FIELD RESEARCH: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES AND STAGES - SCIENCE - 2024

The field research or field work is gathering information outside a laboratory or workplace. In other words, the data needed to do the research is taken in real uncontrolled environments.

Examples of field research would be biologists taking data from a zoo, sociologists taking data from actual social interactions, or meteorologists taking data from the weather in a city.

Although this type of research is carried out in nature or environments that are not controllable, it can be carried out with most or all of the steps of the scientific method (question, investigation, hypothesis formulation, experiment, data analysis, conclusions.)

Definition of field research according to authors

Field research is a type of research in charge of collecting information and data from reality, whether from environments or uncontrollable subjects.

It is characterized because it acquires that information without manipulating or controlling those variables obtained outside a laboratory or place of the scientist's usual work.

In turn, some authors define field research as:

Santa Palella and Feliberto Martins

According to the researchers Santa Palella and Feliberto Martins, field research consists of collecting data directly from reality, without manipulating or controlling the variables. Study social phenomena in their natural environment.

The researcher does not manipulate variables because the natural environment in which it manifests itself is lost.

Fidias Arias

For the researcher Fidias Arias, field research is one in which data is collected or comes directly from the subjects investigated or from the reality in which the events occur (primary data).

In this research, variables are not modified or manipulated; that is, the researcher obtains the information, but does not alter the existing conditions.

In field research, secondary data are also used, which can come from bibliographic sources.

Arturo Elizondo Lopez

The Mexican Arturo Elizondo López indicates that a field investigation is composed of data sources based on the events that occur spontaneously in the environment of the researcher and by those that this generates to know a phenomenon.

The researcher resorts to any of the sources in order to approach a judgment that allows him to verify or reject a hypothesis.

Mario Tamayo

Finally, the researcher Mario Tamayo establishes that in field research data are collected directly from reality, which is why they are called primary.

According to Tamayo, the value of this lies in the fact that it makes it possible to ascertain the true conditions in which the data were obtained, which facilitates its revision or modification in case of doubts.

Design

Design in field research refers to the use of reality by the researcher, which is why it can be said that there are as many designs as there are researchers.

Each investigation is its own design that the researcher presents based on a certain reality.

It is the structure of steps to follow in the investigation, exercising control over it in order to find reliable results in relation to the unknowns arising from the hypothesis or problem.

It composes the best maneuver to be followed by the researcher for the adequate solution of the problem raised.

The design is also a series of progressive and organized activities, adaptable to each investigation and that suggests the steps, tests and techniques to be used for the collection and analysis of data.

Types

The most relevant types of field research design are:

Survey design

It is attributed solely to the social sciences. It bases its premise on that to study certain people's behavior, the ideal is to ask them directly in their environment.

Statistical design

Performs measurements to determine the value of some variable or a group of variables. It is based on the quantitative analysis or numerical evaluation of collective phenomena.

Case design

Absolute investigation of one or several objectives to study, which provides a broad and detailed knowledge of them.

It is based on studying any unit of a system to be in a position to know some ordinary problems of it.

Experimental design

It consists of subjecting an object or group of individuals to study to certain conditions or controlled stimuli to observe the effects that are produced. It seeks to find the cause of a phenomenon.

Quasi-experimental design

It is closely related to the experimental design, but not in strict control of the variables.

In the quasi-experimental design, the subjects or study objects are not randomly assigned to groups or paired, but rather these groups are already formed before the experiment.

Non-experimental design

These are studies that are carried out without the deliberate manipulation of the variables and in which the phenomena are only observed in their natural environment and then analyzed.

The non-experimental design can be transectional or cross-sectional. In this case, they fulfill the purpose of collecting data to describe variables and analyze their impact in a single moment. The transversal design is divided into:

- Exploratory: as its name indicates, it is about beginning to know the variables that will intervene in the investigation at a specific moment.

- Descriptive: they examine the impact of the modalities, categories or levels of one or more variables in a population, where the results obtained are described.

- Correlational-causal: this type of design seeks to establish the relationship between variables without determining the causes, or analyzing the sense of cause-effect.

