Ethnography

[Yoshi]

Sure I'm in, blackyoshi11@[insert yahoo or hotmail here].com

[Kay Ingild]

Do you need more participants? I'd be glad to help.

[Kamisha]

for sure

[Seigheart]

I'll join.

[Kamisha]

Ive added an update to my original post. Please respond if you have any problems questions or problems so I can work you in before February 14th.

[Indyra]

count me in if you still need participants

[Kamisha]

Important updates: Note update 3 and 2. They are very important.

[Burns]

[quote name='Kamisha' timestamp='1294902288' post='77347']


Update 2: Minors (those below 18) will be required to get a parent or guardians signature. To avoid any future legal issues. If your parents have any issues that they are unsure of they can contact me via email which is shown in my profile or by emailing ethnographybrendon@gmail.com.

Update 3: I'm starting to wright my proposal now so i need to look into getting signatures in order to get approval of the committee. since i am just starting the writing process I want to get a feel for who is planning to go through with it. Run the mile as it where. I still have to edit and personalize it for this particular study but this is what you will have to sign. I will send you individual copies via email. For those still interested please send you real name as it is required to be added to your copy. Please be sure to note update 2 and make sure your parents understand. I will need yours and there's in order to continue.

The Draft Template: [url="http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/cms-filesystem-action?file=pdfs/research/forms/consent-form-checklist-and-template.pdf"]Template[/url]
Make sure to see the second page.
[/quote]

Questions:
I'm well over 18, does your uni still need the signatures of my parents? Because i can definitely tell that they won't sign a form to give out any information at all to a university half the world away. That probably cooperates with USA. We don't like you North Americans. At all. <- Note, they actually are that paranoid.

Other than that, what's the procedure to 'sign'? Put the original in an envelope and send it over, hoping it reaches you before next christmas? Sign and scan? Or just say that you read it and agree? No clue what's required for that study...

Also, on another note, you folks are paranoid. We do such studies on university twice a month, and never need to sign any forms.

[xrieg]

Actually it seems to be a sound research practice - scientific ethos is dead and high time to realize that :-P Scientific results to be valid should by possible to verify and reproduce. Otherwise the temptation (especially for students, but many researchers as well) could be too strong - and raw data home production would follow. For any serious paper with non-trivial results first thing one should carefully read are assumptions - and data collection methodology.

Edited January 28, 2011 by xrieg

[Kamisha]

[quote name='Burns' timestamp='1296200044' post='78127']
Questions:
I'm well over 18, does your uni still need the signatures of my parents? Because i can definitely tell that they won't sign a form to give out any information at all to a university half the world away. That probably cooperates with USA. We don't like you North Americans. At all. <- Note, they actually are that paranoid.

Other than that, what's the procedure to 'sign'? Put the original in an envelope and send it over, hoping it reaches you before next christmas? Sign and scan? Or just say that you read it and agree? No clue what's required for that study...

Also, on another note, you folks are paranoid. We do such studies on university twice a month, and never need to sign any forms.
[/quote]

If your over 18 I don't need a parents signature as its only for minors. Also yes we are paranoid as north Americans (Canadian). The policy for webenographys was what they don't know dosent hurt them until just about one or two years ago after a bit of controversy was encountered. As for the signing of the sheet currently I am thinking print and scan though I am trying to argue another method without any headway for those who cant. If you agree I look forward to listening to what you have to say.

[quote name='xrieg' timestamp='1296204478' post='78131']
Actually it seems to be a sound research practice - scientific ethos is dead and high time to realize that :-P Scientific results to be valid should by possible to verify and reproduce. Otherwise the temptation (especially for students, but many researchers as well) could be too strong - and raw data home production would follow. For any serious paper with non-trivial results first thing one should carefully read are assumptions - and data collection methodology.
[/quote]

Well the idea of scientific ethos as you describe it is an interesting topic. The upside of scientific ethnography if the person has credibility the research gives definitive stats and although stats can be biased and wrong it is very hard to argue against stats. I could do stats and just skip this entire process and study them exclusively but I am more interested in social structures which is sort of a branch from psychology and sociology. Although this has a better chance of being argued part of research is having a point challenged and by doing so you open up new things you might want to study. Also since there may be more bias I would like to stress that bias isn't necessarily a well used word. Bias is often mistakenly used to explain experience.

