XL Organizational Communication 14 Weeks Field Project Part 2B – Naturalistic Observation

Running head: TECHNOLOGY 1

TECHNOLOGY 2

One of the fun parts of qualitative field research is “observing people in their natural environment.” If this sounds like something you would do with giraffes or zebras on a safari, you would be correct: one of the biggest parts of research (quantitative and qualitative) is observing what’s going on (and not interfering with it). 

Let’s start with a reading assignment: If you have not already done so, please read “Framing Your Study” and “Ten Assumptions About Doing Field Research” on pages 343-345 in your textbook.

· “Framing Your Study” will give you some ideas about where to go to get more information about the organization in question. This can be very helpful, even if you are an employee/participant/member of it.  What does the Internet say about it?  What about local papers?  Have any books or journal articles been written about it?  On the other hand, how does the organization display what it does to the public?  Road signs?  Tall billboard?  TV ads?  We’ll talk about what these signs, etc., say in a later chapter.  

· Second, look at the “Ten Assumptions About Doing Field Research.” These guidelines are helpful for thinking about writing the next parts of your study.

· Finally, read the first four bullet points on pages 346-347 under the header, “How to Study Naturalistic Communication in an Organization.” Use these bullet points to write the next section of your paper. Use at least 100 words per bullet (if applicable), but keep the entire section under 1,000 words.

I look forward to reading your work. Don’t forget to run it through Grammarly and Smart Thinking!