Anonymous
Final Research Paper
California State University, Fresno
Introduction
I observed a local community organization over the course of two weeks to learn how they act amongst one another through their communication and actions. This organization has an umbrella of services, so I particularly observed their tax service program. While doing so, I applied different sociological theories learned over the semester in my Qualitative Methods course here at Fresno State. I performed two weeks of participatory observation with this group. Each week consisted of two days of observations on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My weekly observations were an hour and thirty minutes each. Week one comprised of me taking on a Martian role, whereas week two I took on a convert role. I found that the staff and volunteers of this organization occupy different roles, and different statuses in certain situations. These roles were subject to change in any given definition of the situation at hand.
I interviewed member of the local community organization that I observed. Each person was pleased to participate in the interviews in support of outsiders learning about the services that they provide in their tax program. I was lucky to get the leader of this program to participate in interviews, along with two hands-on staff members and one hands-on volunteer for the program. I couldn't have found better team member to represent this organization's tax program, because they know the most. My interviews were fifteen minutes or more except for one interview that was cut down to eight minutes and fifty seconds due to an interrupting phone call. I was able to get approximately fifty-nine minutes and fifty-five seconds of interviews in all. I applied different concepts learned throughout my experience in Qualitative Research Methods. I found that each person is motivated differently in the program, and but they all agreed that providing free tax services to those in the community who qualifies was a very rewarding experience.
I analyzed sources about the organization that I chose. I was able to gather information from newspaper articles, flyers, pdf files and social media sites. Luckily, I was able to find an abundant amount of information on the organization. The information that I found allowed me to gain insight on the motivation behind their tax services program. I was able to classify the content found under five different theoretical frames which entailed prognostic frame, diagnostic frame, motivational frame, team and outcomes. I found that this organization not only ran independently, but also teamed up with other organizations to successfully complete their main task. Being that they are providing tax services, they must follow guidelines issued to them by the IRS. The growth of the program was a motivational aspect used to encourage those who qualify to receive tax services. All agencies who team up with the organization that I chose to study, all have the same goal in mind.
Literature Review
"Symbolic Interactionism", Chapter 8 in Dillon
Chapter eight covers symbolic interactionism, which highlights Goffman's Impression Management Theory. Goffman recognizes that we play many roles throughout our lives to obtain these impressions. Goffman didn't just identify that we play many roles throughout our lives, but he acknowledges that we play many different roles at any given moment. At any given moment, we aren't just a civilian; at the same time, we may be an employee, a friend, a student, a lover, and a churchgoer. Depending on who we are around and the role we are in, we act differently. We do so because we want to embody the role's title to match its description. It is the simple notion that is at the heart of Goffman's term Impression Management and Dramaturgy, which is the belief that we want to manage the impression that we give to others. Goffman argues that we don't act the way in front of our parents that we do at work, or with friends. In each situation, we want to give off a different impression (Dillon, 2010). With our parents, we want to be polite, loving and responsible. With our friends we want to show that we are relaxed, carefree, and outgoing, whereas, being responsible, professional, and hardworking at work. We also dress to fit our roles. We act and dress accordingly depending on the situation that we're in, to manage or manipulate the impressions that we give to others. We change how we behave to give off an appropriate impression of who we are, or rather who we want others to think we are. At any given moment, we change who we are, and how we behave based on the role we're playing to engage in impression management. All individuals are just actors performing different roles at any given moment, indicating presentation of self.
"The Nature and Significance of the Self" chapter 4 in Symbols Selves
and Social Reality by Kent Sandstrom, Daniel Martin and Gary Alan Fine
In Chapter four Goffman's presentation of self-concept is exemplified through "frontstage" and "backstage". He incorporates the idea that regions or places separate our frontstage and backstage identities. Frontstage is typically the area where people feel compelled to present themselves in expected societal ways (Fine, Martin, and Sandstrom, 2003). For example, people feel obliged to dress in business attire for job interviews, gym attire to workout, or in costumes for Halloween parties and so on. Goffman defines backstage as the area out of the audience's view that permits one to let their guard down and behave in ways that would be inappropriate or unexpected in public or frontstage settings (Fine, Martin, and Sandstorm, 2003). Examples of backstage behavior include not wearing a bra, picking nose, belching, screaming in frustration, etc. Backstage allows us to recoup from the presentations that we put on in our everyday frontstage roles that we occupy in our daily public personas. Places that separate our frontstage and backstage differ based on audience. We are inclined to act differently on a bus or train than we do in the comfort of our own car, because of the privacy that we feel permits us to do so. Goffman also touches theorizes that the degree of our frontstage is based solely on how we feel about those we are presenting ourselves to. Our frontstage is shown more when we are around people we don't know or want to make an impression on. We display our frontstage less with friends and family than we do with strangers, because perhaps they have seen us at our worst. We also have more of a frontstage approach to those that we may like or want to like us. When we put on uniforms, we don't think of ourselves as playing roles. We view this as going to work based on an everyday social expectation.
"Role Taking,
Role Making, and the Coordination of Action"
In chapter five, Role Taking, Role making, and the Coordination of Action, the author analyzes common beliefs shared amongst those in society leading to our ability to naturally take on roles. When determining a situation, importance is placed on the expectations that we share. How everyone else perceives a situation, determines how others view a situation, in turn leading us to take on roles (Fine, Martin, and Sandstrom, 2003). When we take on roles, we act accordingly basing our actions of society's definition of the specific roles. For instance, when children play the game of hide-and-seek, one takes on the role of the "seeker', while all others take on the role of the "hiders". When they are labeled with these roles, they act accordingly based solely on the common shared definition of those roles. When evaluating role taking, we must recognize that definitions of certain roles are not the same for all people in society. The definitions of different roles can differ depending on one's culture, race, gender, religion, etc (Fine, Martin, and Sandstrom, 2003). The role that a dad takes on in white American culture, may differ from the role that a dad takes on in African American culture due to cultural differences. We imagine what a role is supposed to be based on the definitions that have been passed on to us. When conveying role making and coordination of action, our actions are situationally elicited through what Goffman describes as our "frontstage", meaning we publicly act in ways that suit social norms. Role making can be influenced by the roles of others. When we are pulled over by cops, we improvise in a way that suits us to possibly get out of getting a citation. To sway the cop under this circumstance, one would devise a role performance to meet the cop's expectation of them in that moment.
