Systematization of recording in field diary: A case of a research in Brazilian juvenile detention centers

Abstract

Field diary has been used in an unstandardized way that not only hinders the process of recording but also hinders the process of participant observation itself. This chapter presents a process of systematization of recording in field diary based on a research conducted in juvenile detention centers located in Brazil. The reported research is grounded in bioecological theory of human development, which, under contextualist assumptions, highlights the use of field diary as a way to achieve processes under routine circumstances. A systematized model of field diary was proposed as data source that offered a standardized way to describe context and other relevant observations which could help elucidating beings under analysis. The instrument was organized in axes related to research questions and theoretical assumptions, especially to the core elements described by bioecological theory of human development: process, person, context, and time. This systematized model of field diary not only helped to organize the recording of observations but also standardized the process of data collection.