Introduction
For my project, I studied a Home Organization which focuses on fixing homes and beautifying neighborhoods in the Valley. I worked alongside many workers and volunteers and was able to see what they actually did in their organization. For my project, I was able to observe the organization and the workers, interview them and create a content analysis based on the articles that were written about this organization. In my final analysis, I hope to be able to bring all of my information together to give a better understanding of the organization and their mission.
Literature Review
Symbolic Interactionism is a theory that was created by George Herbert Mead but Herbert Blumer coined the theory (Dillon 2013). Symbolic Interactionism focuses on the self in social settings (Dillon 2013). Symbolic interactionism also helps us to understand the social world because we attach meanings to each of our social encounters. Through symbolic interactionism, humans can place meanings to things and give it value (Dillon 2013). Blumer believed that different gestures and language are significant symbols. Symbols can also help us to make sense of the definition of the situation. Definition of the situation is never fully established, so often times we use our symbols and social cues to try to make sense of the situation and to give it meaning (Dillon 2013). In defining the self, individuals also have a sense of agency. We are able to make our own decisions and decide to follow rules or not. The looking-glass self allows for individuals to make sense of the "I" and "Me" concepts (Dillon 2013). The looking-glass self states that a person is shaped due to their social interactions with others. Charles H. Cooley came up with the concept of the looking-glass self. How we see ourselves is not shaped by how we think of ourselves yet by how others perceive us. Cooley states that at a young age, individuals are more self-centered and controlling, a concept that he referred to as appropriation (Dunn 2010). As one grows older, they are then more capable of understanding the views and judgements of their surroundings to better connect with their self-identity and to establish themselves. (Dunn 2010). Social identity theory branches from the looking-glass self theory. An individual uses more than one identity when interacting with others. They identify themselves starting first with the self and then when in different settings change their identities to fit in with certain groups (Dunn 2010). Prejudice can affect perceptions of others and may result in a more negative self-concept and make it harder to adjust to certain groups (Dunn 2010).
Erving Goffman believed that life was like a stage. The dramaturgical perspective compares our social lives to a stage, or the presentation of self (Dillon 2013). He uses the theory of front and backstage to describe how individuals act in different social settings. In the front stage, you are putting on a show for others. It is not your true self but your staged self. Individuals in the front stage are usually in role-playing mode and must adhere to certain social standards (Dillon 2013). Backstage is when you are away from the stage and then can be your true self. In your backstage, you can be more outspoken and do whatever you please as opposed to being in the frontstage. Also, the backstage is where you prepare the behavior in which you will present in the frontstage (Dillon 2013). In order for us to correctly use frontstage or backstage, we must make sense of the definition of the situation. The definition of the situation allows for us to figure out how the social environment will affect our behaviors and how we will act (Dillon 2013).
Goffman also stresses the importance of impression management. In order for us to be show others that we carry certain positive traits, such as honesty and trustworthiness, we must be able to act in a way that would make others think that about ourselves (Sandstrom et al., 2013). Impression management allows for us to try to show off our preferred images and what we would like others to view us as. The way we look and act changes the ways in which others perceive us and it allows for others to try to determine what roles we play (Sandstrom et al., 2013). Our appearance and manners help others or ourselves determine what social cues we will use and to figure out the behaviors of ourselves and others (Sandstrom et al., 2013). Goffman's theories of our self usually are trying to help us highlight all the good in us. Dramatic realization allows for us to share certain facts about ourselves that others might not notice in our everyday lives (Sandstrom et al., 2013). Things such as income level may be something that someone may not know about you or what level of schooling you have completed, but through dramatic realization, you can make others aware of these facts.
Methods
The goal of ethnography is to be able to engage and talk to people in a certain setting (Warren and Karner, 2014). In order to choose a setting that will be good for research, one must be able to observe the interactions of their subjects but also be able to interact with them as well (Warren and Karner, 2014). In doing so, they will be able to get the most out of their setting. The researcher must also be mindful of the space that they are observing and not choose something that may be too confined, small, or not easily accessible to them (Warren and Karner, 2014).
In order to choose a setting that's more accessible and acceptable, a public space would be appropriate for a researcher to do their studies (Warren and Karner, 2014). Private spaces are not always available to the researcher and may pose a threat to the time-frame of their research. And as Warren and Karner state, using the settings for groups such as self-help groups would probably be borderline private, as you have to be affiliated to the group in some way (2014). Even in some settings, groups may not accept you if your beliefs are different. A gatekeeper is also someone that you would want to consult with before doing research in a public setting and also usually your key informant (Warren and Karner, 2014). Researchers will likely encounter gatekeepers when in settings such as a store or establishment that has higher management.
Your presentation of self is important when it comes to certain settings. You may need to be more presentable or formal in certain settings and casual and laid-back in others. But in order to fit in with certain groups, you should dress accordingly to try and make yourself and your group feel more comfortable about your presence (Warren and Karner, 2014). Overall, you should choose a setting that interests you and is easy for you to gain access to and where the members allow for your presence.
Qualitative interviews are important to research because it allows for the thoughts and opinions of average people to be studied (Warren and Karner, 2014. In-depth interviews allow for researchers to further understand and learn the life experiences of the subjects being interviewed and to understand social meanings (Warren and Karner, 2014).
There are two types of interviews: the ethnographic which studies behavior and interactions and the interview method which studies biography and accounts (Warren and Karner, 2014). You can either use on or the other but you can also combine both methods together to get even more in-depth interviews. Karner used both methods and was able to understand the accounts of interviewees and their reasons and behaviors as to why they did those things (2014). Interviews are important to research because they are not the same as ordinary conversations, it has a formal structure where the interviewer asks specific questions and can choose who they want to interview (Warren and Karner, 2014).
Interviews should include questions that are open-ended and it revolves around how respondents feel about certain things in their field or whatever the researcher is focusing their study on (Warren and Karner, 2014). Interview questions should not make interviewers uncomfortable. If the researcher feels that some questions may be tougher to answer, they can format it so they show up towards the end instead of opening up with these questions (Warren and Karner, 2014). It may also be harder to get interviewees to open up, so trying to have a conversation and getting to know them beforehand may make the interview process a lot easier and also to get more sincere answers (Warren and Karner, 2014).