"Black Women's Standpoint Theories" Pp.346-353 in Dillon
Feminist Patricia Hill Collins thoroughly reviewed the standpoint of African American women who have been oppressed and defined by their lack of structured power. Of these reviews she theorizes the complexity of controlling images. This theory underlines the repercussions images have had on African American women due to lack of positive representation. These controlling images have stifled the roles of black women by limiting them to roles such as the role that of the stereotypical mammies, matriarchs, welfare recipients, and hot mommas (Dillon, 2010). The stereotypical mammie role is one example that sends the message of inferiority as African American women are portrayed to serve white families more so than their own. A classic illustration of this is characterized in the movie Gone with the Wind through Hattie McDaniel's role as "Mammy". These negative images strip power from African American women leaving no ability to truly define themselves. Instead, the elite class consisting primarily of white men produce such images to maintain control of social roles between various races. This distortion of the complex diversity of African American women has not gone unattested through Collin's explanation of black feminist thought. Black feminist thought is produced by black women who voice their experiences with oppression. This thought is unique, when compared to the knowledge of white women who also faced a different variance of oppression due to their social status. The complexity of black feminist thought is identified through a multitude of racially dominant systems used to oppress African Americans such as colonialism, imperialism, slavery, and apartheid. Black women possess Afrocentric and feminist standpoints that allow them to be the sole creators as no one else can truthfully recollect their exclusive experiences. Black feminist thought fosters resistance among black women who use Afrocentric and feminist thoughts to fight oppression such as controlled images.
"Marx: Ideology and Power" Pp.63-69 in Dillon
Karl Marx's concept of Ideology emphasized material-social existence in determining what we would consider normal within everyday life. What an individual may experience during their everyday activities within society feeds the concept of normality that drives an economy. Capitalist societies consist of individuals that normalize ideas that already exist. A businessman for example does not just decide to start their own business solely based on a new idea. He decides to start his own business due to everyday existence, based on what he already knows. Ideology and its power acts as a compass that keeps people within society from making unreasonable decisions. Social existence and associated experiences are primary factors to making appropriate decisions based on ruling out the normalcy of our ideas (Dillon, 2010). Marx highlights the specific ideology of consumption, and its important place within our existence as consumers within a capitalist society. Consumption is what is real to us and consists of what we can perceive such as a new pair of shoes, or a ticket to see a movie. Consumption feeds capitalism through this reality of material-social existence (Dillon, 2010). Consumption is enjoyable and valued by consumers who back capitalist societies. Marx identifies commodities by their value to people within society, but there is limited recognition of what commodities are in their perspectives. Fetishism of commodities is what Marx calls the perception of a commodity as an object (Dillon, 2010). There is limited ideation of what is needed to produce commodities, but this is how the production of objects is linked to consumption. Without the production of objects there would be no basis for consumption. Marx recognizes how our social existence revolves around capitalism, and our freedom to shop. This freedom is the reason we consciously choose to objectify ourselves to the physical, and social needs of consumption that rules our existence (Dillon, 2010).
Methods
Ethnography
The text described ethnographic research as the interaction through primarily talking with people within a setting (Karner and Warren, 2014). The setting is referred to as an entrée and should be the first task on the agenda for an individual interested in ethnographic research. Considerations should be taken since choosing a setting is not a simple task. If a researcher has the option to choose their setting, they should look for a flexible setting. A flexible setting will aid in the person's ability to successfully conduct research. Examples of flexibility within a setting include public versus private, or large versus small areas to research. A bus stop or a court room are examples of public, and somewhat isolated areas that can be accessible to a researcher. Geographical location is important when considering accessibility of a setting. A setting that is geographically close in proximity will be easily accessible and reduce costs such as travel for an individual conducting research. Costs is another aspect of ethnographic research that must be taken into consideration. The costs associated with ethnographic research can range from financial, time, and emotional. Financial costs include travel expenses to a setting, and any fixed-dollar amount an individual must pay to conduct research. There may be certain situations in which a researcher may have to pay for interaction in a private setting. The setting a researcher chooses may additionally involve a greater time commitment. The text entails the amount of time sociologists may need to commit to studying an entire village. There would need to be an investment of a greater amount of time for these individuals to learn and adapt to the culture of the village being researched (Karner and Warren, 2014). Finally, the emotional cost that comes with ethnographic research can potentially affect the self-esteem of researchers who may be subjected to tough circumstances. There are many factors that contribute to the selection of a setting for ethnographic research.
Interview
The text describes research interviewing as a qualitative method in which an interviewer drives a social interaction with an interviewee to gain information (Karner and Warren, 2014). This social interaction is a continuous process with an intention of stimulating responses that will act as a source of data. The interview process is dependent on the interaction of the interviewer and the respondent. The qualities of an interviewer must be taken in consideration if an individual is recruiting for interviewers. A person's physical aspects such as age, gender, and appearance could affect the facilitation of an interview (Karner and Warren, 2014). Developing rapport with a respondent is key to gaining their trust and allowing ease of a truthful conversation. A comfortable and truthful respondent will aid the interviewer in gathering data and any additional information. Qualitative interviews are usually guided by open-ended questions that lead respondents to certain topics which are beneficial to the research being conducted. An open-ended question format limits the exposure of topics that respondents may not be comfortable with, but keeps their answers truthful (Karner and Warren, 2014). The interviewer's elicitation of information from the respondent must be monitored to encourage participation. The possession of good nonverbal skills and the ability to encourage respondents through clarifying statements is vital to building rapport and a successful interview. The transcription of an interview is an important aspect that makes it a necessity to record interviews using audiotape equipment. Recorded interviews are transcribed by researchers who must carefully analyze and document all that is said during the interview. This allows the interviewer to critique their performance while also ensuring knowledge of how their questions shaped the respondent's answers (Karner and Warren, 2014). Once an interview is complete many interviewers like to de-brief their respondents. De-briefing relieves any tension accompanied with respondents being open about personal experiences.
Content Analysis
Content analysis entails analyzing content that covers the organization of study. Although face-to-face interviewing is helpful, analyzing public documents helps you see the organization from a public perspective. Public documents include social media pages, news articles, YouTube videos, magazines, historical documents, fliers etc. (Karner and Warren, 2014). Data such as online reviews help us gain insight of experiences people have had with the organization of interest. We are then able to understand the meaning behind the purpose of the organization. For example, if you're studying an organization that provides services such as free tax services, then someone's experience with the organization would be posted through a review. Their experience can translate into meaning by means of them telling us how the organization may have affected them negatively, or positively. Analyzing fliers can also be an example of content analysis. When we look at fliers, we search for meanings such as grounds, warrants and conclusions. Historical documents provide agency using background information. This is important because background information sets the agency apart from other organizations by informing us on the capacity in which the agency is ran individually. Content analysis helps us as researchers by providing us with answers to questions that interviews may not give us. When interviewing we can answer questions from people who participate and are involved in the organization. It is through content analysis that we can analyze the results that are put out by the organization and observe the reactions to those outcomes from people who are served by the organization. Overall, content analysis is an evaluation of public data to examine patterns in the content produced.
Ethnography Methods
I observed this local community organization over the course of two weeks. This comprised of me taking on two different roles, while maintaining my status as a researcher. My role in week one was the role of a Martian. In this role, I was able to sit back and observe the roles and actions of others as an outsider. I wrote out field notes during and after activities were completed throughout the week. My role in week two was the role of a convert. In this role, I was able to involve myself in participatory observation. By doing this, I was able to ask questions, answer questions, and carry out tasks along with the rest of the members of the group. Balancing my roles as both a Martian and a convert allowed me to achieve the best results possible. This allowed me to see everyone's statuses and roles within the organization from different perspectives, while probing for meaningful action through observation.
