Role Of Fieldwork Research Articles

Castel di Sangro-Scontrone field camp – structural and applied geomorphology

ABSTRACTThe Geomorphological Field Camp 2014 in the Castel di Sangro-Scontrone area is the result of geological and geomorphological teaching field work activities carried out in Central Italy by a group of 23 students attending the Structural Geomorphology and Applied Geomorphology courses (Master's Degree in Geological Science and Technology of the Università degli Studi ‘G. d'Annunzio’ Chieti-Pescara, Italy, Department of Engineering and Geology). The Field Camp 2014 was organized in May 2014, following regular classes held during the fall term. General activities for the field camp were developed over four main stages: (1) preliminary analysis of the regional geological and geomorphological setting of the area; (2) preliminary activities for the analysis of the local area (orography, hydrography and photogeology investigations, and geographical information system processing); (3) field work, focused on the analysis of a specific issue concerning structural geomorphology or applied geomorphology (e.g. landscape evolution, river channel change, landslide distribution, and flood hazard); and (4) post-field work production of the map. Finally, the fundamental role of field work in the analysis of landscape and in land management was outlined: indeed, the overall field camp enhanced the crucial role of field-based learning for young geomorphologists in order to acquire a strong sensitivity to geomorphological processes and landscape evolution.

Enhancing quality and integrity in biomedical research in Africa: an international call for greater focus, investment and standardisation in capacity strengthening for frontline staff.

The integrity of biomedical research depends heavily on the quality of research data collected. In turn, data quality depends on processes of data collection, a task undertaken by frontline research staff in many research programmes in Africa and elsewhere. These frontline research staff often have additional responsibilities including translating and communicating research in local languages, seeking informed consent for study participation and maintaining supportive relationships between research institutions and study participants and wider communities. The level of skills that fieldworkers need to undertake these responsibilities clearly affects the quality of data collected, the ethics of research ‘on the ground’ and the short and long term acceptability of research.We organised an international workshop in Kenya in July 2014 to discuss the role of frontline staff in scientific research. A total of 25 field managers from 9 African countries and the UK met for 2.5 days to discuss the relationship between data quality and institutional performance management systems and how they affect career progression and supportive supervision policies of research frontline staff.From this workshop, and supporting an expanding literature on the role of fieldworkers in international health research, participants agreed that fieldworkers’ roles present them with practical and ethical challenges that their routine training does not adequately prepare them for. We argue that the common and complex challenges facing fieldworkers should in part be addressed through increased investment and collaborative agreements across types of research institutions in Africa. We call for standardization of core elements of training for this critically important cadre of research staff who perform similar roles and encounter similar challenges in many African settings. Although many valuable training elements are offered in institutions, there is a need to develop broader, more grounded and innovative strategies to address complex realities for fieldworkers, and support the integrity and ethics of health research in these settings.

Other-Hegemony in de Martino: The Figure of the Gramscian Fieldworker between Lucania and London

Abstract This paper reflects on the role of fieldwork in folklore studies and anthropology. By speculating on the fieldwork experience of Ernesto de Martino in Lucania, we consider the figure of the Gramscian Fieldworker commenting on Stephen Olbrys Gencarella’s proposal for a critical folklore studies. An imaginary de Martino, one that never existed, is seen as the precursor for such a figure, built around the scenario of the "end" as depicted by Heidegger and embodying the Gramscian proposition of the Organic Intellectual. The second part of the article grounds such a figure in the author’s ethnographic experience of London, offering an examination of the current state of British multiculturalism through the case of an East London singer-songwriter. A practical example of how to interpret the fieldwork tactic pioneered by an imaginary de Martino in Lucania is presented as a way for social sciences and the humanities to overcome the predilection for text analysis of deconstructionism.

