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Sociology vocabulary · Research Methods

Fieldwork

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/ˈfiːldwɜːk/nounCore term

In sociology, fieldwork means: Research carried out in the real settings where people live and work, rather than in a library or office, by observing, interviewing and collecting material on site.

In Turkish: saha çalışması, alan araştırması

How it is used

An uncountable noun: do fieldwork, carry out fieldwork, a period of fieldwork. The place is called the field or the field site, and the researcher's written records are field notes. Researchers who are collecting data on site say they are 'in the field'.

Example sentences

  1. She did her fieldwork in a fishing village on the Black Sea coast.

  2. After six months of fieldwork, he had more than 200 pages of field notes.

Common collocations

  • do fieldwork
  • carry out fieldwork
  • field notes
  • field site
  • in the field
  • ethnographyA research approach in which the researcher spends a long time with a group, observing and taking part in its daily life, in order to describe its culture from the inside.
  • participant observationA research method in which the researcher joins in the activities of the group being studied while observing and recording what happens.
  • case studyA detailed study of one particular case, such as a person, organisation, community or event, often using several methods to understand it in depth.
  • informed consentAgreement to take part in research, given freely by a participant who has been told clearly about the study's aims, methods, risks and the right to withdraw.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Research Methods

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