Individual interviews are not the only way to conduct interviews, there are also focus groups. This is where you can bring in a group of people, ask open-ended questions and have them answer accordingly (Warren and Karner, 2014). In order to collect the data from interviews, having a reliable recording device would be best suited so you can be sure to collect all information and then transcribe later (Warren and Karner, 2014). In order to be a good interviewer, you should arrive about at least 15 minutes in advance to your interview and allow for respondents to ask questions or voice any concerns that they may have (Warren and Karner, 2014). An interviewer should also allow respondents to be as open as they want and to not force them to answer any questions they may feel uncomfortable about.
Using documents that pertain to the organization in which you are studying allows for the researcher to be able to study the cultural aspects of the organization and life (Warren and Karner, 2014). In order to choose the most appropriate content for your analysis, the researcher must carefully study the material and make sure that they represent the themes in which the researcher has chosen to study (Warren and Karner, 2014). Some documents or content that may be used include: websites, news articles, blogs, social media pages, online discussions and images (Warren and Karner, 2014). Though these documents may be easier to access and analyze, they lack the interactional context that interviews and observations create.
When analyzing content, the researcher must search through all of the thick description from the content and find a recurring theme (Warren and Karner, 2014). A researcher may use programs such as Nvivo to organize their data into certain nodes. After organizing your data, you should create interpretations of the data to make it more understandable for yourself and your audience. Once that is done, you must then validate your analysis by making sure that all the data that has been collected are relevant to one another and make sense and also that they pertain to what you are studying (Warren and Karner, 2014).
Ethnography
In my observations, I looked at the different behaviors that the volunteers/workers exhibited towards each other and customers in different social situations. I conducted two participatory observations which consisted of three hours each. In choosing to come in on different days, I felt that I was able to get more information and to see other workers and how they reacted when put in different situations.
My first observation was on Tuesday, November 6 and it started at around 1PM and ended at 3PM. This participant observation was conducted at one of the organizations store locations. In order to be able to participate in the work in which they were conducting, I had to go online to their page and sign up to volunteer. On that day, there were about seven other individuals that were working. There were two managers and the rest were workers and/or volunteers. The second observation was on Saturday, November 9 and it started at 9AM and ended at 12 PM. On this day, there were less workers, two managers and two other workers only.
For my research, I focused mainly on statuses, roles, definition of the situation, meaningful action and frontstage/backstage. In order to analyze my work, I used NVivo to code and create queries to organize and better observe the information I collected. I created nodes for each of the theories listed and also ran word frequency queries.
I managed to collect a lot of information in my field notes while observing but was not able to record while I was doing my participant observation. I was on the floor and could not have my phone out to record while working. So, I had to find time after the participant observation to record what I had remembered from my experience. Upon entering the field, I felt a bit awkward. I have volunteered for this organization in the past and felt that they were a bit more knowledgeable about the whole volunteer process. But when I first arrived, the manager seemed perplexed to see me there and I had to introduce myself and let him know who I was. He then proceeded to take me to the backroom to sign in and then I met the other volunteers who were all in the backroom as well. After that, the environment became a little better and friendlier but I still felt like an outsider. But I just tried to work with what I had and was able to come up with plenty of information.
Interview
While conducting my interviews, some interviews were conducted out on the floor while the rest were conducted inside an office. I conducted three interviews on one day and the last one on another. The reason why I had to do interviews on separate days were because I didn't have enough information from the first set of interviews.
The theories that I focused on were: status and roles, frontstage and backstage, meaningful action, definition of the situation and in-group/outgroup.
I used my phone as a recording device for my interviews and used a guide during my interview to help me transition better while asking questions. Some interviews were conducted on the floor because one manager could not be in the back because she was the only manager at the time. Another one was because the worker wanted to have the interview done in a specific spot of the store. The other two interviews conducted were done in an office space. After finishing up with my interviews, I then uploaded my recordings and transcribed each of the interviews by listening to them, pausing and then recording what I had heard. Once I finished transcribing, I then transferred all of that information into Nvivo and coded the transcripts. I coded them into different nodes and also created word queries for each of the different nodes. After that, I compared the word frequencies in each node and determined which words were used more frequently and if it had any other meaning or importance to the nodes.
I felt that the whole interview process went very smoothly but I also felt that because some of the interviews were conducted out on the store floor, the interviewees didn't really give me too sincere of answers as opposed to the ones conducted in the office. I also felt that my interviewing skills for the first two interviews were not at the same level as the latter two. I feel that maybe being out in public also may have made me a bit more timid as well. But overall, the whole process went well and I was able to collect interesting data from these interviews.
Content Analysis
For my analysis, I was able to find most of the articles online. The articles that I found mostly consisted of ones directly about my organization and then a few of them were from the same organization but in a different area.
I used Nvivo to code my data. I used five nodes: claims, grounds/warrants/conclusions, typification, role embracement and framing. I found that most of the articles used were all pretty similar and each had a similar theme. I tried finding information on any of their social media websites but didn't find enough for me to include into my dataset.
I felt that the process to find 30 different articles was a bit difficult because after a while, everything just starts looking the same and I feel that there isn't much to pull from these articles anymore. Overall, it was a good learning experience and I felt that it allowed me to learn more about my organization.
Analysis
Ethnography
Thick Description
My first observation was on November 6 at the organization's store. As I entered the field at around 1PM that day, I noted what I saw first and the weather,
When I first arrived to my destination, I realized that the parking lot was full of cars which indicated that there should be a lot of customers inside the store. The weather was nice, warm and sunny.
As soon, as I entered the store, I did notice that there were a lot of customers in there. More than what I remembered because I had volunteered here a few semesters ago. I also noticed that there weren't very many workers in the store, just the two that were hanging out by the back table.
As I enter the store, there are two workers at the special table that all the workers seem to hang around at. They were both just standing there talking.
As I glanced around and looked around the store, I noticed that there were very many different items for sale. Most of the items in the front of the store were newer and nicer things while the things on the shelves and in the back of the store were really old and dated and needed to be cleaned.
There were buckets of paint, items from Ikea, decorative globes and lots of glass décor and kitchen accessories. There was furniture for sale, in the back of the room there were used home appliances, bathroom sinks and toilets and used doors for sale as well.
While walking down the different aisles and observing all the things on the shelves, I then wandered to the back of the store and noticed that they had painted their mission statement on the back wall,
"Partner with us as we seek to put God's love into action."
I also noticed that while I was walking around, I could hear music playing in the background. It was kind of hard to make out what it was in certain areas but in a specific spot in the store, the music is amplified a lot louder and clearer,
As you wander through the store, you can hear Christian music playing.