I was informed by the group's supervisor beforehand by phone that there would be a three-day tax training this week for members of the organization's tax service program. My first observation was completed at a scheduled tax training held at the organization's recreational Center at a local park. This training was held on Tuesday, October 30th, from 2:30p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On the first day during the first week of my research, I observed from 2:30 to 3:55. For fifteen minutes at a time with twenty-minute breaks in between. Training was also held on Thursday November 1st, for a third day. On the second day, I observed from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for fifteen minutes at a time with twenty minutes between each set of fifteen minutes also. This allowed me to collect fifteen minutes of observation without overwhelming myself with too much information and catch up on my notes for twenty minutes in between.
On the second week, the group and I participated the hands-on preparation for the tax program. During this time, we prepared to provide upcoming tax services to those in the local community. I attended the first and third days of hands-on tax preparation training held on Tuesday, November 6th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00, and Thursday, November 8th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On Tuesday, I took part in participatory observation from 4:00 p.m. to 5:25 p.m. On Thursday, I took part in participatory observation from 4:30 p.m. to 5:55 p.m. I took the same twenty-minute breaks in week two as I did in week one.
Unlike the first week, I took on the convert role by becoming the "outreach coordinator" for this organization. According to this position, I was to be the link between the group, and the people that the group aimed to assist. I completed this task by reaching out to past consumers of this organization's services who qualified.
There was a total of three staff members, and five volunteers in this group. While observing from both the Martian and Convert roles, I was able to focus on thick description, and different theories. Majority of my observation from week one contained thick description. Week two primarily consisted of theory-based observations. The theories that I focused on were meaningful action, front-stage/back-stage, interaction rituals, definition of the situation and thick description.
How I used NVivo
I ran a text search query and a word frequency query in NVivo. I used the word frequency query to view the most dominant words in my data. With this information, I was able to create a word cloud. The word cloud gave me a visual of my research. I used the text search query to view occurrence of my top five words from my word frequency query. I then grouped them with stemmed words by dragging the grouping arrow from exact matches to with stemmed words. I identified the top five words used by their percentages. My top five words were wearing (1.60%), notice (1.52%), staff (1.45%), day (1.37%), and member (1.37%). With these top words, I was able to help others theorize the professional atmosphere of the organization without them having to visit.
Overall, my data collection process was successful. I was able to gain useful information to apply to my theories. I was able to get to know this group and how they operate the tax aspect of their organization. I normally work with this same group in their youth services program for the summer and after school, so it was interesting seeing everyone take on a different professional role. I was able to meet new people, being that the tax program has a different demographic of volunteers than their youth program does also. The volunteers of the tax program tend to be older than those who volunteer in youth services. The group was very delighted to participate in helping me collect my data, because it helps them make their organization known more. NVivo's analysis was very helpful in providing me with a better understanding of meaning using queries, and its word cloud.
Interview Methods
I conducted four interviews from the supervisor, two staff members (staff member 1 and staff member 2), and one volunteer. I was able to obtain my interviewees using purposive sampling. This was helpful, because I was able to select the people I wanted to interview solely based on my research. This gave me control over having the best respondents for my study, since they have the most knowledge about the program within the organization. Prior to conducting my interviews with members of this organization, I collected some background information of the many roles their tax program. I was able to do this by conducting my own research about the many rules and procedures that I observed. I also took what I learned in participant observation and applied it to the types of questions that I wanted to ask each person individually. Through these interviews, I was able to identify the importance of the roles each person took on to provide their unique skills or characteristics to the team. While conducting these interviews, I looked for forms of meaningful action, front-stage/back-stage, team, social roles and setting.
Before conducting my interviews, I prepped my interviewees two days before by giving them a print out of the questions that they could expect me to ask. This was helpful for them, because some were nervous on how to answer them. Doing this gave them time to figure out how they wanted to answer them. I informed them the day that I gave them the questions to try to be as anonymous as possible, since I wanted to protect the anonymity of the organization. This was also helpful for me, because it made my interviews go smoother. The day of the interviews, I took each respondent into the office located in the building where the program took place and informed them once again what I would be interviewing them about and gave each of them an interview consent form to sign. I then made copies of the signed consent forms, and gave them one, then I started their personalized interviews.
I conducted my interviews using my Voice Memos app on my phone. This was very convenient for me, because I was able to then download the Transcribe app and utilize it to transcribe my interviews. For the most part, my transcriptions were accurate, but just to be safe, I listened to the voice recordings, and read the transcriptions carefully to fix any corrections that needed to be made. I then arranged the transcriptions of my four interviews into written interview format. I then stored my voice recordings into my box.
How I Used Nvivo
I started using Nvivo by first importing my transcripts and running my queries. I then pulled up my paper in the Nvivo and coded eleven different nodes. The nodes that I coded fell under these key concepts of symbolic interactionism: definition of the situation, front-stage/back-stage, impression management, interaction rituals, meaningful action, segregated audiences, social roles, status, stigmas, team and setting. After I finished coding, I chose five of these nodes to represent in my paper, which were setting, thick description, front-stage/back-stage, social roles, team and meaningful action. I chose these nodes, because they show the strongest representation in my interviews.
I ran a text search query and a word frequency query in NVivo. I used the word frequency query to view the most dominant words in my data. With this information, I was able to create a word cloud. The word cloud gave me a visual of my research. I used the text search query to view occurrence of my top five words from my word frequency query. I then grouped them with stemmed words by dragging the grouping arrow from exact matches to with stemmed words. I identified the top five words used by their percentages. My top six words were people (2.53%), like (2.49%), know (2.47%), tax (2.01%), get (1.66%), and working (1.64).
Overall, I was able to conduct my interviews successfully. I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the processes I originally observed within the group. The roles in this program were exhibited through the knowledge that each member demonstrated throughout the interview process. I was able to accurately place the group members in a hierarchy based on the information that they gave me on the status that they hold and roles that they carry out. They were able to describe the program from their different perspectives and give me insight of the way they operate as a team. The group was helpful in participating in the personalized interviews that I created for them, and this reassured my concern. NVivo's analysis was helpful in helping me organize my nodes and providing a visual representation of my data collected by producing a word cloud.
Content Analysis Methods
I went to this organization's website to collect the basic information on the purpose of this organization. Their website led me to all other social media platforms that belong to them. The first website that I went to was Facebook, which mainly contained flyers pertaining to the start of their tax service program for the upcoming tax season. Each flyer contained links that led me to news articles, and other flyers. The flyers were very useful for different demographics because the information was printed in both English and Spanish.
