Introduction to Questionnaire Survey and Interview

Japanese version is below:
フィールドワーク入門

Goals of the Course

The main purpose of this course is to understand the basic concepts and attitudes of the fieldwork approach. The instructor of this course helps students acquire the practical knowledge and skills needed for conducting participatory observation, academic interview, and questionnaire survey in the field. Among the various fieldwork approaches, this course focuses on two unstructured and semi-structured interviews, Life Story and Kikitori (short interview). Except for three classes (the first, the 14th, the last classes), every class is divided into two parts; instructor’s lecture and students’ group work session. This course comprises lectures, discussions, preparing for potential questions, interview exercise, the group presentation, and a report-writing.

Objectives of the Course

By the end of this course, students will be able to

1. understand basic concepts and attitudes for the fieldwork approach
2. gain practical knowledge and skills on

a) the research design and the process of the fieldwork approach
b) basic manners and ethics for the fieldwork approach
c) academic discussion and presentation
d) analyzing collected data in the field
e) writing the academic paper based on collected fieldwork data

Course Content / Plan

1. Course introduction: What is the academic research in the field? / What are the differences between the qualitative research and quantitative research? / What is the purpose for conducting fieldwork? / Instructor’s experiences (failures) in the field
2. Fieldwork approach to form and shape appropriate research questions and hypotheses in the field / Research design, purpose, and process / Forming your team for two group works (Life Story and Kikitori)
3. Various fieldwork approaches: participatory observation, interview, and questionnaire survey / Deciding your informant for your Life Story interview
4. Basic manners and ethics (esp. privacy and human rights) for fieldwork / Basic guidelines to prevent infectious disease (Covid-19) during the fieldwork / Expected results, the personal, socioeconomic, and historical backgrounds of the informant
5. Gaps between Ideal and reality in the field: changing research questions and constant hypotheses construction / 50 potential questions for your Life Story interview
6. Life Story interviewⅠ: Methodological idea, purpose, research design, and interview techniques / Advanced group discussion for the preparation for the Life Story interview
7. Life Story interviewⅡ: Interview techniques and data analysis / Analyzing collected data on the Life Story interview
8. Presentations and discussions for the Life Story interview Ⅰ
9. Presentations and discussions for the Life Story interview Ⅱ
10. Concepts for Kikitori (targeted interview) approach / Challenges to make an appointment / Deciding your theme, question(s), informant(s), and expected results
11. The manner of Kikitori: Importance of the tentative “hypotheses” to minimize the informant’s costs and burden / Preparing for potential questions and hypotheses for Kikitori
12. Questionnaire survey in the field: when and how do you start the structured-interview and the questionnaire survey in your research process? / Analyzing collected data on Kikitori
13. Presentations and discussions for Kikitori
14. “Writing” your paper based on field data / Concepts, final targets, and techniques
15. Summary and the supplementary lecture for this course

Course Prerequisites and Related Courses

No precondition to take this course.

Course Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual contribution to the class discussion 10%
Two group presentations: each presentation 20%
Final report: 50%
Credit is given to C- or C (where applicable) or higher grade for each criterion.

Textbook/Reference Book

No specific text book is used. Reference lists are provided during the lecture session.

Study Load(Self-directed Learning Outside Course Hours)

Although limited time is allocated for the group work during the class, students MUST collaborate and work with team members outside of the class to complete the group presentation.

Notice for Students

Enrollment limit is 40 students. Priority for course enrollment is given to first-year master’s students who plan to participate in Domestic Field Work (DFW) and/or Overseas Field Work (OFW). The course schedule may change depending on the number of students enrolled.

Language(s) for Instruction & Discussion

English

Lecture format, etc.

Classes will be held in-person.

lecture materials

Class 1: Course Introduction

This lecture is provided under Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

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