“Theories do not spring tabula rasa from the data but are carried forward through intellectual debate and division. They then re-enter the wider world of participants, there to be adopted, refuted, and extended in intended and unintended ways, circulating back into science. Science offers no final truth, no certainties, but exists in a state of continual revision.”

– Michael Burawoy, “The Extended Case Method”, p. 16

Fieldwork has been difficult, to put it simply. The difficulty arises neither from the different techniques that can be employed nor from understanding my role as a researcher but from a lack of desirable access to the field site. At least from my perspective, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to really feel immersed or involved in what Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House (MPNH) has to offer in terms of programs and services. So far, I’ve worked two shifts at the front desk of MPNH doing reception work. While the benefits of this position include the ability to see every person that walks through the doors and answering phone calls inquiring about MPNH, it has not allowed for involvement in a specific program or interaction with participants.

Reception as first point of contact.

Like Burawoy has alluded to, without dialogue and immersion in a field site, it’s tough to recognize any relevant emerging theories or threads of knowledge, which makes me nervous about my final project and what it will end up consisting of. Hopefully this will all change when I start a supplemental volunteer shift with Strong Start, an initiative that teaches parents “affective” early learning strategies for their pre-school aged children. It’s only a couple of hours every week which will challenge me to be a better researcher and extract as much as I can from each shift.

Burawoy’s idea of reflexive science and the extended case method seems like a good technique to employ. The acknowledgement that regarding science as a process “outside” of the subjects they study is outdated and incomplete provides an avenue for a different kind of research method. Burawoy suggests that engaging directly in participant observation can provide different perspectives for research as it “distorts and disturbs,” and reveals a social order responding to pressure (Burawoy pp. 16-17). As well, it’s hard to maintain the position of an “outsider” because of the human element of what we’re dealing with. Working with others is naturally entwined with human interaction and dialogue, as familiarity with people and the environment allows us to become a part of the subculture.

What Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater and Bonnie Stone Sunstein call the “subculture” refers to the socially cultivated environments of special languages used to communicate, different ways of behaving and interacting, and shared belief systems that develop in places and spaces inhabited by people, whether it’s a cultural background or membership in a school (pp. 4-5). Though I’ve only worked at the front desk so far, I’ve already noticed a subculture of employee behaviour developing. Throughout the day, many female employees will congregate at the front desk to chat and “gossip” about what’s happening around MPNH or in their lives. Being a female, I don’t think my presence inhibits or alters these social patterns. It would be interesting to note what it would be like if a male was working instead.

So far, fieldworking has been a little tough to navigate and undertake in terms of figuring out a final project but it’s evident that even with little access, my role as a participant observer has provided me with a plethora of anecdotes just from working reception. I’m looking forward to seeing the different field notes that will be produced from working in an actual program provided by MPNH.

Snapshot of the entrance to Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House.

References:

Burawoy, Michael. “The Extended Case Method.” Sociological Theory 16.1 (1998): 4-30. Web. 17 May 2012.

Chiseri-Strater, Elizabeth and Bonnie Stone Sunstein. Fieldworking: Reading and Writing Research. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1997. Print.