I was able to go back to the website and find links to different news articles that gave me better insight on what the tax services program provided individuals within the community. I explored additional links that promoted how the program was free and listed everything someone would need to receive services from the program. Upon further research, there were multiple webpages following a similar format. The webpages included information on the amount of years the tax services have been provided, and how much of an impact it has made within the community. Many of the sources noted that the services were provided in many places throughout the community. This could be their solution to accessibility issues. Information provided notes that the tax services are only provided to low-income individuals, which is why I concluded that there may be issues with accessibility.
How I Used Nvivo
I used Nvivo by first utilizing its Ncapture function. I googled different news articles on my organization of study and captured each source individually with this tool. I couldn't capture social media sites, because it kept saying that I needed to have permission to do so. I could not find a way around this issue, and the professor wasn't around for help. Luckily, I was able to find news articles and links from the main website of the organization.
After finding my sources, I opened Nvivo, and imported my files from Ncapture. I was able to find thirty-one files to import. Immediately after importing my sources, I ran a word frequency query. My top five words were taxes (2.74%), vita (1.07%), volunteer (1.03%), income (0.98%) and return (0.93%). I also ran some text search queries to apply new nodes with the words that I found in my word frequency query. From there, I coded the information in my files into multiple nodes. These nodes included Motivation, agency, region, prognosis, statuses and more.
Ethnography Analysis
Thick Description
My first observation was at a local recreational center during a scheduled tax preparation training. The training was held from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. In my field notes, I thoroughly described the surroundings of the park in which the organization was located. In my notes, I stated,
"I am walking further down the cracked and weathered sidewalk where there is an intact splash pad that has recently wet the cement below. I recognize this by the damp trails leading to the draining holes. The surrounding picnic tables and benches are extremely weathered and in bad condition, as well as two full sized basketball courts past the splash pad and playground. The four rims of the courts are bent, and only two of them possess tattered plastic nets."
This description included details about how the sidewalk looked along with the equipment in the park. I went on to describe the conditions of the equipment by using logic such as the damp trails that led into the draining holes. This quote gives you a feel of the outside environment surrounding the building.
My second quote that entails thick description encompasses the appearance of the supervisor. In this description, I talk about his attire and physical features. His appearance set the tone for his position within the organization.
"He is wearing a pair of khaki pants with a short sleeve button down. His shirt is a solid navy color. I noticed as he got closer to me, that there were small white dots all over his shirt. He is also sporting dark brown dress shoes with no distinct pattern. His hair is dark brown and is about four to five inches long all around."
With this description, the reader can picture the supervisor of this organization and would have been able to point him out by his attire. This illustrates a professional quality about his character. Through this quote one can visualize the population that this organization aims to serve.
My third quote emphasizes the appearance of the first staff member. I pointed out that she wore a Fresno State shirt to humanize her. With this humanizing characteristic I can connect the reader to the idea that this organization serves normal everyday people. I then go on to point out her nails to hint at her feminine personality. This quotes states,
"This staff member is Hispanic with long straight brown hair in a ponytail. She is wearing a red Fresno State t-shirt that reads "Bulldog Born, Bulldog Bred" written in blue with white outline on the lettering. Her shirt also has a Victor E. bulldog in the center of it in a powerful stance. I notice that she also has her nails done with acrylic, and they are painted a light brown color. I assume this is because it is Fall, and she wants to give off the Fall vibe. She could also be wearing this color because it is her favorite color, or perhaps she got this color to match her outfit when she first got them done for an event."
This quote gives you a general feel for the second staff member's position in this organization. Unlike the supervisor, she was dressed more casually. This attire helps the staff member connect to the customers on a trusting level.
Definition of the Situation: Cues
These quotes underline the meaning of the circumstances. My first quote describes a moment when I showed a welcoming sign leading to the first two staff members to feel invited. It was as if my speaking back led them to sit next to me and spark up a conversation. My first quote states,
"They both said "hi" to me happily, and we all sit down and talk at the same table I was sitting and talking to the supervisor. They both seem to have the same definition of the situation as one another. They saw me saying "hi" back to them as an invite to sit with me. I inform them that I am observing, and they are intrigued by it."
In this situation, when I was greeted, I greeted the first and second staff member back. This signaling gesture is culturally normal behavior. When someone speaks to you, you speak back, or it could be considered rude.
My second quote I verbalize that the first volunteer signed in on the volunteer sheet. This is important when describing the definition of the situation, because his title as a volunteer permitted him to carry out this task. This sheet defined the situation to which he has adapted to.
"He signs in as a volunteer for the tax program. As he's signing the sign-in sheet, the supervisor comes out of his office to greet him. As he is greeting him, a wave of five more people walks into the building."
My second quote allowed me to emphasize on the definition of the situation in which a task must be carried out. In other words, it helped me define a role based on the circumstance.
My third quote talks about a social cue that defined the reactions of others. When the supervisor walked to the front of the room and raised his arms, everyone became quiet. This is because he is in charge, and his role as the supervisor permitted him to demand their attention.
"The supervisor is walking to the front of the room, and slightly raises both of his hands and everyone immediately puts their attention on him. I assume he does this because he is short, and no one noticed him when he first walked there, and stood for a couple of seconds before his gesture."
With this quote I was able to show how the supervisor's hand gesture was a symbol. This symbol cued silence amongst the listeners, in turn creating an effective working environment.
Meaningful Action
Goffman's idea of meaningful action is displayed in this section. This data describes observational occurrences of this idea within this organization. The staff and the volunteers carried out actions that produced different meanings.
"When she is done conversing with me, she then goes to the first staff member and repeats the same thing she does with me. I notice the first staff member getting uncomfortable, and slowly trying to get away from her."
With my first quote, meaningful action is exhibited through the first staff member's reaction to the fourth volunteer's aggressive behavior. This behavior was brought on by her being uncomfortable. The meaning that the first staff member gave her uncomfortable, was a reaction to the behavior of the fourth volunteer.
My second quote demonstrated meaningful action through the observance of reaction of the supervisor to the older volunteers.
"When the supervisor told the older people how to do something, they ended up doing it their own way most of the time, causing confusion and frustration. The supervisor gets stressed when he must reiterate the rules over and over, and this causes the training to carry on longer than planned."
The supervisor is telling people to do something (to take action). This doesn't always go as he wants or plans. The supervisor then gets frustrated, and confuses others who are being trained. This means enough for him to feel some type of way about the actions of the older volunteers.
The date presented in my third quote covers meaningful action through a conversation I had with the supervisor. I find this meaningful because it seems the supervisor was very connected or wanted to be connected to his community.
"I asked the supervisor about the white male outside, and he informed me that the man was homeless. As he informed me about the background of this gentleman, I notice that the supervisor has heavy involvement in the community. He made it his business to know everything about everyone in the community. He also informed me that he wanted to become more involved in the community. I conversed with him on why he might have felt this way. I asked him "Do you feel like you're not growing where you are anymore?" He then replied, "That's exactly how I feel." He may have felt this way because his job has gotten repetitive. He could have also felt this way because he has been in his comfort zone for the past couple of years, and there's no growth in the comfort zone."