[Kafuuka]

[quote name='Kamisha' timestamp='1296499370' post='78300']Also since there may be more bias I would like to stress that bias isn't necessarily a well used word. Bias is often mistakenly used to explain experience.
[/quote]
To speed up the dictionary part of the debate a bit, bias is a term used in statistics - something that everybody who wants to use quantitative methods needs - to refer to any kind of data gathering or processing methods that will more likely lead to false conclusions. Bias is inherently bad in this setting. Experience helps a researcher to identify possible sources of bias and use methods that are safer.
Bias might also mean a preference of a person, and in that regard, preferences are often driven by 'common sense', which is gathered by experience, at least we hope.

Considering you are gathering data, I think xrieg's question is referring to statistical practice, in which it certainly is a valid one. You are not, as far as I can tell, precautionary against 'self selection', a very common form of selection bias. Alas I have only a vague idea about ethnography, which doesn't tell me what kind of tools you will use and how 'strong' the conclusions you expect/hope/fear are. If your objective does not necessitate blinding (which is unlikely imo), perhaps it would help a bit for this dispute to know what exactly you aim at?


@Xreig: students are usually not given crucial tasks and senior researchers should be able to protect against bias. The problem lies mostly in deadlines and capitalism. "Interesting" results give you a better chance at getting a research grant and that shiny new computing cluster you need. Add a splash of bureaucracy to the formula and you get the situation where questionable things happen often. There are a lot of skeptical minds left though and if one of your papers is exposed a fraud, that's it for your career. In the long run integrity pays off, and I do believe most researchers are smart enough to understand that.

[xrieg]

@Kamisha: A hundred years ago you could have assembled all top scientific minds of the time on a single real photo (OK let's say 50% to avoid arguments)and they could have talked and understand each other. Nowadays you have more PhDs than cab drivers and they all do research in more and more specialized areas, with less and less communication with general scientific community. Every single field have their authorities, refereed papers and conferences. And the very scale and dispersion makes _average_ research quality go down - and as there are more and more young angry men trying to get a foothold to immortality, some of them cannot withstand the pressure - and they cheat. It's just a statistical effect. A few years ago there were a few well publicized hoaxes in science - you may find info about them; there was also a White Paper and a set of guidelines for researchers I believe by American Physical Society. It's definitely worth scanning at leat.

My background is science (well, used to be anyway) - and whenever I came across some well published case of inexpected results in social sciences etc I begin reading with assumptions, experiment design, errors analysis. And quite often that is all I do as after reading these sections come to conclusion that the paper is rubbish - just a unqualified individual observation without scientific merit. But then I may only assume that heavy work and sound research cannot easily produce 'scientific discoveries' popular papers would notice :-P

@Kafuuka (we were wrinting simultanously): I think some arguments above are relevant. In a crowd of scientists of today some are competent - some are not; just like in every other profession :-P (and in developed countries science in many respects works as every other business; it's neither good or bad - it's just too big to work smoothly otherwise :-P)

Edited January 31, 2011 by xrieg

[Chewett]

[quote name='xrieg' timestamp='1296502324' post='78303']
@Kamisha: A hundred years ago you could have assembled all top scientific minds of the time on a single real photo (OK let's say 50% to avoid arguments)and they could have talked and understand each other.
[/quote]

Just to derail the topic more. Thats a load of BS. There were MANY different people devolping the learning about MANY different things. They just seem basic to us know and thus some people ignore them. You wouldnt say a Crossbow is "High Tech" but there was a lot of work that went into devolping it. Many scientific minds made gunpowder and all sorts of weponry way before the time you suggest.

[xrieg]

[quote name='Chewett' timestamp='1296502779' post='78304']
Just to derail the topic more. Thats a load of BS. There were MANY different people devolping the learning about MANY different things. They just seem basic to us know and thus some people ignore them. You wouldnt say a Crossbow is "High Tech" but there was a lot of work that went into devolping it. Many scientific minds made gunpowder and all sorts of weponry way before the time you suggest.
[/quote]

Think what was discovered and built before late XIX/XX century. With a small exception of some mechanics of celestial bodies (I believe) researchers and engineers could immediately verify their claims - it either worked or not. It is the last 100 years that we move in the grey area. Example: what are huge high evenrgy facilities _really_ doing? Trying to find a trace of beings that are nessesary to make one theory work (incidentally - they keep moving threshold, no definite answers).

