Practical Realities and Emotions in Field Research: The Experience of Novice Fieldworkers

Abstract

Accounts of how seasoned researchers negotiate the relationship between emotions and fieldwork are becoming more prevalent in the qualitative literature but those by novices are rare. We describe the experiences of four sociology graduate students newly enrolled in a qualitative field methods course at a public research university. Using data from post hoc personal reflections, we analyze how fieldwork raises emotions that affect site selection and data analysis. We offer the suggestion to novice researchers and those who teach qualitative courses to anticipate emotional challenges in beginning field projects.