It seemed like him being involved in his community was meaningful to him to some extent. By the observations he makes and the words that he said. Community service can be meaningful for people. It can affect the people doing it, but also the people who are being serviced by it.
Front-Stage/Back-Stage
Goffman coined the terms front-stage and back-stage to describe how we act in public versus in private. Our behavior in our back-stage setting is usually relaxed, and we do things that we wouldn't normally do in public. The things we do in public is considered our front-stage behavior, and socially acceptable. The things we do in our front-stage setting is to make a good impression on others.
"As I was doing my participatory observation, I observe how everyone had taken on their own roles in the positions that they were assigned. The first and second staff member took on the same roles as mine, except the first staff member was taking calls for appointments from those who qualified for the tax services in the community, while the second staff member was making calls to previous clients who received services from this organization the previous year."
In my first quote, I described how people worked in their public working roles. Everyone worked diligently, as they carried out their tasks for their designated positions. This demonstrated how everyone worked in their front-stage setting.
My second quote illustrates the supervisor in both the front-stage and back-stage setting. He was very professional, and work oriented in his front-stage setting. When he went to make a call to his wife, he entered his back-stage setting. He did this by going into his office and shutting the door to get privacy.
"He went over what I missed and informed me that he would be training for the second part of the tax program. After he tells me about this, he informs me that he needs to call his wife and goes to his office and finishes up stuff on his computer. While he does this, he closed the door to make a private call."
We do in our back-stage setting is predominantly private. The supervisor was obviously talking about something that was meant to be between he and his wife, and not the public.
My third quote covers the fourth volunteer for the tax program, and her front-stage role. It is evident that she is in a back-stage role by the way she speaks to everyone about her personal self. She is trying to get to know people by telling them about her personal life. In this quote I state,
"She tells me that she is from the area, and she has lived here her whole life. She also goes on to tell me about her family dynamics. When she is done conversing with me, she then goes to the first staff member and repeats the same thing she does with me. I notice the first staff member getting uncomfortable, and slowly trying to get away from her."
She was playing the role of a possible friend rather than an employee. This quote exemplifies Goffman's idea of back-stage. The fourth volunteer carried out back-stage conversations in a front-stage setting. As this volunteer continues to speak to other people, she made them uncomfortable, hence the abnormality of her back-stage attitude in a front-stage environment.
Interaction Rituals: Encounters
In this section, I produce evidence of interaction rituals. Goffman believes that everyday life is composed of rituals. He states that the ritual is "accomplished through doings – through making appearances… performing gestures (Dillon, 2013). My quotes in this section covers the encounters observed within my organization in their interaction rituals.
"The supervisor confidently introduced himself and instructed me on my role within the process. I could tell that he had directed the program many times before, but he was accompanied by three other staff members that seemed to focus on ensuring they were contributing the program's success."
My first quote details an introduction from the supervisor of the organization to me. His encounter with me was based on the idea that I knew nothing of the program, hence his instruction on the role that I would play. I theorized that he had done before due to his confidence in our interaction. This interaction with different people seemed repetitive to him. It was like he had instructional lines memorized in his head.
My second data sample comes from a quote that covers the interaction between the second volunteer and the supervisor. This interaction entails the working friendship between the two. This is an example of an interaction ritual, because He asked her about how her classes for the semester was going, and I could tell this was something that had been spoken about between the two before.
"She greets the supervisor and I can tell they have previously been acquainted as the supervisor asks about certain aspects of her life. The supervisor asks specifically about her education and how many more classes she must take before she graduates."
We culturally engage in conversation with people we know by asking them about aspects of their lives when we want to catch. This interaction ritual is often displayed when we are well acquainted with people.
My third quote covers an interaction ritual through the form of a gesture. It also shows a verbal interaction ritual through a greeting. Being that the Hispanic man opened the door for me, this reflects society's ritual in manners.
"When I went to put my phone back in my back pocket, the Hispanic man was walking towards the building, at the same time as me, and he said "Hi", and opened the door for me. I thanked him for his nice gesture as I entered the building."
Men are often taught to open doors for women, and people are taught to speak when they see someone, or it could be awkward. This encounter sets the attitude for greeting a stranger. It gives a good first impression to those you may not know.
Interview Analysis
Setting
My first analysis covers setting. In my first quote taken from the interview of "staff member 1", I ask about the different description within the program, and this staff member described them all to me by saying,
"Yeah. So, uh, I'll start with the intake person. The intake person basically, she has the form which asked several questions about that specific person's, you know, work all of the things that they do and whichever basically how do I explain it? Basically, whatever they get money from and all of their forms, she prepares all of the forms for them. And then she also takes their ID, and social security, and she prepares it for the tax preparer and uhh.. Yeah, she basically is the person that prepares them for the tax preparer. And then we have a greeter. Um who basically settles the family to each table and make sure that everything is everybody has her asked their questions. The tax preparer is the person that's on the laptop and filling out all the information. She's the one or he.. she or he is the one that and imports all of the information and make sure that every form is entered correctly, and then we also have a quality review, which is also another tax preparer."
In this description, the staff member describes the roles of the tax preparer, intake person and greeter. This description gives me a clear understanding of the roles that each person plays, and exactly how they carry out these roles. With this description, I can visualize the program as a group of interrelated parts that works together to accomplish their main task.
My second quote was pulled from interview conducted on the selected volunteer. In this description, the volunteer describes a typical work day from his perspective. He starts off by telling me how he stars his days by breaking the ice. He covers how the group typically huddles before the work day officially begins to go over tasks scheduled for the day.
"Typical work days.. coming in, sitting down, greeting everyone. Letting them know you know how you know the afternoons were kind of breaking the ice. Every day is a new challenge. New things come in. We usually have a little group huddle talking about what the task for today, the people we have coming in. How many appointments we have. Things of that nature, and then from there on, people coming in, this is kind of individualize. So, I greet people. I get their and intake form completed. So, when the day starts, kind of, I saved myself that other people in the group of the volunteers and staff members. I start working on the individual people coming in, and from there it's just taking the information and relaying it to the other staff who are really hard at work on getting things done. So, from there it kind of just goes through. We get our things completed and go home."
This quote examines the energy of the environment as a greeter which was his position. He talks about how each greeting is individualized based on the person. His description also gives off a repetitive atmosphere to the work days as a volunteer. He covers his typical workday from start to finish, apart from an unusual work day.
My third quote examines the training for the tax program. I asked the supervisor about the actions that he may take in regard to retaining volunteers for the program who may get overwhelmed by the extensive training. He replied by stating,
"So, the first year of my training I kind of tried to teach it like a college classroom. A lot of power points and tax law. It didn't go so well. So last year I ended up training them more hands on. So, we kind of went over tax law, but very briefly just a minimum uh minimum amount to get by. And then we went directly into tax returns. So last year I had them do about twenty tax returns before they actually took any of the tests, and they all got progressively harder. I, there is already about six to eight hours predesignated through the tax system, and then I created another ten or twelve of them um then they progress, or they just got easier, and so once they got used to learning how to input the stuff into the system, and learning the system they're able to um, they built their confidence over the three days."