Of Participation Roles in the Field

This article examines the benefits that can be realized when a study contrives a poly vocal environment that allows the participants a larger stake in the conduct of research among them. The article, therefore, does not dwell on the main findings of the study conducted among Bang’ Jomariek women group of West Reru. The main objective of the research study was to explore the teaching and learning processes utilized by women artists in the art forms of basketry, pottery and indigenous architecture. This article, however, dwells on the observations the researcher makes of the experiences of the study participants which emanate from their being allowed more control of the study conduct. Thus, by focusing on a collective of indigenous women engaged in the education and production of the art forms of pots, baskets, and indigenous architecture, this article explores study participants’ roles in fieldwork. The study site was West Reru area of Western Kenya. Scholars Adler and Adler (1987) among many others have suggested behaviors and attitudes that make up ethical researcher conduct. In this article, the researcher draws on the post feminist and post colonial theoretical perspectives to explore the participants’ identity construction in an arguably poly vocal research context. Additionally, the study reviews the consequent epistemological concerns that emerge in such a study environment. These women, referred to their educational and production processes as chwuech. The researcher coined the phrase “chwuechgogical study methods” to describe the study methods and instruments.

‘Genre Blurring’ and Public Administration: What Can We Learn from Ethnography?

This article seeks to broaden the craft of public administration by ‘blurring genres’. First, I explain the phrase ‘blurring genres’. Second, I provide some examples of early work in administrative ethnography. Third, I compare this early, modernist‐empiricist ethnography with interpretive ethnography, suggesting researchers confront three choices: naturalism vs. anti‐naturalism; intensive vs. hit‐and‐run fieldwork; and generalisation vs. local knowledge. After this general discussion, and fourth, I discuss the more prosaic issues that confront anyone seeking to use ethnography to study public administration and look at fieldwork roles, relevance, time, evidence and fieldwork relationships. Fifth, I describe and illustrate the several tools students of public administration can use as well as observation and interviews; namely, focus groups, para‐ethnography, visual ethnography, and storytelling. Finally, I conclude that ethnographic fieldwork provides texture, depth and nuance, and lets interviewees explain the meaning of their actions. It is an indispensable tool and a graphic example of how to enrich public administration by drawing on the theories and methods of the humanities.

Introduction to the special issue: The field tradition in geomorphology

In recognition of the critical role of field observations in the ongoing development of our discipline, the 43rd annual Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium (BGS) celebrated The Field Tradition in Geomorphology. By organizing a conference devoted to this theme, we sought to honor the contributions of pioneering, field-based geomorphologists and to encourage our community to contemplate how field work might continue to provide unique insight into a new, more technologically-driven era. For example, given recent advances in remote sensing methods such as LiDAR, what kind of added value can field work provide? Similarly, how can field-based studies contribute to societally relevant, large-scale questions related to climate change and sustainable management of the Earth system? Motivated by such questions, the 2012 BGS was convened in Jackson Hole, WY, a new, Western location that enabled participation by Rocky Mountain and west coast research groups underrepresented at previous Binghamton symposia. Also, in keeping with the field tradition theme, the 2012 BGS emphasized field trips, including a rafting excursion down the Snake River and an overview of the tectonic and glacial history of Jackson Hole. The on-site portion of the symposium consisted of invited oral and poster presentations and contributed posters, including many by graduate students. Topics ranged from an historical overview of the development of geomorphic thinking to long-term sediment tracer studies to a commentary on the synergy between LiDAR and field mapping. This special issue of Geomorphology consists of papers by invited authors from the 2012 BGS, and this overview provides some context for these contributions. Looking forward, we hope that the 43rd annual BGS will stimulate further discussion of the role of field work as the discipline of geomorphology continues to evolve, carrying on the field tradition into the future.

O papel do trabalho de campo na geografia, das epistemologias da curiosidade às do desejo

A ideia de que a geografia deve fundamentar-se na pratica do trabalho de campo se estabelece apenas tardiamente: o geografo nao e um explorador ou um viajante; seu trabalho nao consiste em relatar o que se observa em cada lugar, mas em transformar a visao pontual daqueles que estao em contato com a realidade em uma visao de conjunto, na qual limites se distinguem, linhas se desenham e convergencias aparecem. A concepcao moderna da profissao de geografo se define do final do seculo XVIII ao in...