As I went to go hang out with the other volunteers at the table, there was an older customer that approached us and was thirsty. They ran out of cups for the water dispenser so another worker had to go find them. But what intrigued me the most was what was beside the water dispenser,
Right next to the water dispenser is a work desk which is full of junk and loose wires, it looks like it could become a work hazard. There is also an empty Sprite bottle and an old used fan and heater sitting on top of the desk as well.
From my past experience volunteering here, I know the last manager would have never let that happen. I was just surprised that they would leave this out for customers to see as the cords dangled right next to and underneath the water dispenser.
As I continued my participation observation, I noticed that around the cashier table, there were very many signs indicating sales and discounts.
There are signs next to the register that state "all sales final," and letting customers know that they have military discounts as well. I notice that the floors around here are dirty and need to be swept.
After being at the site for about an hour and a half, another manager showed up on site. He introduced himself to me and then he made go outside to hold sign to try and attract customers to the store.
He also came up to me and introduced himself to me and then he made me come outside to spin the sign. So now I'm outside and there are cars zipping past me.
After being out there for about thirty minutes, I came back inside to get signed out and finally leave my field. When I did go back to sign out on the list, I noticed that many of the workers/volunteers who were there had signed the list that said they were outside holding the sign, but while I was there, no one else got to do it but me.
So, I just exited my field at about 3 o'clock. And now I'm in my car and I'm ready to drive home.
My second observation was on November 10 and it lasted about 3 hours. I started this day at around 9 AM.
Today's my second observation today. As I approached the store, it was pretty empty, because I went in today for morning observation around nine o'clock in the morning when they open.
There was a different feel that day and less workers. Everyone else seemed to be working a lot harder and doing more things than the first day that I had done my participant observation.
When I got there, there were, there was one manager, and two other workers there. And everyone seemed to be a little bit more quiet today. And then they were also working to just clean things up a bit.
Before we started our day and opened up the store, we got together in a team huddle and had a morning prayer which they do every day before they start their work day. They had me doing more work today and I was able to put furniture together. After about an hour being there, another male worker showed up. He went to the back and then he came back and went to go hang out at the table that every one of the worker's usually go to when they get there.
He went to go stay at that table. And usually at that table, that's where all the donations get brought in and inspections and then they get to clean them sometimes and then price them accordingly. And so that's where he hung out. And other male manager hung out there and the other male worker hung out there as well.
For the rest of the time that I was there, I helped to clean the store because there was a lot to clean and the other workers didn't seem to be doing much cleaning.
The rest of my day I just walked around and I cleaned, I swept, I dusted everything and tried to clean all the glass as well because there's a lot of items in the store that have, that are glass and they were dirty. So I ended up doing that for the rest of time that I was there.
After I had thoroughly cleaned the glass vases and swept around the store, I ended my day. I felt that today was more productive and a lot more things got done.
When I had to leave, I went to go say bye to everyone and said bye to me with a smile. And then I signed out and I logged out and that was the end of my day and that was around 12 o'clock.
Status/Roles
While I was there, I noticed that some of the workers/volunteers there held higher positions than others. On my first day there, I entered the field and saw two worker but I didn't know which one was in charge. When I approached them, the female seemed confused so she pointed me to the male worker across from her.
Since she directed me to him, I assumed he was the manager. I asked him and he confirmed that he was.
After he introduced himself to me and let me know his status, he led me to the backroom. In the backroom, he had me sign into the computer to start my volunteer shift. Also while I was in the backroom, the rest of the workers and volunteers were back there.
When we entered the backroom, there were other people in there, four to be exact; three male workers and one female worker. They were just hanging out in there. The manager introduced me to them and told me they were just volunteers that came in often.
While I was there, most of the workers and volunteers didn't do much. They just hung around and joked and talked. But about an hour later, another male worker came in and the environment changed immediately. Everyone else seemed to be working now.
The bigger manager, he also came up to me and introduced himself to me.
Status/Roles
As I've volunteered at this organization before, I felt that I knew what the roles of workers and volunteers should be. During my observation, I didn't feel that the workers filled the roles they should have. Instead in my observation, I noticed they hung out more and joked around.
When I first got there, everyone was just in the back hanging out but as soon as the manager introduced me to them, he made them come out to "work." They all came out but just hung out at the table. They were talking and joking and weren't really working. The manager jokingly told them to start working because I was jotting down field notes and he told them I was probably going to jot down that they were lazy.
Of all the workers and volunteers, only one of them was working. I noticed that she had not joined the rest of the workers at the table and she went around the store looking for things to do. Because I noticed that she was the only one working, I went to go ask if she needed help.
She was dusting things and putting things away, she also greeted customers. She was very friendly to me and asked me a lot of questions about my research and schooling.
The second male manager that came in also made his status and role known. When he came into the store, everyone changed their behaviors and what they were doing. It seemed that this other manager was stricter than the others.
He seemed to have more authority and it showed in his attitude and the way he spoke to me and others. As soon as he showed up, everyone else just um, everyone else got to work. They were more quiet and they seemed to be doing more things.
As a volunteer, myself, I felt that I followed what I felt was the role that I was supposed to hold. I cleaned and tidied up the aisles. I also greeted customers and asked them if they had any questions about any of the items we were selling.
Definition of the Situation
On the first day of my observation, I felt that the manager that was there created the definition of the situation. He made things more relaxed for himself and his workers and volunteers, so they were able to do things freely without having to worry about getting into trouble.
They were just um, at the back table in the store, conversing and just joking around. They were all really friendly but then, they didn't really seem to be doing much work. Just a lot of people there having fun basically.
They understood their roles as workers in this definition of the situation and the manager understood his role too, but they didn't really stress about having to play out these roles. This first manager didn't worry too much about following certain norms while on his watch. But as soon as the other manager showed up, the definition of the situation changed. He had a different demeanor than the manager before him and he got people to do work and he was also interacting with customers more than the first manager.
As soon as he showed up, everyone else got to work.
He created a stricter environment but in a way where the other workers respected him and there was social cohesion even though this manager was stricter and expected more from them. Because of this shift, you can see that the workers understand when they can play certain roles and when to follow certain norms in each situation.
On my second participant observation, I felt that the manager had a different definition of the situation. She had more work ethic and had people doing more things. In fact, when I first showed up, the first thing she made me do was put together a little shelf.
