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| Friday, 14 January 2005: 2:00 PM-3:45 PM | |||
| Tuttle South (Hyatt Regency Miami) | |||
| Using Images, Sound and Video in Research: The Tools are Available Now! | |||
| Roundtable/Workshop Submitter(s): | James Drisko, PhD, Smith College School for Social Work | ||
| Format: | Workshop | ||
| Abstract Text: While audio tape recording is a standard method for data collection, the yield of tapes is typically a transcribed “flat text.” This method is valuable for examination of content, but much of the richness of process (such as expression, gesture, prosody and inflection) is lost or must be painstakingly coded using methods with little standardization. The recent arrival of inexpensive, high quality digital recording devices for still pictures, sound and video opens new avenues for collecting rich, “multiple-use” data sets. Such data sets allow both quantitative and qualitative data analyses; potentially for multiple, divergent research purposes. Recent software innovations provide new tools for analyzing digital images, sounds and video. However, guidelines for data collection, discussion of ethical issues, and methodologies for both data analysis and presentation are lacking. This workshop will address some conceptual, practical, ethical, and technical issues in research using sound and images, with an emphasis on data collection and analysis. Multiple demonstrations will compliment didactic content. Collier and Collier (1986, p. 139) stated: "Film and video have become essential for the study of human behavior." While anthropology has used images and sound for over a century, their use is not widespread. Easy to use, inexpensive equipment confront the researcher with choices of a more conceptual nature: How will this data be best used to achieve my research goals? Data collection may be done in many formats: using single or multiple recorders, guided by the researcher or by the participants (who may direct the researcher or actually collect data themselves). Natural or contrived locations may be used. Issues of sampling become complex, involving sites, scenes and times as well as participants. Ethical issues center on the greater disclosure of potentially identifiable information in all these formats. However, with clear informed consent materials, participants can make informed choices about participation and levels of acceptable exposure. Technically, digital data collection does require good equipment but all are consumer level products, portable, and (relatively) easy to use. Editing of digital data is now commonplace (but sometimes challenging) on personal computers. Software for digital editing is included in Windows XP and Mac OS, or comes with CD “burners” and many free products are available. Formal analysis of images, sound and video in many formats is possible using ATLAS.ti qualitative data analysis software. Data can be segmented to identify key passages, coded with conceptual tags and memos of many forms can be annotated. Once coded, ATLAS.ti can play one or more passages addressing specific content in user-defined order. Digital data can be fully integrated with text data and network maps. Video also allows micro-event analysis using its 30 frame per second image capture rate. Reporting digital data does require a computer-based format. As journals expand online access, multimedia files can be linked to articles via internet hyperlinks (now done in physics and chemistry journals). Thus textual media can be augmented by multimedia data and the evidence base of research made more explicit and accessible. Digital data can enhance social work research -- now! | |||
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