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<noinclude>{{RECOUP_header|Community_scoping}}</noinclude>{{longheader
<noinclude>{{RECOUP_header|Community_scoping}}</noinclude>
|title=Community Scoping
{{Template:RECOUP/Shortheader|title=Community scoping}}
}}
=Community scoping=
[[Image:RECOUP_Gettingtoknowthecommunity.JPG|thumb|100px|Informal conversations]]
[[Image:RECOUP_Observing the surroundings.jpg|thumb|100px|Observing the surroundings]]
[[Image:RECOUP_Familiarising by walking.jpg|thumb|100px|Familiarising by walking]]
[[Image:RECOUP_Gettingtoknowthecommunity2.jpg|thumb|100px|Participating in events]]
[[Image:RECOUP_Gettingtoknowthecommunity4.jpg|thumb|100px|Capturing through images]]
[[Image:RECOUP_Gettingtoknowthecommunity5.jpg|thumb|100px|Transect walk]]
 
One basic principle of qualitative research design is that the people being researched should be understood in their social context. This requires some means of understanding that context. This can be done in several different ways, depending on the purposes of the research. But there are at least two situations where ‘community scoping’ might play a part:
 
* At the beginning of a community-based study (such as one in which ethnographic fieldwork is the main data collection method, or one in which the sample for semi-structured interviews is to be taken from one or two communities)
* As a qualitative aspect of a household survey (where a cluster sample design leads to a relatively small number of communities, and where community characteristics are then fed into the quantitative analysis)


=Community Scoping=
Some scoping activities could also be used (with suitable amendments) for people whose research case study will be an organisation.


One basic principle of qualitative research design is that the people being researched should be understood in their social context. This requires some means of understanding that context. This session is designed to provide some ways into this process.
'''Time:''' 90 minutes to 2 hours -- or more if you want to go into more detail on several PRA techniques.


'''Time''' 90 minutes
'''Objectives:'''
By the end of this session participants should understand when and why community scoping might be carried out, how to do it, some of the pitfalls and some strategies to start the process of getting to know the basic details about a community, a village (or part of one), or an urban neighbourhood.


'''Objectives:'''  
'''Preparation:'''
* to understand some strategies to start a process of getting to know the basic details about a community, a village (or part of one), or an urban neighbourhood. It could also be used (with suitable amendments) for people whose case study will be an organisation.


'''Preparation:'''
* A {{Template:RECOUP/PRA|Presentation on Community Scoping}} is available to be used or amended if desired  
* PowerPoint is available to be used or amended if desired
* A {{Template:RECOUP/HOA|Handout on Community Scoping}} can be used, and a {{Template:RECOUP/HOA|Handout on Sample Household Census Form}} is available
* Flip chart and big markers (OR use someone sitting at a computer and typing in points raised so that they are shown on a projector)
* Flip chart and big markers (OR use someone sitting at a computer and typing in points raised so that they are shown on a projector)  


'''Process:'''
'''Process:'''


This session can be conducted through a mixture of didactic (PowerPoint) and brainstorm approaches. The following areas should be discussed:
This session can be conducted through a mixture of didactic (presentation) and brainstorm approaches. The following areas should be discussed in separate sub-sessions, each of which might take 15-20 minutes:  


* Need for community scoping
=====What is involved in community scoping?=====
* The processes of community scoping
* Participatory approaches (map-making, transect walks, wealth ranking)
* Household census (as basic source of data on community, to provide a sampling frame)
* The role and importance of 'gatekeepers'


'''The main points to get across'''
Brainstorm on things to be done to find out, relatively quickly, the important features of a community. (10 minutes)


* The importance of establishing egalitarian relationships at the start of the research process, such as being willing to answer personal questions as well as questions about the research – especially if the research involves the poor
=====When is community scoping an appropriate activity?=====
* The value of walking around and being seen by as many people as possible
 
