The semester really flew by and our last meeting came, our big preparation for going to Lollapalooza to use our research skills this summer! We all gathered in Sirrine for dinner and got to do one last discussion before finalizing all of our Chicago plans.
We discussed the data collection aids used in many different forms of qualitative research and how to properly used them. Some of these aids include: audio recording, still photography, audio-video recording, etc. An example of something we learned involving audio recording is to always take field notes to remind you of the situation or environment in order to later remember the exact participant and experience recorded. Over the summer we will probably use two or more of these aids when collecting the entire scope of the festival.
Our discussion then turned to the anticipated Chicago logistics plan of action. We set up a google doc with all addresses to exchange additional contact information and arrange meeting times. We also included possible contacts to reach out to during the summer leading up to the festival to get more information. Aside from the details of the trip, we came up with a formal plan for the direction of our research. Each person contributed their research questions/topic areas and we compiled them so everyone knows what our focus is. During this time we also agreed upon a bunch of questions to lead our interviews with potential subjects. With everyone on the same page our team is more than excited for the end of July!
This concludes our research meeting up until we takeoff to Chicago for Lolla 2015!
Julie, May 2015