This article explores how researchers adapt to disruptions that cost them access to their field sites, advancing a uniquely sociological perspective on the dynamics of flexibility and adaptation in qualitative methods. Through interviews with 31 ethnographers whose access was preempted or eliminated, I find that adaptation varied systematically…

When embarking on ethnographic fieldwork, a researcher must carefully consider how to present oneself when entering the field. Presentations of self become particularly important when the culture under study maintains narrowly defined expectations for personal appearance and behavior. The more defined the expectations, the more important it is for…

A plea is made for increased field studies in education. Some of the problems are outlined: time and working hours, conflicting research paradigms, interpersonal relations in institutional settings, and financial and moral support. Examples are drawn from studies in South Australia. Solutions to the problem of reciprocal…