This quote covers the description of the history of training for the tax program. The supervisor describes why retaining volunteers in the past didn't work because he loaded the volunteers with a lot of information through PowerPoints and tax law. He ten goes on to express how this method didn't necessarily work, so he then turned to a more hands-on training. The hands-on training involves brief teaching about tax law, and the volunteers went directly to practicing, and taking tests. He talks about the time he puts into the trainings, and the time it typically takes for the volunteers to progress. In the end, he talks about how successfully completing made the volunteers feel. This shows the hard work that must be put into providing the services, in order to succeed.
Front Stage/Backstage
Front-stage is defined as who we are when we are in public, and back-stage is defined as who we are when we are somewhere private. How we act in public is to impress others, to fit what society describes as "normal", and it's carried out in our front-stage behaviors. We tend to act out of society's norms in our back-stage roles, such as unwinding after a long work day. In this section, I analyzed the different instances of front-stage and back-stage. In my first quote, I asked the volunteer, "How do you separate your work life from your home life?" The interviewee responded with,
"Once I leave work, that's all. That stays there. It does not come home. Um when I walk out that door, nothing from work comes with me. The experiences, the problems. Um Every now and then I might tell story at home. You know, about what happened, how my day was try to keep it more positive, because when I get home, I've got to focus on other things."
This quote incorporates back-stage. The volunteer speaks on how he doesn't bring work-related incidents into his home life. He does this by emphasizing on the idea that when he gets home, he must focus on other things that aren't work-related. Sometimes he may tell a story at home, but for the most part, he keeps his work life and home life separate.
My second quote highlights the boundaries that the volunteer sets between he and his clients in the tax program. He speaks on his experience when conversing with clients, and the importance of not getting too close to them.
"Definitely there's a boundary there. We could talk about experiences and things we've done, but when it comes to "hey, uh, let's go hang out" or "Let's get a drink after this" uhh you can't cross that boundary there. You got to to keep it on a professional level. Like I said, you can swap stories and have a good time and uh make them feel comfortable but don't go too far over that boundary."
The volunteer understands that there is a level professionalism he must follow in order to successfully complete the program. He gives an example of possible hanging out with a client after work, and he acknowledges that it is unethical. This action from him demonstrates his front-stage role in the workplace. He recognizes that he swaps stories to make the client comfortable with him handling such sensitive information, but he doesn't cross the boundary of ethics. He must always stay in his front-stage role.
My final quote examining front-stage/back-state stems from the back-stage role of "staff member 2." In this quote, this employee discusses how her job can get a little overwhelming due to the emotional work. This staff member touches on the importance of not bringing their anger (back-stage role) to work.
"Oh, my goodness. That is sometimes hard, because this could be really emotional work. And so, it's sometimes really hard not to bring home the anger you feel when you hear these stories like… And so, what I do, and this sounds wild, but what I do is like before I walk in the door of my home, I always, like, take a minute and I like, like, push it out like I breathe like, okay, like you're home now. Like it's gone like there's nothing you could do about that right now."
"Staff member 2" talks about how she handles managing her front-stage roles when they here certain stories. This employee talks about the ways she decompresses before entering her home. I noticed how she exhibits her front-stage role while she's not only at work, but at home also. This could be because she may live with someone, so she also must re-enter her front-stage role when she steps into her home. She uses her time in-between her work and home to enter her back-stage role.
Status: Social Roles
Social roles are the roles we take on to fit society's description of that role. Each role that we play possess meanings and have responsibilities attached to them. In the organization that I studied, each person held different roles, but some held the same roles. With these roles came specific tasks that were to be carried out based upon their job title (status). In my first quote, the supervisor describes what his role means to the tax program.
"I'm fully responsible for coordinating everything from securing the site locations coordinating the days and times and we do it by appointments to so setting up the appointment structure. Um I'm responsible for uh pretty much everything that goes on from doing the intakes, making sure people have the right certifications to the tax returns, to uh doing the quality review and the tax returns, or making sure staffs capable of doing that and volunteers and then also sending off the tax returns and e-filing the returns."
In this quote, the supervisor educates me on the responsibilities attached to his job title. His role as a supervisor required his to oversee the tax program by coordinating the schedule for the services provided. He discusses how his role makes him responsible for everything running accordingly. Without his role, the other roles subordinate to his role could not function. His role guides all the others in the program.
My second quote analyzes how he must act as a supervisor when dealing with customers. His role is to be a leader in all situations regarding services provided by the program. I asked him about the different traits he must exhibit when going from one program to the next, since he also runs the youth services program. In his response he states,
"And so um just the way you handle situations, even just the you know, if you're comparing when a customer is disgruntled or angry or upset, you know um it's different it's more of listening to the adult and hearing them out and then um really just trying to calm them down and, and make them uh happy and then with the child its uh is normally when they get mad, it's more on the disciplinary side. So, it's just being able, to um it's just talking to them different, the way you communicate differently with them. So, that's one of the big differences."
It is evident that he is required be more knowledgeable than those working under his supervision, so his role is to have all the information that clients request. This quote shows how his role as a supervisor holds the ultimate verdict. His status attached to the roles that he must carry out permits him to do so. He compares how his role as a supervisor in both programs that he runs different. His role as a supervisor in the tax program requires him to be straightforward when there is a disgruntled adult. His role as a recreational supervisor in youth services requires him to discipline when a child is disgruntled.
My third quote displays the social role carried out by the volunteer of the tax program. His status as a greeter makes him responsible for making those entering the program feel welcomed. His status is also an intake person. This makes him responsible for getting the client's form filled out with all their tax information.
"So, I greet people. I get their and intake form completed. So, when the day starts, kind of, I saved myself that other people in the group of the volunteers and staff members. I start working on the individual people coming in, and from there it's just taking the information and relaying it to the other staff who are really hard at work on getting things done. So, from there it kind of just goes through. We get our things completed and go home."
In this quote, the volunteer highlights his responsibility of completing the intake forms and relaying the information to the tax preparer. Because it is his responsibility to have the intake forms filled out, he must also make the clients feel comfortable enough to trust him with such sensitive information provided on the intake forms. He must take on the role of a welcoming person based on his job description (status), in order to complete the task at hand.
Team
Goffman talks about how a team performance must be managed. He discusses how team performance is managed when a group of people put on a harmonious front in order to complete a task at hand. Throughout my interviews, I was able to touch on how the organization works as a team. In my interview with the supervisor, I touched on teamwork by asking the supervisor how they worked as a team. He responded,
"So, teamwork is a big thing for the tax program. I work with volunteers and staff. Most, even though I do train them, a lot of them have been doing taxes for a lot longer than I've been doing it, and so some of our senior tax repairers, you know, well, when we have a hard one or when I have a hard problem maybe some of the new ones or even some of the senior ones you all kind of just come together, look at our resource book, look stuff up online and kind of just collaborate and how we interpret the tax law or how were interpreting this situation and just kind of work together and put our heads together and we figure out the solution together."