Le rôle du terrain en géographie

L’idee que la geographie doit reposer sur la pratique du terrain ne s’impose que tardivement : le geographe n’est pas un explorateur ou un voyageur ; son travail ne consiste pas a rapporter ce qui s’observe en chaque lieu, mais a transformer la vision ponctuelle de ceux qui sont en contact avec le reel en une vision d’ensemble, dans laquelle des plages se distinguent, des lignes se dessinent, des convergences apparaissent. La conception moderne du metier de geographe se precise de la fin du x...

Summary of Panel Presentation(Considering the Role of Fieldwork in the Historical Study of Religion,Panels,Research Reports,THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION)

Summary of Panel Presentation(Considering the Role of Fieldwork in the Historical Study of Religion,Panels,Research Reports,THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION)

Editorial introduction to ‘Geological Development of Anatolia and the Easternmost Mediterranean Region’

The present set of 22 papers stems from the 7th International Symposium on Eastern Mediterranean Geology that was held in Adana, Turkey, 18–22 October 2010. After its initiation in l992, in Adana this international conference has been held successively in Jerusalem (Israel) in l995, Nicosia (Cyprus) in 1998, Isparta (Turkey) in 2001, Thessalonica (Greece) in 2004 and Amman (Jordan) in 2007. The Cyprus and Thessalonica conferences were followed by substantive publications, including one with a focus on Cyprus (Panayides et al. 2000) and another mainly concerned with the Balkan region (Robertson & Mountrakis 2006). A subset of the papers that were presented at the 7th Adana meeting, together with some others, have been prepared and edited for the present volume. Anatolia and the surrounding region provide an excellent opportunity for the study of fundamental geological processes, including rifting, seafloor spreading, ophiolite genesis and emplacement, collision, continental assembly and neotectonics. This volume should interest a wide cross-section of international researchers, including those concerned with hydrocarbons, mineral deposits and seismic risk, and also postgraduate students and advanced undergraduates. The papers highlight the role of fieldwork, the multidisciplinary nature of much of the current research in the region, the role of teamwork and the strong contribution being made by young scientists. Following an introductory chapter, the volume is divided into four sections covering different aspects of the region as a whole. The area discussed mainly lies within Turkey, Cyprus and Syria. Section 1 is made up of a small number of papers that are mainly concerned with the Pontide belt of northern Turkey. Section 2 is concerned with the geological development of the Tauride and Anatolide belts of central and southern Anatolia, especially the Triassic–Jurassic period of rifting and passive margin development and the Late Cretaceous period of ophiolite genesis and emplacement. Section 3 is mainly concerned with the formation of sedimentary basins during closure of several Mesozoic ocean basins and the related structural development during Late Cretaceous to Pliocene time. Finally, Section 4 is devoted to aspects of the structural development of the region, mainly during the Pliocene–Quaternary (i.e. neotectonics) when the plate configuration was essentially as it is today. The area covered by each paper is shown in Figure 1. The introduction by Robertson et al. covers the southern part of Anatolia and the adjacent easternmost Mediterranean region that was the main subject of the international conference. The main focus is on Late Permian–Recent time. A review of the Late Precambrian–Recent geological development of the easternmost Mediterranean region is published elsewhere (Robertson et al. 2012). The authors discuss alternative interpretations of the Mesozoic–Cenozoic inter-relations of the various crustal units that make up the region. In particular, they consider whether these should be interpreted as individual microcontinents separated by Mesozoic small ocean basins or as parts of larger continental units (i.e. microcontinents). The Anatolides in the north are generally interpreted as the metamorphosed equivalents of the Taurides, although different reconstructions exist. The Anatolides are commonly seen as the northern, leading edge of the Mesozoic Tauride–Anatolide continent that subducted and underwent high-pressure/lowtemperature (HP/LT) metamorphism during Late Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic time. The Anatolides are divided into two parts, namely the HP/LTmetamorphosed Afyon–Bolkar Dag zone in the south, which can be closely correlated with the Taurides, and the very HP/LT Tavsanli Zone further north, which also shows some affinities with the Taurides but is less well understood. The Kirsehir Massif is interpreted as a rifted continental block that was separated from a larger Tauride continent to the south by a Mesozoic oceanic basin known as the Inner-Tauride Ocean. However, uncertainties remain, including the reconstruction

