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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Participant Observation - Research Project

ACTION:[1] Sit in a strategic spot at a major well trafficked intersection near the location of your church. You will be doing a statistical survey of the people you can see who are using that intersection. Select a criterion you wish to study. Some examples are:

·         Pedestrian vs. car movement;
·         Types and number of pedestrians whom you see walking in the busiest part of the square (age, race, nationality, etc.),
·         Include in your analysis reference to the gender, age, ethnic type, of the people you see. Record whether they are in clusters and how large the clusters are. What kind of dress they are wearing, if uniforms (what kind), evening wear? Are the carrying parcels? In what direction are they walking? Why?
·         What types of people—and how many—shop at specific stores on a corner, etc.
·         Also record any idiosyncratic behavior.
·         Include reference to at least 200 people in your composite. (See the Tally Sheet in the Appendix).
Sit back and soak in the scene before you. Watch the people. Who did you see in the square? What are they feeling? Let them speak to you. Reflect on what you observed.
·         Did the people concentrations in the square differ at all with the census demographics for this zip code?
·         Was there anything I observed, that might help my church to reconnect?
·         Was there any place where people would stop, relax, and have conversation with people from complex culture? Starbucks? Sports Bar? Pub? Where might Jesus be found?
Is there another square where you can do the same thing? If not, choose a different set of criteria, and do the same exercise over again. Concentrate on the new criteria. You will be astounded at how much more you will see.

REFLECTION: Here is one example of what you might find. One of my students spent two hours at the corner of 3rd and Vermont Streets in Los Angeles. Third Street goes East and West; East goes into downtown LA, and West into Beverly Hills. She sat at a bus stop, and observed the human traffic on both sides of 3rd Street from 5:00pm to 6:30pm.
The first thing she noticed was the bus passengers on both sides of the street. Those getting off on the East-bound bus often wore various sorts of uniforms. Those disembarking on the West-bound bus, most often wore the attire of professionals.
She then checked the signage (billboards, light post advertising, literature vending machines, etc.) in the Beverly Hills direction, and saw that it included ads for things like Avian water, theater, luxury cars, etc.. In the direction toward downtown, the ads were for products like movies, cigarettes, beer, etc..
The most important question when doing this kind of exercise is, “Why?” Why the clothing, why the signs, why in these specific directions? To answer these questions, one needs to know that there is a large working-class neighborhood between this intersection and downtown. Armed with this information, one can conclude that the professionals are heading home to Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Those traveling in the opposite direction are trade people, domestics, housekeeping, drivers, and other hard-working people.
The advertising people have done their homework, and are suggesting the kinds of beverage and evening entertainment each of the passengers should enjoy. It is interesting to note that stereotypes and politically incorrect activity is part of the advertising and marketing techniques. Yet, no one seems to notice.
Next, my student noticed that there were two supermarkets on the corners, one on each side of 3rd Street. The store on the side heading toward Beverly Hills was more upscale. The store on the side heading for downtown catered to their working-class customers. Each of the supermarkets was perfectly situated to serve its respective customers.
Neither of the two groups seemed aware of what was happening. It was just part of their everyday routine. My student, however, discovered two worlds, separated from each other by the centerline of 3rd Avenue. They were passing each other in the late afternoon on their way home from work. They were so close, yet so far from each other. And it was all happening right on the front step of the church.
Where else might you look to discover another dynamic of your community?


[1] Adapted from: J. Timothy Kauffman. Reconnecting the Church: Finding Our Place in Complex Culture. Bloomingdale, IN: Xlibris, 2010.

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