* The issues generated by getting permission from ‘gate-keepers’ as well as participants
This is not necessarily something for all projects: when might it be useful? Discuss in whole group (15 minutes)
* The opportunities to use ‘participatory’ methods as well as semi-structured interviews to collect basic general community-level data
 
* The potential of carrying out a simple census exercise
=====How should consent and access through 'gatekeepers' be negotiated?=====
 
Brainstorm about what kinds of gatekeepers are likely to be encountered in the particular settings; how to approach them to maximise access; how to avoid being identified with the interests of the gatekeepers or to be limited just to what they want you to do (15 minutes)
 
=====What participatory approaches (for example, map-making, transect walks, wealth ranking) are suitable for a scoping exercise?=====


=Introduction to Ethnographic Fieldwork=
Ask participants to share their experience of using participatory approaches. Try to get as complete a list as possible, and then consider the strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of method. It may be possible to carry out an exercise using one or two of these methods (for example, a ranking exercise; daily timelines) (15-30 minutes)


Recording informal conversations or actual events is an essential part of ethnographic fieldwork. This is about ''writing'' (in some senses, more than about ‘participating’ or ‘observing’): there is no point in observing if the observations remain locked up in the heads of the researchers. Therefore, the session is designed to lead up to a fieldwork exercise in which participants do some observation (in as participatory a way as is possible, given local constraints), to write fieldnotes, to share them with the facilitators and the rest of the group, and to engage in some positive reflection on their own and others’ writing styles. Some time is needed to get participants’ permission and understanding of the benefits of getting and giving constructive feedback in these ways.
=====What are the main roles of a household census?=====


'''Time:''' Allow for 3 hours (a half-day session)
Brainstorm on factors to consider in deciding to carry out a census or other ways of collecting reliable data on households: the size of the community, the resources available, and the purposes of the research (what would you use a census for?) (10 minutes)


'''Objectives:'''
Introduce the sample census form (as a handout or as an overhead slide); explain the context. In groups of 3 or 4, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this example (10 minutes) and report back to the full group (10 minutes)


The basic objective of this session is to help participants develop an understanding of the aims and process of ‘participating in order to write’ as a research tool. They should also be aware of the issues of negotiating access, deciding what to observe, how to record field-notes and what should be included in those notes. They should have reflected on important social and cultural norms that researchers must be sensitive to in the field.
=====What are the main issues in planning the process of community scoping?=====


By the end of the section, workshop participants should:
Community scoping can be done as a routine task, in which case it is likely to be done poorly (with little detail or understanding of community processes). Such an approach may lead to further difficulties for researchers in that community. Brainstorm on the factors that are involved in a ‘good’ scoping exercise (10 minutes)
* be aware of the main methodological issues raised by ethnographic fieldwork
Notes: community scoping should be seen as part of the opening of a positive relationship with members of the community; and it can be very revealing of community dynamics if the experience of scoping is documented properly.
* be able to reflect on their own conduct in recording informal conversations in everyday life, and be able to assess critically other pieces of research carried out in this tradition
* be aware of the main ethical and theoretical issues raised by this research method.


'''Preparation:'''
* [[PowerPoint]] is available to be used or amended if desired
* Examples of appropriate fieldnotes from your own research or some other appropriate project should be available (preferably 1-2 pages of two or three different styles of fieldnotes).
* Flip chart and big markers (OR use someone sitting at a computer and typing in points raised so that they are shown on a projector)


'''Process:'''
{{Template:RECOUP/Box|text='''Facilitator's Notes: The main points to get across'''  
* Mixture of didactic (PowerPoint) and brainstorming activities, either in small groups or with the whole group. For example, at different points in the session you might want to get people into small groups (2-3 people in each) to:
* The importance of establishing egalitarian relationships at the start of the research process, such as being willing to answer personal questions as well as questions about the research – especially if the research involves the poor
* The value of walking around and being seen by as many people as possible
* The issues generated by getting permission from ‘gate-keepers’ as well as participants
* The opportunities to use ‘participatory’ methods as well as semi-structured interviews to collect basic general community-level data
* The potential of carrying out a simple census exercise
}}