They had me going around fixing aisles, tidying it up making sure everything looked nice and clean. And, and they also had me price things. They also had me put together some furniture.
But in general, I feel that the company itself creates a sort of definition of the situation. There are certain rules that must be followed and workers are held accountable for certain goals and things that have to be done around the store.
You must come to work or volunteer wearing certain clothing, closed toed shoes and thick pants or shorts, and when you sign in you must wear a volunteer vest. Volunteers and workers should also act accordingly to the setting and help whenever they can or do things around the store.
From viewing these different managers and how they worked, you could see how they each value their roles, beliefs and customs. Some may value work ethic more than others and you can see how much it affects their workers. Because all of these managers worked differently and socialize differently, their workers knew what was expected of them in any of those given situations. They each got a sense of what their roles and statuses were in that situation given by their managers so they knew how to behave around each one of them.
Frontstage/Backstage
For some of these workers, it was hard to determine their frontstage/backstage because they were just acting the same as they did in the back of the store and in the front of the store. They were playing and joking in the back and did the same in the front even when there were customers present.
One of them got out a pair of scissors and was playing with them. Another got out a hammer and was pretending to hit his hand with it. They were just talking about personal things and chatting and joking.
The only person that seemed to be showing a different frontstage was the one female worker that was going around cleaning and greeting customers. In the backroom, or her backstage, she joked and said funny things but while out on the floor, she didn't hang out with everyone else. She was on the floor cleaning and helping customers.
She was dusting things and putting things away, she also greeted customers.
Another one of the female workers also changed her attitude and the way she acted when she was around customers. Though she still joked around when customers were around, you could see that she became a bit more professional when she had to ring up customers.
While in the backroom, the female worker was joking and laidback but when she left the backroom to the floor, she actually worked. She was professional and greeted customers, cleaned and asked them if they needed help finding anything. The female cashier changed her whole attitude. In the backroom, she would use slang and was a bit rude to the male workers but she joked a lot as well. She didn't come off as very friendly to me and was a bit cold and distant towards me. But when it was time to help customers, she was friendly and smiled and spoke very nicely to them.
Meaningful Action
In this environment, people are expected to act a certain way. Being in this setting, workers and volunteers should be a bit more productive and professional. But just observing, I may not know the motivations or actions of these individuals and why they have chosen to volunteer or work here. One manager did let me know that some of these individuals must complete hours for community service and some just come in sometimes to help around. Because of this knowledge, the reason some may emit feelings of being resistant to work is because they probably don't want to be there in the first place. Maybe it's because they kind of feel that they are being forced to be there and so they have no motivation to be there.
Interview
Status/Roles
For status and roles, I created a word cloud. From the query, you can see that: know (3.81%), like (3.15%), feel (2.98%), just (2.81%), and help (2.32%) were used the most used. I feel that most of these words do not have a certain or specific meaning for the node. The only two that I feel would have more significance to this node are know and help. The similar words for know is: know and knows while the similar words for help is: help, helping and helps. I feel that these words are significant because it is important for someone to know what to do and to know or understand what their statuses and roles may be. I feel that help is significant because it may be signifying that in their status and role, they are either helping others or they are receving help from others which can help an individual grow.
For my interviews, I asked each interviewee what they felt their statuses were at home and also at work and also asked them to give me a brief description of what their roles were for each status. When I asked my first interviewee "B", she replied:
"B: I label myself as a lead supervisor of the store. At home, I'm a daughter and I'm a mother and I'm a sister. "
After getting these answers, I then proceeded to ask her what her roles were for each of these statuses. We began with her duties as a supervisor.
B: My duties, um, are to open and close the store on time every day. Ensure that all the cash in the store is balanced and put away properly. Uh, customer service. Um, processing incoming donations and helping customers find what they need.
After she finished explaining her duties as supervisor, I then asked her about her roles as daughter and mother.
B: Being responsible and helping out whatever I can. B: My roles are to be an example and to help guide my daughter down the right path, yeah. Me: And then as a sister, what are your roles? B: Just being supportive, emotionally.
By giving me these descriptions of what she does, it made me realize that she has an understanding of how her status and roles work and the importance of each status. My second interviewee, "G", was also asked the same questions. For her statuses, she stated:
G: A volunteer. G: I'm a daughter, mother and a big sister.
At work, she feels her status is a just a volunteer while at home she feels that she is a daughter, mother and big sister. I then proceeded to ask her about her roles for each. She first began with her roles as a volunteer.
G: I help build stuff, I help customers, I also help with the cash register, I also wave signs to get customers into the store and I also help my fellow volunteers with anything they need help with.
As a volunteer, she understands the duties she needs to perform and also what she can do to help other workers and volunteers as well. I then asked her about her roles as a daughter.
G: Honestly, bettering my life for my own child. So she can see say that, "my mommy succeeded in life." Just like my mom did. I want my daughter to follow my steps and succeed in life.
After that, I asked her what her roles were as a sister.
G: I feel my roles as a big sister, like, it's challenging but at the same time it's very responsible and everything. That way if they see me doing something right, they can follow in those footsteps too.
When I asked my third interviewee J about his statuses, we started with his statuses at work.
J: Um, I still consider myself as a worker because I do what everyone else is doing as well and you know, also a supervisor as well because you know I have a lead role to make sure you know, everyone is on task and I have to make sure I'm doing my job as well, I'm not just you know, hanging out or just not doing anything at all.
I found it quite interesting that even though he held a supervisor position, he still felt that he was still a worker like his other co-workers and volunteers. I then asked him about his roles for these statuses.
J: Make sure everyone's working, make sure everyone is on task and you know, pretty much following the rules, locking up the building. Opening as well and closing the building at the end of the shift.
After that, I asked him what he believed his statuses at home were.
J: Um, at home, a brother. Um, I would say step-father, father, yeah. And uh, my neighborhood, everybody in my neighborhood knows me so, like a popular friend I guess you could say.
Then we proceeded to talk about his roles as each of the statuses he stated. We began with his role as a brother.
J: Oh, be a role model, of course, yeah. Because I was, as growing up, you know, my younger brother, even til this day he still looks up to me. So what I do, he does. And you know, I tell him to do the opposite if not better than me. So I gotta lead by example, so like you know, no drugs, no alcohol and just continue to work and you know, you know provide for the family as he's doing for us as well.
I noticed that this was something that he felt very strongly and passionate about as he spoke about it. After that, we then talked about his roles as father.