The role of fieldwork in rock decay research: Case studies from the fringe

Researchers exploring rock decay hail from chemistry, engineering, geography, geology, paleoclimatology, soil science, and other disciplines and use laboratory, microscopic, theoretical, and field-based strategies. We illustrate here how the tradition of fieldwork forms the core knowledge of rock decay and continues to build on the classic research of Blackwelder, Bryan, Gilbert, Jutson, King, Linton, Twidale, and von Humboldt. While development of nonfield-based investigation has contributed substantially to our understanding of processes, the wide range of environments, stone types, and climatic variability encountered raises issues of temporal and spatial scales too complex to fit into attempts at universal modeling. Although nonfield methods are immensely useful for understanding overarching processes, they can miss subtle differences in factors that ultimately shape rock surfaces. We, therefore, illustrate here how the tradition of fieldwork continues today alongside laboratory and computer-based investigations and contributes to our understanding of rock decay processes. This includes the contribution of fieldwork to the learning process of undergraduates, the calculation of activation energies of plagioclase and olivine dissolution, the high Arctic, the discovery of a new global carbon sink, the influence of plant roots, an analysis of the need for protocols, tafoni development, stone monuments, and rock coatings. These compiled vignettes argue that, despite revolutionary advances in instrumentation, rock decay research must remain firmly footed in the field.

From Khariji to Kabuli: Being an 'Insider/Outsider' in an Afghan Woman's Fieldwork

This article reflects on the challenges of being an 'outsider' in one's own culture and on the journey from being a complete outsider to an 'insider/outsider'. Reflecting on fieldwork among women in north-east Afghanistan, the article explores assumptions and perceptions about Badakhshan and its people and the role of fieldwork in shattering them. It is also a reflection about values and compromises and the researcher's struggle to negotiate the appropriate balance. The article sheds light on the researcher's search for and discovery of different versions of herself when faced with a different version of 'home'.

Changing personas and evolving identities: the contestation and renegotiation of researcher roles in fieldwork

The aim of this paper is to discuss the development and evolution of particular personas adopted by researchers in the quest for rich exchanges within the social field. It analyses my role (the principal author) as a female ethnographer (and the sole female) in the world of elite male rowing. Data are drawn from personal notes, reflections and observations during a five-month-long training camp. My experiences are located within dramaturgical social theory and, in particular, Goffman's work on face and impression management. The significance of the work is twofold. Firstly, it lies in recognising the strategies we use and the identities we construct as researchers in negotiating the social field towards desired ends. Secondly, it raises awareness of the implications performances have for the nature of the data gathered and the conclusions drawn from them.

Linking teaching and research in undergraduate physical geography papers: The role of fieldwork

Undergraduate teaching should be informed by research. The extent to which this is the case and how this is best practised is the subject of this paper. Learning strategies that seek to embed research within the undergraduate programme from an introductory level are discussed. The degree of success in these strategies is informed by input from postgraduate students who have ‘come through the ranks’. Their views, obtained via a focus group, suggest that research is rigorously embedded at every level of the programme and is most clearly linked to teaching in research-based third-year papers with a strong fieldwork component.

Experiences with community engagement and informed consent in a genetic cohort study of severe childhood diseases in Kenya.

BackgroundThe potential contribution of community engagement to addressing ethical challenges for international biomedical research is well described, but there is relatively little documented experience of community engagement to inform its development in practice. This paper draws on experiences around community engagement and informed consent during a genetic cohort study in Kenya to contribute to understanding the strengths and challenges of community engagement in supporting ethical research practice, focusing on issues of communication, the role of field workers in 'doing ethics' on the ground and the challenges of community consultation.MethodsThe findings are based on action research methods, including analysis of community engagement documentation and the observations of the authors closely involved in their development and implementation. Qualitative and quantitative content analysis has been used for documentation of staff meetings and trainings, a meeting with 24 community leaders, and 40 large public and 70 small community group meetings. Meeting minutes from a purposive sample of six community representative groups have been analysed using a thematic framework approach.ResultsField workers described challenges around misunderstandings about research, perceived pressure for recruitment and challenges in explaining the study. During consultation, leaders expressed support for the study and screening for sickle cell disease. In community meetings, there was a common interpretation of research as medical care. Concerns centred on unfamiliar procedures. After explanations of study procedures to leaders and community members, few questions were asked about export of samples or the archiving of samples for future research.ConclusionsCommunity engagement enabled researchers to take account of staff and community opinions and issues during the study and adapt messages and methods to address emerging ethical challenges. Field workers conducting informed consent faced complex issues and their understanding, attitudes and communication skills were key influences on ethical practice. Community consultation was a challenging concept to put into practice, illustrating the complexity of assessing information needs and levels of deliberation that are appropriate to a given study.