[Kamisha]

Ok with much deliberation all I need is a email with a date stamp instead of something hand written.
Oh yes and continue I find this always very entertaining when a topic goes off topic.

Edit: Just found the split .

Edited February 1, 2011 by Kamisha

[Sharazhad]

[color="#2e8b57"][i]Hi, Please Clarify something for me.
What you need is our email addresses, and then you will email us the forms which we then sign and hand back to you and then you will give as a questionaire of sorts to fill and then send back to you? Have you emailed the forms yet?[/i][/color]

[Shiona]

This sounds very intriguing. If you are still in need of subjects, please email me.

[Kamisha]

[quote name='Sharazhad' timestamp='1296586870' post='78334']
[color="#2e8b57"][i]Hi, Please Clarify something for me.
What you need is our email addresses, and then you will email us the forms which we then sign and hand back to you and then you will give as a questionaire of sorts to fill and then send back to you? Have you emailed the forms yet?[/i][/color]
[/quote]

Ok this is basically the game plan. First of all I have to get the form out to you that's the first thing which has not happened yet as I have to wright it up still. The basic format can be found in the third edit. Also recently I have been informed that I don't need a signature and all I need is just a reply email with the page included that I sent with a typed RL name as long as it is date stamped as to when you sent it Which means wright the date beside your name. On receiving I am allowed to interview you officially after I receive my proposal back from the senate or unofficially if it is still in the senates waiting approval pile. (since this is a minimum risk assignment it shouldn't be rejected but in rare cases they are)

The interview method is your choice between live voice chat wrighten chat or survey depending on which you would prefer and what is your best convenience. Though I prefer voice or wrighten chat because it allows me to make questions on the fly depending on previous responses I understand some people may not be comfortable with that as well as unable so I keep the options open.

[Yoshi]

Will the live voice chat be recorded and shown, or recorded and then transcribed? Or transcribed as we go along?

[Kamisha]

[quote name='Yoshi' timestamp='1296686431' post='78362']
Will the live voice chat be recorded and shown, or recorded and then transcribed? Or transcribed as we go along?
[/quote]

Recorded with permission transcribed otherwise. The recordings can not be shared with any public source according to the ethics committees rules and regulations in order to keep the standereds of anonymity in tact. I actually have to destroy all the raw information after the completion of my paper which you can see in my third update which sports the document template. I have two more sections to complete then I will be sending them out. You will likely see them in your in boxes Friday this week.

[Kamisha]

Ok I sent the email out to the people that had an email address visible the MD editor simply cant handle the image (its big its flashy and it needs to be there to be official) so those who didn't get one did not have an email address that I could use. However if you send me a valid email address I can send you one in about 6 hours from the time I receive it. If you encounter any problems the front page shows more than enough ways on how to reach me.

Please get those in.

[awiiya]

Is this something that you wanted filled out and then scanned, or would you like it to be signed via a text editor?

Awi

[Kamisha]

[quote name='awiiya' timestamp='1296796176' post='78447']
Is this something that you wanted filled out and then scanned, or would you like it to be signed via a text editor?

Awi
[/quote]

Either or. Though apparently it doesn't have to be it can just be a typed name since this is minimum risk meaning I am not causing foreseeable harm to anyone and am not keeping secrets. However if I have a few signed papers instead of just people writing there names in a text field it really help to pass council. So if you can add a signature in anyway please do but if you cant that is fine as well.

Basically I am saying if you can do it easily please do and if you cant just do it the quick and simple way.

[Kamisha]

Sry to double post but I need this bumped for people so see it.

Ok here is the run down. I've gotten the go ahead from the committee on the ninth. Everybody should have the document in one of there various emails if you failed to contact me directly with where you wanted it sent. For everybody who sent me where they wanted it I thank you and will be contacting you shortly to schedule an appointment.

For those of you who are under the age of 18 it is a little late. When interviewing minors I need to be really careful about what I say and it scares the university when ever people aren't responsible for there own decisions and have the mighty wrath of public lawyers to contend with. So i would have had to get the signatures before I sent in my proposal which by the way got an A grade. I'm going to try finish all of these by the 25th but since that is likely not my destiny I will make acceptations. Chewy, shadow seeker or any other mod that I am sure I am missing feel free to merge my double posts.