J: Oh, that's a lot more. You know you gotta be there for them, you know, your girlfriend or your ex-girlfriend and you know you gotta provide for the kid and not only for yourself but for you and your significant other but the baby because um, you know, they look up to you like the superhero. You know, they want you there, they want this, they want that. It's like just a different volume, yeah.
For this role, you could see that he had a bigger responsibility towards his own children and being able to provide for not only them but also his ex-girlfriend and current girlfriend. We then proceeded to talk about his roles as a popular friend in the neighborhood.
J: Uh, every time they see my car they're like "oh, there's *void*" and so, makes me feel like you know, special because like I know if I needed a hand, they'd help me or if they needed a hand I'd help them. It's not like um, I can do this or they can do that, it's more like um, I want to do this type of deal.
For my last interviewee, "D", I asked him what he felt his roles at work were and he replied:
D: Uh, for this job? I consider myself a worker and a volunteer. Even though I don't get paid, I still feel that I do do both parts.
Even though he was just a volunteer at this organization, I asked him why he felt he was also labeled a worker.
D: because we are trying to help customers, and we are trying to sell things. And we do have to um have a pretty good product knowledge of the things that we sell in the store. So I mean, it is still considered, I still do consider this work, even though I'm just a volunteer, but that's just how I feel personally.
After hearing his explanation of why he felt that he was also a worker there, I then asked him what his roles were.
D: So daily in the store, for the most part, we clean, keep everything neat, make sure things are presentable. Just make sure the store is looking nice. And we also collect donations. Sometimes we do a little bit of marketing with a standing outside holding the signs trying to get people to come into the store and, and give us a visit. Also, I feel that um and and yeah, for the most part, like I said, keep the store clean.
I also asked him what his statuses at home were.
D: Um at home. I am a brother. I am also a student. I am a boyfriend. Yeah, I do have a girlfriend. So I am a boyfriend.
After hearing what he felt were his statuses at home were, I asked him what he felt his roles as a brother was.
D: um, I take care of my younger siblings, I try to be a positive role model to them try to do better in my life, so that they can see the hard work does pay off in the end. And I just try to help my parents out as much as I can. Just so that um so that they don't stress too much over over the little things. And so they can be happy that that I will be successful or try to catch up to them in their in their success.
Then I asked him what his responsibilities were as a student and what characteristics made him a student.
D: as a student, I'm a student currently over at Fresno City College. As a student, I feel that my main objective is to pass my classes of course, and to better myself as an individual through knowledge and, um and just learning new things, learning different subjects also trying to participate in class as much as I can. And also with with the all the clubs going on on campus, trying to get involved with the clubs or finding one that that I like, so that I can learn more about others and just learn more about the community itself.
And lastly, I then asked him what his roles as a boyfriend was.
D: Well, course I feel that I'm a good boyfriend because I take pretty good care of my girlfriend. I also have to show a soft side when there when it's needed I also have to be stern, when when I have to be um and just just establishing a relationship with another person. It's just I feel, well I feel like communication also helps me out with communication communicating with with another person or the opposite sex. And yeah, just love and care.
As you can see from my results from the interview, every one of my interviewees understood what roles were important to them while at work and at home. They also found a lot of meaning in each of their statuses and roles.
Meaningful Action
For my word frequency that I created for meaningful action, the most popular words were: like (5.29%), know (2.84%), help (2.71%), just (2.45%) and people (2.19%). I also felt no direct correlation from these words and the node.
For each of my interviewees, I wanted to know how long they had been working there and if they would see themselves staying there longer. The reason why I asked if they would stay any longer was to see if there was anything meaningful for them or something that was motivating them stay longer. Interview "B" stated,
B: Um, I would see myself staying here long-term. Um, just because I love my job and meet new people every day. I love, you know, helping the customers.
She feels it's meaningful to her to stay at the organization for a longer period of time because she loves her job and gets to meet new people and beyond that, she loves helping customers. I asked interviewee "G" and she stated,
G: I could see myself staying here longer. I enjoy working here and I like the staff and everything and the volunteers.
Her reason for staying was similar to interviewee "B" as they both enjoy working with their staff. I also asked interviewee "J" and his response was,
J: Because I met one of my goals as a supervisor and it takes, you know, me as a specific person to meet a goal because others, you know like have that um, I guess you could say a certain ability and me, I had to start off, I guess lower. So then, I feel like um, I will stay here for a while because I met one of my um dreams and I don't feel like I need to look for another else because this is what I like doing.
He would love to stay here longer because he feels that becoming a supervisor has fulfilled one of his life goals and that's what is meaningful to him. He also feels that by fulfilling that goal, he has a greater sense of responsibility and does not need to look elsewhere because he enjoys his job as a supervisor.
The last interviewee was also asked the same question,
D: um, I want to stay here as long as I can. But if a another opportunity arises that where I can use my skills that I've learned here to better myself and to find a place that will pay me I would take that opportunity.
Unlike the others, he had a different direction and other meaningful action that was motivating him to use his skills elsewhere.
My last question to them was why they felt it was meaningful for them to stay at the organization. Interviewee "B" stated,
B: So, the reason I come to work every day is because I have sense of responsibility to the store, you know what I mean? I've been here since the first day they've opened. I helped, I've grown along with the store. I feel like coming to work every day is showing my loyalty to the company as well as helping the community. So, relying on me to open the store.
Interviewee "B" feels that because she has been with the store since they've opened has given her a larger responsibility. It's meaningful to her because she feels that she's grown with the store and being loyal makes her feel that she's able to help the company.
Interviewee "G" stated,
G: My daughter actually motivates me to stay here because she's my inspiration. She sees that I'm working hard and everything. I want her to achieve that in life and by coming here, like, I feel better about myself because I'm helping other people and just not myself.
So, beyond the fact that she has to come into work to make money, she feels that her daughter is what makes it meaningful. She wants to show her daughter that working hard will help her do well in life and "G" also feels that she is helping people.
Interviewee "J" stated,
J: Just the people in general, like seeing them come in like, "oh man this and that" and when I talk to them it's like you can see that face expression like "oh I wanna come back" and they end up coming back like three times a week.
So what makes "J" feel that his job is meaningful is being able to see his customers coming back.
Interviewee "D" stated,
D: "Um, just being able to help customers and just the, the mission statement that this organization has. It makes me feel good that I'm helping others in doing this and volunteering and yeah."