Building the address register for the 2011 Census

A high quality, comprehensive list of addresses is fundamental to planning for the 2011 Census. The address list will provide the key to accurate delivery, collection and follow-up of questionnaires, as well as playing a central role in fieldwork and estimation. This article provides a short summary of current thinking on developing the register, which will involve the address data suppliers, all local authorities, and many other stakeholders.

`Where are the buses?’ - Role of Geography Fieldwork in a Socially Fragmented World

In a world that is increasingly fragmented and polarised, fieldwork becomes far more important than ever before in understanding social and cultural differences. This paper considers the role of fieldwork in geography for students from small countries like the city-state of Singapore as well as the understanding of political and economic differences that exist in the region. Socialised into a highly planned urban environment in which public goods and services are taken for granted such as urban transport networks that are crucial in the functioning of cities, final year university students majoring in geography from the National Institute of Education found themselves highly challenged in locating similar urban provisions in their fieldwork site in neighbouring Malaysia. ‘Where are the buses?' was the first question posed by a group once they had reached the island of Pulau Langkawi, off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The assumption underlying the question was that other worlds would not be too different from that which the students are familiar - the well-organised and well-planned citystate of Singapore. Post-structuralists suggest that education is a process through which subjects are formed while formal education in most countries can be considered to be a .state project. since it is based on national school curricula. Foucault's concept of governmentality concerns how states determine the types of knowledge and practices that are to be communicated to students and hence, create the support for the state's developmental agenda and its rationalisation. This paper argues that fieldwork is crucial in the development of critical thinking and students. understanding of the geographies of an increasingly fragmented world.

On Disciplinary Culture: Archaeology as Fieldwork and Its Gendered Associations

This paper discusses the disciplinary culture of archaeology, focusing in particular on the role of fieldwork in shaping the sense of identity for the profession. Based on the examination of the professionalisation of Australian archaeology, it is argued that there is a distinctive suite of attributes relating to the activity of fieldwork, which are central to the organizational culture of the discipline. These attributes can be seen to have a gendered dimension, revealing the extent to which archaeology is shaped by different gender regimes.

Nigeria’s 1991 Census in Retrospect: Fieldworkers’ assessment

This study is borne out of the need to address the long-standing concern about the inadequacy of population data for development planning in Nigeria. In spite of the efforts of past governments, the population data available from various sources for planning and monitoring Nigeria’s development process remain highly unsatisfactory in terms of adequacy and reliability, The situation is attributable in part to the irregular conduct of the census in the country and other associated problems. To achieve improvements in the quality of data obtained from censuses in the country, a critical evaluation of the administrative cum organizational aspects of the census is essential and the role of fieldworkers in this regard, cannot be underplayed. It is in this light that this study focuses on the 1991 census through the lens of the fieldworkers. In-depth interviews were used to obtain information from enumerators, supervisors and other functionaries involved in the 1991 census. The survey of census functionaries served to validate the report of the fieldworkers. The study sheds light on the appropriateness of some of the census strategies and administrative processes. The results will be of importance to census organizers and academics in their efforts at improving the quality of the data collection process and of data obtainable from censuses.

Natural history societies, fieldwork and local knowledge in nineteenth-century Scotland: towards a historical geography of civic science

This paper examines the role of fieldwork in the activities of natural history societies in Victorian Scotland. Fieldwork, it is argued, was an important constituent in the making of local natural knowledge. Being and doing ‘in the field’ was a means to establish through fieldwork given scientific fields and, in turn, to promote civic identity through scientific conduct.