The non-experimental design can also be longitudinal or evolutionary. In this type of design, the data is collected at different times in order to analyze its evolution, its causes and effects.

A last subtype of the non-experimental design is the ex post facto design, which refers to when the experiment is carried out after the events occurred and the researcher does not manipulate or regulate the conditions of the test.

Stages

The stages or steps to follow to carry out a field investigation are usually linked to the approach, the model and the design of the same.

In this sense, for Tamayo, the methodology to carry out a field research process can follow the following structure:

Choice and delimitation of the topic

The choice of topic is the first step in conducting an investigation, the work area of ​​a researchable problem must be clearly determined.

Once chosen, we proceed to the delimitation of the topic, which is related to the feasibility so that the research can be developed.

The delimitation must take into account the review of knowledge, the scope and limits (in terms of time) and the material and financial resources necessary to carry out the research.

Identification and statement of the problem

It is the starting point of the study. It arises from a difficulty, from a need that needs to be covered. In identifying the problem, a particular situation is isolated from a set of concrete phenomena.

Once identified, we proceed to choose a title for that problem; It is about the rationalization of what is to be investigated, it must be a clear and summarized idea of ​​what the problem is.

When it has already been rationalized, a concrete statement of the problem must be carried out, which establishes the research guidelines that are oriented to the achievement of objectives.

Goal setting

These are the purposes for which the research is carried out. Based on these, the researcher makes the decision-making and is what will generate results. These objectives can be general and specific.

Creation of the theoretical framework

It symbolizes the basis of the investigation, broadens the description of the problem and addresses the characteristics of the phenomenon to be studied, which establish the variables that will later act in the data collection.

This section includes the following elements:

• Background: as its name implies, they are data, concepts or previous works used to judge and interpret the problem.
• Conceptual definition: allows the organization of the data extracted from reality and the relationship between them.
• Hypothesis: it is the assumption of an unstated truth. It is the link between theory and research, proposes the explanation of certain phenomena and directs the research of others.
• Variable: it is used to name any particularity of reality determined through observation and that manifests various values ​​from one observation unit to another.
• Methodology: it is an ordered procedure or set of steps to follow to establish a reliability relationship between the results obtained and the new knowledge. It is the general method that enables the research objectives to be achieved effectively. This is where the techniques and procedures for conducting the study come into play.
• Report: it is in this section where everything that happened during the investigation is written down. It is where the concepts, the observations made and, of course, the results obtained during the field study are settled.

Main techniques

Two types of techniques can be approached in field research that allow the researcher to obtain the information for his study: data collection techniques and data processing and analysis techniques.

Data collection techniques and instruments

These techniques vary depending on the focus of the study.

If it is quantitative (it requires the measurement of variables such as: age, gender, etc.), the most appropriate technique will be the survey, a previously structured questionnaire through which responses are obtained from the subjects.

On the contrary, if the information or data to be collected is of a specialized, scientific or expert type, the structured interview can be applied, which is also based on a pre-established questionnaire aimed at specialists and that admits only closed answers.

If the research is oriented to a qualitative approach, that is, not measurable or quantifiable, the appropriate technique would be an unstructured interview, focused on a broad understanding of the subjects' perspectives.

In this case, a case study would also be appropriate, which is based on the observation of an episode to understand the different elements that participate in the interaction that is generated.

Other techniques that can be used in data collection are observation, experiment, life history, and discussion groups, among others.

Processing techniques

They are the procedures to which they will be subjected and the way in which the data obtained in the study or investigation will be presented.

It deals with the classification, registration, tabulation and, if necessary, their coding.

Analysis of data

Regarding the techniques related to the analysis, induction stands out, through which the whole is analyzed from one of its parts; and deduction, which raises the opposite view and seeks to analyze a specific element based on a generality.

Another data analysis technique is synthesis, according to which the parts of a situation are analyzed and the general characteristics of the whole are identified.

Finally, statistics, both descriptive and inferential, are also used to analyze data.