Not only does being a volunteer makes him feel that he must be hard worker but he feels that the mission statement of the organization and helping others is what makes it meaningful for him to come back to work every day.
A few of my interviewees also noted that their children motivated them to come to work. I feel that children can have a huge impact on someone and everyone wants to work hard to provide for their children. "B" stated,
"I think it's given me something to do during the day. It's been positive because now I can provide for me and my daughter more than I was able to before and I'm not on government assistance anymore. So, I'm like independent from the system. It feels nice to be able to take care of everything and not ask anyone for help. So, that's why I like this job it gives me a sense of independence."
Because she can now provide for herself and her daughter without any assistance gives her much more meaning to come back. She likes the independence that this job has provided for her.
"J" also mentioned his daughter,
J: "no, it makes me feel like the same person because I know the goals I have to reach as making money and providing for my daughter. So it makes me like push more because if I don't, she needs shoes and diapers or something and I'm gonna feel bad because I don't have it if I don't have a work, have a job."
It's meaningful for him to come in a make money so he can provide for his daughter. It is also what motivates him to keep this job.
As my interviewees stated, a lot of their meaningful action towards this job comes from an emotional aspect. Being able to make a change in the community and being able to provide for their families give them meaning when coming into work.
In-group
The most frequently used words for this node was: like (5.02%), know (2.932%), help (2.51%), just (2.51%) and really (2.51%). I felt these words do not directly correlate with the node. But some words on the word frequency list that I felt correlated more with the node was: friend (1.67%) and customer (1.26%). I felt that these two words correlated with the node because in-groups consist of people you know and feel comfortable with while outgroups are usually people you don't really associate with or get along with on a more personal level and may find they different or "strange."
For the most part, I felt the answers my interviewees gave me pertained more towards in-group versus outgroup. "B" gave me a brief description of her coworkers,
B: "I would probably say, um, we all have really great communication. You know what I mean, um, we're like a family. Everyone here really gets along and we do have friendly competition but it's just like you know, just kind of like something fun to do."
By being able to interact with her co-workers daily, she feels that they have become like a family. Even though they may have some competition, she feels they still have that familial bond.
J: "Oh, yeah. I see everybody as my family, like my brothers and sisters so yeah."
"J" also felt the same way about his co-workers. He also elaborated more on this topic.
J: "Um, I would say that absolutely that 100% if not more they are supportive because you know, they help me uh, achieve my goals and they still work with me as the other supervisors and managers. So, you know, the more that I learn, the more I pick up and the more I can give to volunteers and people that will come and help out."
Because his co-workers are supportive, they can help each other. So, for in-group, he feels that they are family and they can learn from one another.
"D" stated,
D: "I like being a part of this group, I feel that we're really supportive of each other. We all may have different goals. And we all may have different reasons why we're here. But I feel that we all support each other, and we all have each other's back. And yeah."
Again, they all feel that they are supportive of one another. Having that sense of belonging together allows for them to be able to work well with one another. So, for the most part, they all feel that they are one group and most of them see themselves as a family.
Frontstage/Backstage
For my word frequency, I found that the words that were most popular were: customer (3.71%), know (3.51%), feel (2.89%), like (2.68%) and just (2.47%). I feel like customer is a very important word for this node. They are dealing with customers daily and I feel that that's when they have to display different frontstage and backstage perceptions.
One of the questions I asked my interviewees were if they acted differently while at home and work. "B" stated,
B: Um, I would probably say I conduct myself a little bit more professionally at work than I do at home.
She understands that once she comes to work, she must be more professional so that is her frontstage at work. But at home, in her backstage, she does not have to be professional.
"G" stated,
G: No, I feel like I'm the same because at home, I take care of my daughter and stuff and I help at the house just like how I do here.
G felt that she acted the same at work and at home. I tried to elaborate but she felt that she acted the same in both settings so I by hearing that, I determined that she felt her front and backstage were the same.
"J" stated,
J: I would say yeah and no. Yes, because you gotta show everybody especially a new face respect to get your trust and their trust and no because the joking, I can joke a certain way and they can joke a certain way and I don't wanna, you know I just wanna keep that to a certain amount of points until we become friends or closer.
"J" feels that in his frontstage, he can joke with customers to a certain extent but he must be able to get their trust and respect first.
I also asked "D" and he stated,
D: "Yeah, definitely. I mean, because when I'm at work, I have to stay a professional. Yeah, I can show a little bit of of me but only my my real close friends and my family members that see me at home every day. Those are the only ones that know how. How I act and how I will be because I can be just myself. I don't have to put on my professional mask and and be a professional all the time I can relax. I can be chill. I can talk like how I want to talk and I can just do things freely."
He also stated that in his frontstage, he must stay professional at work. But in his backstage, it's his friends and family members that get to see that side of him. He states that they "are the only ones that know how [he] acts." He also states that he can be himself in his backstage, where he can just be more relaxed and do and speak freely.
I then asked them how they would react to rude customers and family members just to get an idea of how they conduct themselves and understand their frontstage and backstage when socializing with people they are not familiar with. "B" stated,
B: "With a rude customer, I would be more patient. I would probably try to calm them down a little bit and kind of give them more positives then negative. If I were to be dealing with a family member, I would just kind of have to be more open and blunt."
As you can see, she has to handle customers in a more professional manner and try to almost sugarcoat situations to make it more positive. But when interacting with a rude or angry family she states that she can be more "open and blunt."
G: I would keep calm. I wouldn't go towards getting an attitude with customers, I'd try to calm the customer down to see what I can change and what needs to be changed to help them with the situation.
This was the answer I received when I asked "G" how she would react to a rude customer. And then I asked her how she would react to a rude friend or family member.
G: I would react the same way because they would be no different than a customer.
It wasn't the answer I was hoping for and I felt that it didn't give me any information on what her frontstage and backstage were like but throughout my interview with her, she gave me mostly short and non-descriptive answers.
I then asked "J" how he would react to a rude customer.
J: "You know, I would swallow, bite my tongue and you know, just hold my um my, how do you say it? Myself together and explain to he or she or whatever what the situation is and if we still that we're still not understanding then I'll just tell them you know "I'm sorry" to close everything else because I don't want them to, you know, pursue something else or them thinking that I'm gonna do something else. So, just apologize."