In this quote, the supervisor breaks down how everyone works as a team. Apart of working as a team, entails impression management. The supervisor talks about how he trains his employees, but sometimes training isn't enough when a big enough problem arises. In this instance, the team must come together to come up with a solution to whatever questions need answers. This is an example of a team putting on a front to have the knowledge to take on the task to complete the program.
My second quote taken from the interview of the volunteer, involves teamwork through his expectations of the staff members that he works with. He validates his expectations by touching on the professionalism that he expects this team to exhibit, since this organization incorporates this aspect in their core beliefs.
"Well I expect them, you know, to answer my questions. Um basically, if have a problem to help me out um. And there's no there's no problem with them doing that. It's been a really good environment, um just like all around professionalism. Uh... kind of trumps any kind of issues that may come up. So, we work good as a cohesive team in the unit. Um yeah"
He relies on the other staff members to help him function, in order for the team to serve their clients together cohesively.
My third quote assesses the support received by the team from the second staff member's perspective. She covers how those around her work as a team to teach her how to do taxes. She relies on her team members to educate her, so that they can in turn rely on her to become an asset to them.
"Their support is wonderful. I love the way that they have always supported me is, you know, they're doing their best to educate me, but they let me do things on my own. And you're definitely not hovering like my bossy you know is not a hoverer, but he's never upset when you ask a question because I, you know, texted him you know like… like he's always very patient with me. So even when you asked him same question like thirty five times, which I try not to do, he always answers it like nicely and warmly, and he's always willing to help."
This form of teamwork is shown through the help provided to best serve members of the community. When her boss is not hovering over her as she is learning, the team is able to manage the impression that everyone is familiar in what they are doing, which makes the client confident in the services provided to them.
Meaningful Action
Goffman's idea of meaningful action is determined by the meaning that we give our action, and how our actions are a reaction to someone else. I was able to recognize different forms of meaningful action while interviewing my subjects. In my first example, this concept was shown in the action of the volunteer choosing to volunteer for the tax program.
"Definitely just the reactions, the gratitude from people who really have no other way to get this done. And they understand how critical it is to have this done correctly. The tax program and their taxes, because if they don't like, it could put them in jail eventually. Um it could cause a lot of issues. So just that gratitude and experiences from people that I meet and how they reacted, how they thanked me. That's why I could take, that's what I'd like to take from it, and what keeps me going."
After asking him about some of the experiences that may have stuck with him over the program, he replied by pointing out the gratitude received from the clients of the program. When the people are thankful for the services, it motivates him to provide the services. His actions carried out within the organization means a lot to him, because he can witness the positive differences that he makes in the lives of those he serves.
My second quote is a form of meaningful action, because the first staff member identifies that it makes her happy that the services that they provide makes the customers come back. This leads to friendships being formed with the returning families.
"Um it makes me feel really honored, because I do make a lot of new friendships. Um and I form a lot of new relationships with each family that we come. Especially with the returning families that we serve. We have uh... we serve around seven hundred families which is a lot of relationships, and I do remember most of them, so it's it's pretty... It makes me pretty happy to see them every year when they come back."
She also talks about how the friendships she makes with the returning clients makes her feel honored to have completed their taxes the year or years before, prompting them to return. Her reaction to their action to them come back, personifies the concept of meaningful action.
In my third quote, meaningful action is also demonstrated in the first staff member's reaction to the customers' gratitude. When I asked her if she had a story of a time that she may have impacted a family, she responded,
"Um I don't know if I specifically have a family, but, um, a lot of the families when they when I tell them what they're getting back, they all look like they're really impacted because some of them are like they receive a high amount and, you know, coming from a low income family, you know, that they're really appreciative of the services that we provide, and that always impacts me."
She felt that providing the services to low-income people of the community made them feel appreciative. This impacts her to build relationships with the people of the community and continue to do this program for those who need it.
Content Analysis Analysis
Prognostic Framing
Prognostic framing covers how the problem at hand is solved. My first quote ties into prognostic framing because the coordinator from this article talks about solving the problem of helping those who need assistance in doing their taxes.
"We are a self-service center," said the coordinator. "We assist clients in the process of completing and submitting their returns online. A lot of people run into problems with state refunds and shortchange themselves, so we do a lot of amended returns, too."
He expounds on the fact that people tend to run into problems with state refunds. This leads to people not getting back the accurate amount of money they deserve. This issue tends to come up due to those in the community who aren't educated enough to successfully complete their taxes on their own. This program is a solution because it provides the tax services needed for free.
My next quote ties into prognostic framing by providing a solution to people of the community who make $54,000 or less per year. This solution is providing free tax services to those who qualify. This program is also a solution to those who may be in need in other aspects.
"The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals.
In addition to VITA, the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program offers free tax help for all taxpayers, particularly those who are 60 years of age and older, specializing in questions about pensions and retirement-related issues unique to seniors. The IRS-certified volunteers who provide tax counseling are often retired individuals associated with non-profit organizations that receive grants from the IRS."
These aspects include those who have disabilities and have limited English speaking capabilities. The services are also provided to the elderly population. This population consists of those who are 60 years of age and older. When people of this population reach this age, their tax situation tend to get more complicated. This is due to questions about pensions and retirement issues that are unique to them.
My third quote highlights the solution to the low-income tax problem. Because many people of the low-income population may not have the funds to pay someone to do their taxes, free tax help is provided by volunteer and staff members of this organization.
"The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who make $53,000 or less who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals."
This help assists people of the community so that they can receive the appropriate amount of money in taxes. This is helpful because this limits the probability they will make an error completing their own tax returns. This program provides people who have been trained to ensure taxes are being completed correctly.
Diagnostic Frame
Diagnostic framing covers the problem, and how it is defined. My first quote covering diagnostic framing highlights the problem which lead to the start of this program. The diagnosis is defined as the idea that there are too many families and individuals unaware of earned income tax credits. As a result, they fail to claim them leading to them getting less money back than they deserve.
"These programs also came about because too many individuals and families are unaware of the Earned Income Tax Credit or for some reason failed to claim it. VITA coordinator for county, said early this month that more than $22,000 in earned income tax credits went unclaimed in 2007. Despite the prevalence and success of these programs, the IRS estimates that as many as 25 percent of low-income taxpayers don't get the money they deserve, she said"
This quote also highlights that more than $22,000 in earned income tax credits went unclaimed in 2007. This is a result of the problem that low-income tax payers don't receive the money that they deserve.
My second quote ties diagnostic framing by calling attention to the fact that people in the community requested the program. Without the program the people of the community may have not been able to complete their taxes efficiently.
