Advantages of Field Research
The advantages of field research are:
• It is conducted in a real-world and natural environment where there is no tampering of
variables and the environment is not doctored.
• Due to the study being conducted in a comfortable environment, data can be collected even
about ancillary topics.
• The researcher gains a deep understanding into the research subjects due to the proximity
to them and hence the research is extensive, thorough and accurate.
Disadvantages of Field Research
The disadvantages of field research are:
• The studies are expensive and time-consuming and can take years to complete.
• It is very difficult for the researcher to distance themselves from a bias in the research study.
• The notes have to be exactly what the researcher says but the nomenclature is very tough to
follow.
• It is an interpretive method and this is subjective and entirely dependent on the ability of
the researcher.
• In this method, it is impossible to control external variables and this constantly alters the
nature of the research.
Strengths of Field Research
Field research allows researchers to gain firsthand experience and knowledge about
the people, events, and processes that they study. No other method offers quite the
same kind of closeup lens on everyday life. This close-up on everyday life means that
field researchers can obtain very detailed data about people and processes, perhaps
more detailed than they can obtain using any other method.
Field research is an excellent method for understanding the role of social context in
shaping people’s lives and experiences. It enables a greater understanding of the
intricacies and complexities of daily life. Field research may also uncover elements of
people’s experiences or of group interactions of which we were not previously aware.
This in particular is a unique strength of field research. With other methods, such as
interviews and surveys, we certainly can’t expect a respondent to answer a question
to which they do not know the answer or to provide us with information of which
they are not aware. And because field research typically occurs over an extended
period of time, social facts that may not even be immediately revealed to a researcher
but that become discovered over time can be uncovered during the course of a field
research project.
In sum, the major benefits of field research are the following:
1. It yields very detailed data.
2. It emphasizes the role and relevance of social context.
3. It can uncover social facts that may not be immediately obvious or of which
research participants may be unaware.
Weaknesses of Field Research
Earlier I described the fact that field researchers are able to collect very detailed data
as a benefit of this method. This benefit, however, does come at a cost. Because a
field researcher’s focus is so detailed, it is by necessity also somewhat narrow. Field
researchers simply are not able to gather data from as many individuals as, say, a
survey researcher can reach. Indeed, field researchers generally sacrifice breadth in
exchange for depth. Related to this point is the fact that field research is extremely
time intensive.
Field research can also be emotionally taxing. In Chapter 9 "Interviews: Qualitative
and Quantitative Approaches", I assert that interview research requires, to a certain
extent, the development of a relationship between a researcher and her participants.
But if interviews and field research both require relationship development, you might
say that interviews are more like casual dating while field research is more like a full-
blown, committed marriage.
The relationships you develop as a field researcher are sustained over a much longer
period than the hour or two it might take you to conduct an interview. Not only do
the relationships last longer, but they are also more intimate. A number of field
researchers have documented the complexities of relationships with research
participants. But, as in any relationship, field researchers experience not just the
highs but also the lows of daily life and interactions. And participating in day-to-day
life with one’s research subjects can result in some tricky ethical quandaries. It can
also be a challenge if your aim is to observe as “objectively” as possible.
Finally, documentation can be challenging for field researchers. Where survey
researchers have the questionnaires participants complete and interviewers have
recordings, field researchers generally have only themselves to rely on for
documenting what they observe. This challenge becomes immediately apparent upon
entering the field. It may not be possible to take field notes as you observe, nor will
you necessarily know which details to document or which will become the most
important details to have noted. And when you take notes after some observation,
you may not recall everything exactly as you saw it when you were there.
In sum, the weaknesses of field research include the following:
1. It may lack breadth; gathering very detailed information means being unable
to gather data from a very large number of people or groups.
2. It may be emotionally taxing.
3. Documenting observations may be more challenging than with other methods.