And then I asked him how he would confront a rude friend or family member,
"I wanna say I'd laugh at first but if I knew it's getting out of hand then I'd probably you know, get upset a little bit. But I'd probably ignore them for a while until we're and then I'll say sorry I guess. So pretty much, just say sorry to both situations especially if I'm on the wrong."
As you can see, he has a different take and demeanor when it comes to a customer versus a rude friend or family member of his. In his frontstage, with the customer, he has to find ways to resolve issues without them having to "pursue" any other issues and he has to apologize. But for his family, he is able to get upset in front of them without having to worry about too strong of a negative repercussion. But he does feel that he must also apologize even in his backstage.
I also asked "D" how he would react to a rude customer,
D: "Um, I would honestly try to kill them with kindness, because we can't really bicker and argue back and forth with them. If it does get to the point where, where tempers are are going to flare up, we know better. And we know to get our supervisor as quick as possible so that they can help defuse the situation. And it allows us to step away so that we're not there to anger them anymore. And we'll deal with our supervisor afterwards."
He knows that while in his frontstage, he must not present his true self and feelings. Even though he may feel that his temper is flaring, he cannot do anything to provoke the customer but he must have a supervisor come and intervene to help diffuse the situation.
D: "um, with the rude friend or family member, I would also say, with with kindness. I mean, you want to open your arms and you want to make them feel like they're safe with you. Obviously, if it's your friends or family, you should already have that comfort. So that comfort zone so that it's easier for you to go in and straight up pretty much asked them like, like, What's wrong, and and if if they feel comfortable with you, they would let you know."
In his backstage self, he feels that with people who he feels comfortable with already should already be understanding enough to be able to tell him what's wrong.
I feel that with all of my interviewees, they each had their own understandings of how they should present themselves in their frontstage and backstage. They knew that while on the floor, frontstage, they must be more professional and confront customers in a more positive manner. But in their backstage, at home or comfortable settings, they could let loose and be able to confront those in their backstage in a way they felt fit and not constrained like in their frontstage.
Definition of the Situation
For my word frequency, the most used words were: just (3.18%), like (3.18%), know (3.05), feel (2.54%) and help (2.41%). I felt that out of the top five words, know was probably the one word that stood out to me the most because not everyone knows the definition of the situation. Everyone interprets the situation differently based on their understandings and what they know.
While interviewing, when I asked my interviewees about their roles, I felt that that correlated with their definition of the situation. Not everyone will define it the same and it mainly comes from what they know and what they feel is expected of them in their certain statuses.
B: "My duties, um, are to open and close the store on time every day. Ensure that all the cash in the store is balanced and put away properly. Uh, customer service. Um, processing incoming donations and helping customers find what they need."
"B" stated that as a supervisor, she needed to close the store on time, make sure their cash balance was correct and she needed to have good customer skills. These are all good indicators that as a supervisor, she feels these things are expected of her.
This was her response after I asked her if there were a set of rule that they must follow
B: "I would probably just say, conducting myself in a professional manner, you know, not cursing, setting an example by working with people, not just telling people to do work. I like to be able to be involved."
They are given a set of rules and then they can interpret it however they like and act in a way they see fit according to these rules.
This was "J"'s interpretation of the set of rules they are given,
J: "Um, yeah, here I would say here because and anywhere in your daily life because you know here at work, you know, there's no cellphones, there's no horse playing or music or you know anything. So you gotta be on your, how they say at school, your best behavior. Just follow directions, just work and do as you're told."
So in his interpretation, he has created a definition of situation for him and how he defines the rules. This then allows for him to act in a certain way in which his supervisor who has imposed these rules would expect of him.
I asked "D" what he did daily at work and what a normal day was like,
D: "So daily in the store, for the most part, we clean, keep everything neat, make sure things are presentable. Just make sure the store is looking nice. And we also collect donations. Sometimes we do a little bit of marketing with a standing outside holding the signs trying to get people to come into the store and, and give us a visit. Also, I feel that um and and yeah, for the most part, like I said, keep the store clean."
Also prior to this, he had no knowledge of this organization store and what they did, but as he became a volunteer and began to work with them, he understood the definition in which his co-workers were displaying and so now this is his interpretation of the situation and what he feels they expect of him.
So for the most part, all of the interviewees know how to act and know what's expected of them. They define their definition of the situation in a way that would make things run slowly and also in a way that would make their supervisor see them as good workers. Even though some of them may interpret or perform their roles differently, they understand that they have a shared expectation of how to act in certain situations.
Content Analysis
Framing
For framing, I created a word query and the words that seemed to be most used were: homes (3.19%), community (2.48%), families (1.77%), help (1.77%) and new (1.77%). I felt that these words fit the node very well. The organization is created around the concept of building new homes for families and I felt that with each article, the frame of each was this exact idea. I felt that all of these words were significant to this node.
As I was coding, I noticed a recurring theme in most of my articles: the concept of giving, building and also volunteering. Framing works to categorize what the article is talking about and allows readers to understand what the article will also revolve around.
"Home Organization" gave away its first Fresno home of 2016 Saturday.
Most of the articles in which I analyze start off with something like this quote. This organization is focused on bringing the community by creating homes for the needy and families who can't afford the costs of homes in this rising economy.
It was during a four-month stint in the hospital that 84-year-old Korean War veteran Felix Lopez learned his home was burglarized.
But it's also these types of framing that open up and tell different sides of how the organization has worked for the community. In this quote, you can see that media has provided a hook to get readers into the story. Not only does this type of framing allow for an attention-grabber it also creates a storyline for audiences to interpret.
For Will and Janie Sims it was another day of donating their time and work for a good cause. Repainting the Hinton Community Center, with other volunteers from the Fresno Rescue Mission and "Home Organization". Despite their own struggles to raise seven children, they find time to help their community. But Tuesday, they were rewarded.
Framing also uses emotions to create their messages. In this quote, you can see how the author paints the subjects. He allows readers to see that these people are deserving and hard-working and that they do deserve the home that they will be surprised with. Framing creates a scene either positive or negative and then the audience will then be able to interpret from there.
Typification
For typification, the word frequency found that the most used words were: families (3.23%), new (2.15%), restores (2.15%), use (2.15%) and volunteers (2.15%). I felt that these words were significant to the node. In typification, we would hope that volunteers from this organization would be helping to restore homes and helping families.
In typification, we look at institutions and their workers and we interpret them how we would assume for them to behave.
Volunteers work with the families from the start to build them a home they can call their own. Working to build, rehabilitate and repair homes for needy families.
