This document contains a student's mid-term reflection on their fieldwork research methods course. It includes sections where the student reports on the number and types of observations and interviews they have completed for their research topic, as well as the readings they have done. They also provide an overview of their research progress so far and next steps, and ask their instructor any questions.

1. Fieldwork Research Methods: Mid-Term Reflection (page 1)
Name: ______________________________________ Student No: ________________________________________
Research Topic: _______________________________________________________________________________________
A. Research Statements
1. What are you research questions? OR What do you want to find out?
2. Has your research focus changed? yes, a lot / yes, a little / no, not at all
3. If it has changed, how has it changed? (e.g. change of focus / hope meets reality)
B. Observations
1. How many formal observations have you done? _______
2. What did you observe?
3. What did you learn about your topic by observing?
4. What was easy or difficult about observing for you?
5. What have you learned about observing? What tips would you suggest for others?
6. Do you have any questions for Robert about your observations?
7. How many research sheets have you written about your observations? _______

2. Fieldwork Research Methods: Mid-Term Reflection (page 2)
C. Interviews
How many people have you interviewed? (NOT including during our class time)
1. informal chats: people _______ research sheets written _______
2. Who did you chat to (not including people during our class time)?
3. formal interviews: people _______ research sheets written_______
4. Who did you interview (not including people during our class time)?
5. What did you learn about your topic from your informal chats and formal interviews (this
time, including those during our class time)?
7. What was easy or difficult about interviewing for you?
8. What have you learned about interviewing? What tips would you suggest for others?
9. Who do you plan to interview next?
10. Do you need Robert to help you find further interviewees? If so, what type of people?
11. Do you have any other questions for Robert about interviews?

3. Fieldwork Research Methods: Mid-Term Reflection (page 3)
D. Questionnaire
1. Are you planning to do a questionnaire? yes / no
2. If you answered yes in question 1:
Who do you anticipate your respondents will be? (circle one)
high school students
OR university students
OR my respondents will be ___________________________________
Do you need Robert to help you find these respondents? yes / no
3. If you answered no in question 1, would you still like to learn how to create a questionnaire
in English and Japanese? yes / no
4. Do you have any questions for Robert about your questionnaire?
E. Reading
1. How much have you read so far about your topic?
_____ newspaper or journal articles e.g. _______________________________
_____ academic articles e.g. __________________________________________
_____ book chapters e.g. ___________________________________________
_____ books e.g. ___________________________________________________
_____ other e.g. ___________________________________________________
2. What have you learned so far from your readings? Please choose three or so main ideas that
are relevant to your research:



3. Do you need Robert to help you find further readings? If so, what type and topic?
4. Do you have any questions for Robert about your readings?

4. Fieldwork Research Methods: Mid-Term Reflection (page 4)
F. Brief overview of your research at this point
1. Briefly explain how your research is going at this mid-way point.
2. Briefly explain the next few steps that you plan to take.
3. Do you have any questions about your research project?
4. Do you have any questions about the fieldwork class?
5. Do you have any other requests for Robert to help you that you haven’t written above?
6. Finally, do you have any comments or suggestions to improve the class?
Thank you! Please send this to me by Saturday evening, November 8th. I will print this out and
bring it to our meeting on Monday November 10th in R61.