An update from a buried researcher

I’m in the final stretch of data gathering, hoping to squeeze in a couple more interviews this weekend and perhaps one more observation.  This next Monday, April 7th is the day I’m cutting myself off. It’s time to stop the madness!! I’ve come to a conclusion that it’s not the amount of data that’s the [...]

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Analyzing all that data

I’ve developed two slightly different analysis forms from what I’d first posted to this blog. They’re spreadsheets to help with the process of recording data from my SL interviews & observations, and then to analyze that data.
One <very obvious!> issue I’d neglected when putting together my analysis form is that a Word document doesn’t offer what [...]

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Interview Analysis Form

Interview Analysis Tool
I’ve developed a simple form to help me analyze my in-world interviews. After using it for faux-analysis of my pilot interview, it’s working pretty well. What I still need to work out, however, is what kind of coding I’ll be using — time to return to the research methods texts.

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Interview protocol

After refining my questions, my interview protocol is now as follows:
Pre-interview issues:
Let’s use IM to chat for privacy.
“Have you read the information provided to you in the Informed Consent notecard?”
“Do you voluntarily agree to participate in this interview?”
“Are there any questions I can answer for you before we begin?”
Interview questions:
1) Tell me about why you [...]

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Notes on verbal fieldnotes

As I’ve mentioned, verbal field notes have made my research process simpler, both in interviewing and observing. A protocol involving verbal field notes is not without its challenges, as this pilot stage of my project has taught me. What have I learned so far?

Transcribe immediately. After every observation/interview, I budget the appropriate amount of time [...]

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Love me some Audacity

 
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Audacity is my new favorite tool as a researcher. Thanks to another great suggestion by Jim Oliver, MLIS IT guru at St. Kate’s, I’m recording my fieldnotes verbally. I met with Jim last week over some technical frustrations around trying to make screen capture work with my SL sessions. We talked about a crazy plan [...]

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Another look at the Informed Consent Notecard

This is how the Informed Consent Notecard displays. I give it to any avatar participating in an interview with me in Second Life. I also ask for confirmation that they have read it and agree to it at the start of the interview (in lieu of what would normally be a signature on an Informed [...]

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Consenting Adults

No, not that kind of consenting adults! I’ve been busy over the last week doing pilot testing of my methodology – both interviews & fieldwork. As a result, I’ve been refining my protocols & tools.
The Informed Consent notecard I’ll be utilizing in SL reads as follows. Yes, a bit long, but all of the information [...]

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Avatar identity crisis

I currently have two avatars in SL, neither of which I’ll be using for this research project. Instead, two new online personalities will be born – one as my “researcher” avatar I’ll use for 1|1 interviews. The second will be my “covert” avatar for virtual ethographic participant observation. In other words, one will be talking [...]

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