Volunteers and workers from this Home Organization are expected to hold certain roles and helping to build homes is one of them.
Has served more than 150 families in the past 30 years. That includes the building of new homes and renovations to others. Construction is completed by volunteers, as well as the soon-to-be homeowners.
We know that the company focuses on building homes for needy families and volunteers help to complete the projects, but if one did not know much about the organization, they would not know that families also participate in building the homes too.
"This is, to me, the essence of community—folks coming together to share one thing in community."
By learning more about the organization, we can agree that through the motives and message of the organization, we would expect for the community to be able to come together and work as one.
Claims
For my word frequency, I found that the most used words were: housing (5.31%), families (3.67%), home (3.27%), county (2.45%) and need (2.45%). I also felt that these words were significant to this node. There are many claims that Home Organization does many things for the community and these words are fitting for this node.
Home Organization has done a lot for families not only in the valley but all over the United States.
Home Organization has served more than 150 families in the past 30 years.
This claim states that the organization has been around for the past 30 years and it has served more than 150 families in need. From working with this organization, I have seen the work and deeds that many of these workers and volunteers have performed and I wouldn't deny the claim that the company has helped over 150 families and been around this long.
Home Organization stores, are nonprofit retail outlets owned and operated by Home Organization Fresno County. We offer the local community a unique retailing experience with an ever-changing inventory of new and gently used building materials, sold at discount prices.
This claim states what the company does and what they do for the community. I have witnessed first-hand what this organization does so I can back this claim.
"Many of us take it for granted, but there are 33,000 families in Fresno County that lack affordable housing so this is a game changer. A life changer for the family that will take ownership here."
Then there are these claims that have actual numbers to show the compelling truth for several families.
"In rural communities, the need is extremely great because families are needing to spend so much on their housing they are having to make a tough choice, housing or food, housing or medical supplies,"
This is another statement that claims this organization can help many families with their needs and just how hard it is for families in rural areas to go by in their daily lives. There are persuasive elements in these claims because of the emotional factors. But just because it sounds compelling to some, it may not be true. That's where grounds/warrants/conclusions come in to back up these claims.
Grounds/Warrants/Conclusions
For my word frequency, the most used words were: homes (3.55%), families (3.32%), housing (3.08%), build (2.84%) and communities (1.66%). I felt that these words were significant to both the node and the organization. The grounds/warrants/conclusions focus on trying to persuade or legitimizing the claims of the organization and I feel that these words work to make those claims true.
While the claims made by authors of this organization state that it has been around for many years and has done for the community, the grounds/warrants/conclusions help to prove the claims are correct.
Projects include installing new floors in the bedroom, living room and dining room, doors, windows, a toilet, bathtub and security system; landscaping his yard; and building a wheelchair ramp to replace stairs leading to his house. Lopez now uses a walker and wheelchair to get around.
So not only does the organization work to create homes for people, but they also create livable areas for people who need it. These grounds prove that the claims made about the company are true.
As with all organization homes paid by investing some sweat equity. They learned how to do some construction work and spent 500 hours working with the team building their house. The family will still pay a mortgage though it is typically less than a home of equal size.
In the claims node, I also mentioned that families who are chosen to receive a home must also put in work. In this quote, you can see the claim being proven by stating that families have to put in "sweat equity" in order to receive their homes. Not only is it evidence for that claim but it also shows that families still have to work hard for their homes to indicate that they really do need it.
"This is a way people can do it who don't have the kind of resources that it provides a down payment, they can provide that down payment through their labor."
In my claims section, I highlighted one claim that stated that families in rural areas had to either choose to pay for food or a house payment and I feel that this quote is a ground to that claim. Families use sweat equity as a way to pay back the organization if they are not able to pay for a down payment on the home.
We have seen tremendous positive impact on the communities we serve, from a ripple effect of economic activity to the concrete changes we see, family by family, in health, finances, education, and more.
And in conclusion to those claims, an interview from one of the documents states the positivity they have seen from the works they have conducted.
Role Embracement
For my word frequency, I found that the most used words were: homes (3.27%), families (2.55%), build (1.82%), new (1.82%) and affordable (1.45%). These words are both significant to the node and the organization as they work to create affordable living spaces for families.
With role embracement, people connect with their roles and it affects them greatly. They become so immersed in it that it changes the way they think and act.
"There's so many great organizations and ways for you to give back to your community," "But actually getting inside the new home, getting your hands dirty, getting in there, that's the most rewarding thing."
This volunteer has clearly embraced her role. She has become immersed in her roles as a volunteer and enjoys what she does for the community.
The father of three is contributing what's called Sweat Equity because he's unable to afford a down payment or qualify for a traditional loan. He's putting in hours of work, while learning the construction trade. All of his neighbors on this Southeast Fresno street have done the same.
Families put in sweat equity in order to help pay for their homes down payment. You can see that the father has embraced this role to build his home. By providing him and his family with a home, he has redirected his energy to committing to this work.
"Like anybody else in life, things aren't always perfect and life happened to my family, I was raised in a wonderful household—two loving parents and a great area in Southern California—and all of a sudden, my mom was diagnosed as terminally ill, my dad lost his job three years before retirement, and basically, we went poor trying to keep her alive."
He said that it was through the efforts of his community that he was able to get through these hardships. Now, he tries to apply what he's learned through this experience.
We can see that through this managers hardships, it has led him to want to do this type of work. He has embraced his role as an advocate and face of this organization because of his past experiences and his willingness to help others who are in need.
I feel that within this organization, there is a lot of role embracement. Just like with the managers I worked with while volunteering for this program, you can see that they live and breathe this organization. They are so committed to what they do and have really embraced their roles.
Conclusion
Overall, through my research, I have been able to conclude that this Home Organization is very dedicated to the work that they do. The volunteers and managers take a lot of their time to be able to help the people in need and to create livable spaces for families who need it. I have been very honored to have been a part of their mission and hope to continue to help them strive and grow.
References
Dillon, Michele. 2013. Introduction to Sociological Theory. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Sandstrom, Kent, Daniel Martin, and Gary Alan Fine. 2013. "The Nature and Significance of Self." Symbols, Selves and Social Reality.
Warren, Carol A. B. and Tracy X. Karner. 2014. Discovering Qualitative Methods: Ethnography, Interviews, Documents, and Images. New York: Roxbury Publishing Company.
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