Role: approval forms, interviews, observations, affinity mapping, formatting and writing the report)
Team Members: Lindsay Blankenbeker, Katherine Turnipseed & Gabriella Hunt (Team Lead)
Project Duration: 3 months (2019)
Overview
Over the course of two months myself and two other team members set out to answer the following question for our Ethnographic Research Project: What does technology mean to college students? For the purpose of this study we narrowed our research to understand the perspective of what technology means to two tutors at the Computer Software and Engineering (CSE) lab at Kennesaw State University (KSU).
Methodology
We developed a persona hypothesis. Then recruited two participants (tutors) for this study from the Kennesaw State University, Computer Software and Engineering lab at the Marietta campus.
Two observations and two consented interview sessions were also completed.
The data for this study was collected through fieldnotes/jottings, semi- structured interviews, casual conversations and photographs. Data cards were also completed after each observation and interview.
The data for this study was collected through fieldnotes/jottings, semi- structured interviews, casual conversations and photographs. Data cards were also completed after each observation and interview.
Participants
Tutor 1
30 year old Male
Sophomore Student
Major: Computer Game Development
Tutor 2
21 year old Male
Senior student
Major: Computer Game Development
Meet the Users
Research
The observations and interviews were completed at the CSE lab in the atrium building at Kennesaw State University, Marietta campus.
Observation
Two observations were completed on Nov, 1st at 10:36 am. Both observations were completed consecutively and took a total of about two hours. During this time we all discretely observed the our participants and recorded their behaviors and their environment.
Interview
We conducted two semi-structured interview sessions where open- ended questions were asked. Both interviews were completed on different day. Each interview took an average of 42 minutes to be completed. I took written notes, Katherine typed and Lindsay interviewed our participants.
Data Analysis
After collecting data from our interviews and observations our group worked together to compile all the field notes, jottings and data cards and we began to make sense of the information we had. We sorted our interview questions into a matrix to get a better understanding of the responses and completed an affinity mapping exercise to examine emerging patterns and themes.
Clustered Matrix
Findings
After analyzing the data three themes emerged. Personalities, Relationships and Technology.
The two participants had very distinctive personalities.
There was a difference in their ages and we felt this was a factor in our study
Each tutor though immersed in a world of technology, found different ways to build human connections.
Although both tutors are studying technology-based majors; technology does not have a dominant influence on their lives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we found that although technology played a role in both tutors lives and they both enjoy it, each tutor uses technology as a tool to better their life as opposed to using it as something that controlled their life. Both have found happiness and comfort in time spent with family and friends and use technology as a route to help launch them along in their future careers.
Click the button below to view the Ethnographic Report.
