Research Methods: Data Construction and Analysis - 1

Ecuadorian Shaman and snake head 

According to Erikson, there are two important points with regard to quantitative research.

First, data needs to be found: it is not just there staring us in the face. 

Secondly, patterns need to be found: we need to actually look for them.  

He then dives into how we find data and recognize each of those data points (datum) as patterns.  I enjoy working with people, psychology and social projects, so the identification of What amounts? (Quantitative) Vs. What kinds? (Qualitative) makes sense to me and opened my eyes as to why I have always leaned towards qualitative data (Erikson, 2004).

Wolcott (1990) gives us a great analogy in Writing Up Qualitative Research.  He likens writing to a wheelbarrow, asking that we look at the writing as a whole before we tighten it up, reminding us not to fill it up!  He asks if we have everything that we need and if we need everything that we have (Stevens, D., 2009). I like this analogy for its simplicity and, as a farmer/gardener I can appreciate the importance of a tight wheelbarrow.

Both quantitative and qualitative research have their strengths.  When thinking of the importance of qualitative, a TED talk I heard recently came to mind.   The talk was about the untouched tribes in the Amazon.  Due to the fact that numbers are not known, and that sensitivity to culture is of utmost importance, I believe that interest into the lives of these people should be through qualitative research.  One man, Plotkin, went to live with them and did just that.  Through his TED talk he urges us to think about these people and preserve their land and culture and not attempt to “reach” them all, yet he talks about them as a whole through his individual experiences with them (Plotkin, 2014).  

Lush Amazon Rainforest, 2012

Part of their uniqueness is that they are isolated from the “outside world”.  Plokin says that everything living has a unique purpose that is it good at, which is why it exists and has survived in nature's process of natural selection (Plotkin, 2014).  This got me thinking about the qualitative research that has been done with these tribes in the Amazon.  Much of what we know about them is from people who have gone and interacted with them.  I do not advocate for this personally, but it is better than trying to reach them all just to have numbers to report (likely on how quickly they--along with their land--are disappearing).  Plotkin's talk focused on the medicinal uses of Amazonian plants and how they were hunted by the pharmaceutical industry as a model for modern medicine.  More recently, the industry has moved into laboratories for the chemical search and creation of future drugs.  Plotkins argues that there are more plants in the Amazon that the indigenous tribes use as medicine, but the rest of the world has never heard of yet.

T'sachila leader sharing stories, Amazon region, Ecuador

When I was living in Ecuador, I was taken to visit a shaman for the 2012 New Year's celebration and offering to the gods.  It was eye-opening and so interesting to see.  I was also able to visit an endangered Amazonian tribe called the T'sachila.  I would have never been able to go alone, but a local co-work of mine invited me and I was happy to learn about them.  It was an amazing experience.  The leader, "Papa T'sachila" (pictured right) shared many stories with us, including how he regularly hunted leopards. I felt so much respect for them and their ancient culture.  I was humbled by their wisdom and thankful for a brief glimpse into their way of life.  Because of this single experience, I will always have respect and admiration for indigenous peoples all over the world.   I do not need to meet them all to understand then need for them to remain how they always have been. 

Sources

Erikson, F. (2004). Demystifying data analysis and construction. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 486-493. Wiley.

Plotkin, M. (2014). What the people of the amazon know that you don’t. TED Global. Retrieved on February 13, 2019 from https://www.ted.com/talks/mark_plotkin_what_the_people_of_the_amazon_know_that_you_don_t/up-next?language=en