• to come up with three things that need to be recorded when carrying out a participant observation exercise (5 minutes), followed by feed-back sessions in which issues are listed and areas of agreement and disagreement are explored (10 minutes)


• to discuss the ethical issues that arise in ethnographic fieldwork: brainstorm first in small groups on what they might be and how they might be resolved and then run a collective discussion
Community scoping is often an integral part of ethnographic fieldwork, which we elaborate upon in the session on [[RECOUP/Ethnographic fieldwork|Ethnographic fieldwork]].


* Consider distributing some handouts at the beginning or in the course of this session
=Resources and references=


'''Key Issues'''
The general field of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methods has been developed since 1990, and there is a very large literature and many resources. For the purposes of this session we are only introducing some of the techniques that have been developed: the philosophy behind the approach should also be considered, if you want to go further down this route.


* During this workshop, participants’ writings will be available to the rest of the group: but usually, fieldnotes remain private to the researcher. This raises the more general issues of ‘for whom’ fieldnotes are written.  
The Food and Agriculture Organisation have a web-page with descriptions and examples of PRA methods, oriented towards natural resource use: see http://www.fao.org/docrep/w7483e/w7483e0a.htm
* The ethical issues raised by fieldwork will also inevitably be raised by participants: decide whether you want to go into these in detail during this session, or address them in a dedicated session on ethics.


'''Topics to be covered (not necessarily in this order):'''
There are several handbooks of PRA methods: one general introduction is at http://pcs.aed.org/manuals/cafs/handbook/sessions7-9.pdf and more detail on transect walks and other techniques at http://pcs.aed.org/manuals/cafs/handbook/sessions10-12.pdf
* The fieldworker is the research instrument: what does this mean for issues of replicability and reliability? Are issues of validity central?
* Roles in fieldwork: What do people actually do when they are doing ‘fieldwork’?
* Planning access to field-sites, negotiating with gate-keepers, thinking through the implications of different kinds of roles in the field.
* Negotiating ethical issues: privacy of field notes, anonymising individuals, what to do about people whose positions make them immediately identifiable?
* Different kinds of field-notes: from jottings to field-notes.
* Discussion of experience of diary-keeping; differences between diaries and other kinds of field-notes.
* Issues raised by emotions.
* What to do with analytic thoughts.
* Problems of doing research in different cultures: trying to understand and interpret other people’s behaviour
* Problems of doing research in one’s own culture: how to make ‘the familiar’ seem ‘strange’, in order to understand and explain the ‘strange’.
* Learning to describe cultural and body languages.
* Basic issues in ‘talking with a purpose’: Where? When? How? What to do about reactivity, leading questions, the use of background information, confidentiality.  
* What to do about encouraging informal ‘focus groups’ in the field: how and what to record.
* Feedback to the community at the end: who can see what? Who should see what?
<noinclude>{{RECOUP_footer|Community_scoping}}</noinclude><noinclude>[[Category:RECOUP]]</noinclude>
<noinclude>{{RECOUP_footer|Community_scoping}}</noinclude><noinclude>[[Category:RECOUP]]</noinclude>

Latest revision as of 10:20, 6 February 2015

Warning: Display title "Community scoping" overrides earlier display title "Community_scoping".

Community scoping

Informal conversations
Observing the surroundings
Familiarising by walking
Participating in events
Capturing through images
Transect walk

One basic principle of qualitative research design is that the people being researched should be understood in their social context. This requires some means of understanding that context. This can be done in several different ways, depending on the purposes of the research. But there are at least two situations where ‘community scoping’ might play a part:

  • At the beginning of a community-based study (such as one in which ethnographic fieldwork is the main data collection method, or one in which the sample for semi-structured interviews is to be taken from one or two communities)
  • As a qualitative aspect of a household survey (where a cluster sample design leads to a relatively small number of communities, and where community characteristics are then fed into the quantitative analysis)

Some scoping activities could also be used (with suitable amendments) for people whose research case study will be an organisation.