Examples of successful field investigations

Transmilenio System in Bogotá, Colombia

The study began in 1998, where it was established that mobility in Bogotá presented problems of:

1. Slow, more than 70 minutes was the average trip.
2. Ineffectiveness, since they were long routes and in obsolete low-occupancy buses.
3. Pollution, since 70% of the emissions came from motor vehicles.

Against this background, it was found that the solution was to restructure the routes, making them more direct, and implementing high-capacity buses. As a result, a 97% decrease in traffic accidents was obtained thanks to the decrease in vehicle units.

In addition, by having an exclusive channel, vehicular mobility that was around 18 km / h increased considerably, as well as, of course, transport times.

This field research managed to change the destiny of all Bogota citizens after direct observation of the problem and the respective methodological development that allowed finding the most appropriate solution.

High Line in New York, United States

New York City faces the dilemma of what to do with its High Line train track, closed in 1980, so in 2009 it opens a contest where different projects are presented.

The winner was a project based on research carried out by James Corner Field Operations, which concluded that the best option was to make a park using the vegetation that was growing spontaneously.

It was completed in 2014 and its estimates were that it would attract 40,000 tourists a year and add $ 280 million to the treasury, estimates far exceeded. According to the data taken from the park, it has been visited by more than 5 million people and has a rate to raise 2.2 billion on the date set.

Quinta Monroy in Iquique, Chile

In Iquique, 100 low-income families illegally inhabited an area of ​​the city, but the city council did not want to expel them, so the city hired the architectural firm ELEMENTAL to whom they offered a subsidy of $ 7,500 per family.

The study by the aforementioned firm concluded that it was impossible to build a decent home with that amount and that families at risk could not afford the rest.

The solution they found was a modular construction design where they would raise the most essential of the house, leaving space and bases for future expansion according to the possibilities of the family.

This project is also known as “half houses” and it earned its promoter Alejandro Aravena the Pritzker Prize, the most prestigious in architecture.

Intel and consumption in Europe

In 2002, Intel, through its subsidiary People and Practices Research and under the leadership of anthropologist Genevieve Bell, was looking for an efficient way to market in Europe.

They visited 45 homes in small, medium and large cities in 5 European countries during 6 years, concluding that it was not possible to speak of just one Europe and that each country has its own idiosyncrasies.

However, the field research managed to gather enough data for a more effective marketing in each country of the Old Continent.

Invasion of animals during confinement, Spain

In 2020, many cities in Spain reported how animals from the countryside and rural areas entered the city, being totally unusual. Wild boars in Madrid or Barcelona, ​​goats in Albacete, roe deer in Valladolid and even a bear in a town in Asturias.

This phenomenon occurred during the time of confinement due to the respiratory virus that affected the country (as well as the rest of the planet) during that year.

The field researchers observed that the reason was due to the reduction of human persons in the street, less pollution and pollution, as well as less noise or direct dangers such as automobiles.

In turn, they reported that once the confinement stage was over and normal activity was recovered, the animals would abandon urban centers to environments more conducive to their survival, something that has already happened in other areas where the same phenomenon occurred (Huabei province).

Themes of interest

Exploratory investigation.

Basic investigation.

Applied research.

Pure research.

Explanatory research.

Descriptive research.

Documentary research.

References

1. Bailey, CA (1996). A Guide to Field Research. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press.
2. Fife, W. (2005). Doing Fieldwork. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
3. Transmilenio: integrated mass transportation system (Bogotá, Colombia). Retrieved from Habitat.aq.upm.es on December 20, 2017.
4. The highline effect and the new ways of designing and living cities. Retrieved from Ministeriodediseño.com on December 20, 2017.
5. Quinta Monroy / ELEMENTAL. Recovered from Plataformaarquitectura.cl on December 20, 2017.
6. Vélez, C. and Fioravanti, R. (2009). Ethnography as an Interdisciplinary Approach in Marketing: A New Attempt. Bogotá: Administration Notebook. Javeriana university.
7. "Types of research". Recovered from Thesis and Research: tesiseinvestigaciones.com
8. Arias, F. (1999). The Research Project: Guide for its elaboration. (3rd edition), Caracas - Venezuela. Editorial Episteme.