieldworker cannot record every word and
nuance in a social situation, has difficulty maintaining eye contact with other
participants while writing, and must expend a great deal of effort to record
data that are legible and organized.
DIGITAL VOICE RECORDERS
Ethnographers attempt to immerse themselves in the field, working with people
rather than devices. Tools that free the ethnographer from recording devices,
whether pen and paper or laptop computers, are welcome. Digital voice
recorders (tape recorders in a digital age) allow the ethnographers to engage in
lengthy informal and semistructured interviews without the distraction of man-
ual recording devices. Digital voice recorders effectively capture long verbatim
quotations, essential to good fieldwork, while the ethnographer maintains a nat-
ural conversational flow. Digital audio recordings can be analyzed over and over
again. Voice indexing interviews, placing bookmarks at selected passages,
facilitates recall, analysis, and writing. In all cases, however, the fieldworker
should use the digital voice recorder judiciously and with consent.
Digital voice recorders can inhibit some individuals from speaking freely
during interviews. Some individuals may fear reprisals because their voice is
identifiable. The ethnographer must assure these people of the confidentiality
of the data. Sometimes, easing into the use of digital voice recorders slowly
can avoid unnecessary tension. I usually begin with pen and pad, and then ask
if I can switch to the digital voice recorder simply because I cannot write fast
enough to catch every word. I also stop the digital voice recorder whenever I
touch on a topic that the interviewee thinks is too sensitive. A quick response
to such requests highlights the ethnographer's sensitivity and integrity, and
strengthens the bond between ethnographer and participant.
Digital voice recorders are useful icebreakers. On several occasions, I
recorded students' songs on the voice recorder and played the music back for
them before asking about the school being studied. During group interviews,
I typically ask students to pass the digital voice recorder around and introduce
themselves on it as though they were celebrities. This approach often makes
them eager to participate in the discussion and usually makes them comfort-
able with the machine. It also enables me to accurately identify each partici-
pant's words long after leaving the field.