Time: 90 minutes to 2 hours -- or more if you want to go into more detail on several PRA techniques.

Objectives:

By the end of this session participants should understand when and why community scoping might be carried out, how to do it, some of the pitfalls and some strategies to start the process of getting to know the basic details about a community, a village (or part of one), or an urban neighbourhood.

Preparation:

Process:

This session can be conducted through a mixture of didactic (presentation) and brainstorm approaches. The following areas should be discussed in separate sub-sessions, each of which might take 15-20 minutes:

What is involved in community scoping?

Brainstorm on things to be done to find out, relatively quickly, the important features of a community. (10 minutes)

When is community scoping an appropriate activity?

This is not necessarily something for all projects: when might it be useful? Discuss in whole group (15 minutes)

How should consent and access through 'gatekeepers' be negotiated?

Brainstorm about what kinds of gatekeepers are likely to be encountered in the particular settings; how to approach them to maximise access; how to avoid being identified with the interests of the gatekeepers or to be limited just to what they want you to do (15 minutes)

What participatory approaches (for example, map-making, transect walks, wealth ranking) are suitable for a scoping exercise?

Ask participants to share their experience of using participatory approaches. Try to get as complete a list as possible, and then consider the strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of method. It may be possible to carry out an exercise using one or two of these methods (for example, a ranking exercise; daily timelines) (15-30 minutes)

What are the main roles of a household census?

Brainstorm on factors to consider in deciding to carry out a census or other ways of collecting reliable data on households: the size of the community, the resources available, and the purposes of the research (what would you use a census for?) (10 minutes)

Introduce the sample census form (as a handout or as an overhead slide); explain the context. In groups of 3 or 4, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this example (10 minutes) and report back to the full group (10 minutes)

What are the main issues in planning the process of community scoping?

Community scoping can be done as a routine task, in which case it is likely to be done poorly (with little detail or understanding of community processes). Such an approach may lead to further difficulties for researchers in that community. Brainstorm on the factors that are involved in a ‘good’ scoping exercise (10 minutes) Notes: community scoping should be seen as part of the opening of a positive relationship with members of the community; and it can be very revealing of community dynamics if the experience of scoping is documented properly.


Facilitator's Notes: The main points to get across

  • The importance of establishing egalitarian relationships at the start of the research process, such as being willing to answer personal questions as well as questions about the research – especially if the research involves the poor
  • The value of walking around and being seen by as many people as possible
  • The issues generated by getting permission from ‘gate-keepers’ as well as participants
  • The opportunities to use ‘participatory’ methods as well as semi-structured interviews to collect basic general community-level data
  • The potential of carrying out a simple census exercise


Community scoping is often an integral part of ethnographic fieldwork, which we elaborate upon in the session on Ethnographic fieldwork.

Resources and references

The general field of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methods has been developed since 1990, and there is a very large literature and many resources. For the purposes of this session we are only introducing some of the techniques that have been developed: the philosophy behind the approach should also be considered, if you want to go further down this route.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation have a web-page with descriptions and examples of PRA methods, oriented towards natural resource use: see http://www.fao.org/docrep/w7483e/w7483e0a.htm

There are several handbooks of PRA methods: one general introduction is at http://pcs.aed.org/manuals/cafs/handbook/sessions7-9.pdf and more detail on transect walks and other techniques at http://pcs.aed.org/manuals/cafs/handbook/sessions10-12.pdf

Cc-by-nc-sa-narrow.png Singal, N., and Jeffery, R. (2008). Qualitative Research Skills Workshop: A Facilitator's Reference Manual, http://oer.educ.cam.ac.uk/wiki/RECOUP, Cambridge: RECOUP (Research Consortium on Educational Outcomes and Poverty, http://recoup.educ.cam.ac.uk/). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. (original page)

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