From a Distance: The ‘New Normal’ for Researchers and Research Assistants Engaged in Remote Fieldwork

Abstract

Doing remote fieldwork is a ‘new normal’ in the COVID-19 pandemic era. It is challenging, but not impossible. With planning and preparation, comprehensive training and ongoing support for Research Assistants (RAs), researchers can overcome the challenges of remote fieldwork. In this article, we reflect on the experience of employing local RAs to support doctoral research involving in-depth household interviews and focus group discussions with ethnic minority people in upland Vietnam. The challenge of adapting to this ‘new normal’ provided us with an opportunity for a critical appraisal of the researcher–RA relationship. The approach to remote fieldwork we developed centres on frequent communication, feedback and building trusting team dynamics. We argue that this approach can overcome some of the power hierarchies between global north researchers and local RAs, and therefore, should not simply be seen as a temporary or inferior ‘Plan B’ for researchers, but should be embraced as a way of reimagining knowledge production. We discuss lessons learned in how to carry out remote fieldwork, present practical strategies and recommendations, and consider the strengths of this approach for knowledge production and the empowerment of researchers in the global south.

Self-Reliance in Community-Based Rural Tourism: Observing Tourism Villages (Desa Wisata) in Sleman Regency, Indonesia

“…The interviews were conducted face-to-face in each of the tourism villages from September to November 2022, ranging from 33 to 102 min in length, with an average of 65.6 min. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded to reveal essential issues recognized by the interviewees [82]. In addition to the interview data, tourism-related documents from district, regency, and provincial governments were gathered as secondary data sources.…”

“…Furthermore, the second phase encompassed the data collection process, which began with preparation to ensure the collection of high-quality information. An interview guide containing non-repetitive, detailed questions on all required data points was designed [82]. As interviews can be susceptible to interviewer bias due to tone of voice or question wording [83], training sessions were conducted with the research assistant to standardize data collection.…”

Doing feminist longitudinal research across the COVID‐19 crisis: Unheard impacts on researchers and garment workers in Cambodia

“…Over a decade on, this diagnosis remains still salient. For all the reliance placed on research assistants in social science field work, ‘a relatively limited body of literature discusses their roles, the potential for RAs to be empowered as a direct result of the process and the central ways in which they shape knowledge production’ (Nguyen et al, 2022, p. 2). For the ReFashion team, this scholarly lacuna became even more untenable with the COVID‐19 pandemic during which we (the UK Investigators) were, for the first ever time, unable to undertake any research physically in Cambodia due to mobility restrictions.…”

Researching researchers: exploring the challenges of conducting research during a pandemic

“…In response, many institutions including health facilities implemented new safety and isolation protocols such as introducing health screening, continuous masking, hand sanitizing, and social distancing to protect vulnerable patients and healthcare providers (Alberta Health Services, 2022). These restrictions also led to the suspension of many hospital-based research projects, reducing the ability of RAs to perform their research responsibilities (Aksoy et al, 2021;Nguyen et al, 2022). Amidst these circumstances, RAs may have felt at risk of contracting COVID-19, regardless of low case counts in many research locations (Shadmi et al, 2020).…”

“…Several studies of RAs' experiences conducting research in challenging circumstances have revealed that with adequate support, RAs can overcome seemingly complex situations and emerge with self-confidence, expertise, and new skills (Aksoy et al, 2021;Anwar & Viqar, 2017;Nguyen et al, 2022). Such support could be in the form of mentorship and guidance through investing energy and time in training RAs to encourage them to overcome seemingly challenging situations (Nguyen et al, 2022;Shadmi et al, 2020).…”