"Still, the IRS felt the need was so great that it requested the partnering non-profit organization to bring back the program to the county, coordinator said. People in the community have already been calling, she said. "We're really excited," coordinator said. "We think there is a definite need here for all of our residents who aren't able to get their taxes prepared on their own. This is another great asset to add to the county." Low-income families may be eligible for tax credit refunds ranging from $457 to $5,666 under the maximum income guidelines for the 2010 Earned Income Tax Credit."
The request from community members shows that there is a problem getting taxes completed when you are of the low-income population. It suggests that the low-income population needs to save money and receive as much money as they can to survive. Their request also shows that community members who qualify would rather have their taxes done right than end up in jail because of a minor tax mistake.
My third quote falls into diagnostic framing through a quote from a retiree who also receives services from this organization. He points out how the problem of people having to pay for tax services in the past, was very inconvenient for them.
"This is my second time using this service," said a retiree. "It was very helpful two years ago ... so I tell people about this place. A lot of people didn't know about it. They used to have to pay to get help, and that was half of their refund."
He states that when the people had to pay for help, they had to pay with half of their refund. He tells people about this organization so that they won't have to have that same problem by going to a place that charges them money.
Motivational Frame
Motivational frame is a social justification for taking action. My organization of study, like all other organization have many motivations by doing what they do. My first quote connects to motivational framing by providing an example to what motivates the people of the organization to provide the services.
"As of Tuesday, the organization has already helped 288 households file federal and state tax returns that will generate more than $661,000 in federal tax refunds and nearly $26,000 in state tax refunds, site coordinator said. Last year, the program helped 343 households receive $595,000 in refunds."
The site coordinator of this organization details the number of households they the program helped. The coordinator also details the amount of money the families were rewarded through the utilization of their services. This person reflects on the households helped in the previous to emphasize on the results their program generates. This can be motivating for the years to come in keeping this portion of the organization running.
My second quote is a social justification for taking action, because the coordinator of another site discusses the results generated from their tax services provided. The success of the past year motivates the organization to process more returns in the upcoming year.
"According to site coordinator, NASL's VITA Tax Center processed over 600 returns, resulting in $972,000 in refunds for military families last year. This year they are hoping to process 800 returns, with an anticipated $1.2 million in refunds."
I recognized that the coordinator used the words "hoping" and "anticipated" when describing his feelings for the new tax season. These words fall into the motivational frame by letting us know that past results motivate the organization to complete their task at hand.
My third quote identifies the motivation behind helping community members. This quote stems from one staff member's experience.
"We're going to be shooting for that $1 million mark this year," said staff member. "It's great to see the expression on the faces of the individuals who come in and do their taxes when they see the amount that they're getting back."
In this quote the staff member excitedly exclaims the goal that the organization wants to accomplish. He also talks about how the expressions on the clients' faces motivates him. Their expressions are brought on the amount of money that they find out they are getting back.
My last quote covers the motivation in assisting the military community. The volunteer talks about how giving back to the military community makes her excited.
"The VITA program is an exciting program to assist our military community in filing accurate returns," said volunteer. "I am excited to assist my community while gaining valuable experience in my field of study. I hope this experience will improve my resume while helping others."
The volunteer is also motivated by gaining valuable experience in their field of study. He or She is hoping that volunteering in the tax program improves their resume. Without these potential outcomes for the volunteer, then he or she might not have been called to action.
Team
Team is a concept brought on by sociologist Erving Goffman. He describes teams as people working together to put on a united front as one to complete the tasks at hand. Through research. I was able to find how my organization of observation teams up with other organizations and the community to provide free tax services.
"The library is also partnering with another non-profit organization, which will provide similar assistance on different days at the city's branch through late April. "We're partnering with the community," said library manager. "It's part of our community service. That's why we're here, to provide space."
My first quote is a quote of the city's library manager discussing how the library provides space for the organization to help complete their tax services. The article also talks about the organization that I'm studying teaming up with another local non-profit organization to provide similar services. As a unit, the library, and these two organizations are able to act coherently to service the community.
My second quote highlights the collaboration of two organizations. These organizations teamed up to provide tax services at the local library.
"This organization is one of two organizations offering the service. The partnering non-profit organization is another organization providing help through an IRS-approved Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. They have teamed up with the county library this year to offer the simple, fast and free service."
This collaboration is beneficial through outreach as both organizations can promote the effort and reach a larger audience. There will also be increased teamwork as there will be more volunteers to provide services. Ultimately the combined efforts will streamline services increasing productivity.
My third quote identifies Bank of America will sponsor the tax program. The bank donated $13,000 to the tax program covering all the expenses. This generous donation exemplifies a team effort between the bank and tax program.
"While Bank of America is sponsoring the Tax program, the organization's program is sponsored by a bank. The bank donated about $13,000 for the program this year, coordinator said. "They have paid for every single penny of it," the coordinator said. "That has been a tremendous benefit back to the community. We can see truly how much money we have been able to generate for the local economy."
This team effort is validated by the coordinator who stated "They have paid for every single penny of it" when referencing funding of the tax program. The coordinator also expressed how beneficial the sponsorship has been for the community. This team effort ensured the tax program could complete their mission of providing free services to members of the community.
Outcomes
Like many organizations, my organization of study generates outcomes. My first quote entails a description of the amount of money that the organization was able.
"As of Tuesday, the organization has already helped 288 households file federal and state tax returns that will generate more than $661,000 in federal tax refunds and nearly $26,000 in state tax refunds, coordinator said. Last year, the program helped 343 households receive $595,000 in refunds."
"The Organization's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance service (VITA) is focused on putting more money into the pockets of working families. IRS-trained volunteers offer FREE Tax Prep for families and individuals who earned less than $54,000 in 2017! Our goal is to make sure you get your FULL refund, claim all your eligible credits, and learn to use taxes to grow your assets! You can count on VITA to provide the highest quality tax service to families, individuals, and some small business owners."
"Tax Preparation Assistance (VITA): In collaboration with several community partners, including CSU Chico, CAA provides tax preparation assistance to hundreds of people each year, under an IRS-guided service known as VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $53,000 or less, persons with disabilities, and the elderly and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. We help over 1200 families annually to file accurate tax returns, putting needed money back into their budget and benefitting our local community."
Conclusion
In conclusion, I was able to gain useful knowledge of this organization through meaningful action, front-stage/back-stage, interaction rituals, definition of the situation and thick description. I was able to gain the most knowledge trough my theories brought on by thick description. It provided me with the meaning behind why things are the way they are within the organization. Observing this group gave me a deeper understanding in the meaning of providing free services. The clients of the tax services program were predominantly comprised of the lower-class. This shaped my thinking about those in need and interested me in other services offered by this organization. I think that this is a good service provided to those in need, and I hope to see how many people they serve this year.
I gained deeper insight of this organization's overall purpose. The personalized interviews conducted for this research helped me understand the motivation behind four different people who played different roles. These roles all worked together to accomplish one task, and they all felt a sense of accomplishment to give back where they can in the community. I was able to hear first-hand how each role affected my subjects' front-stage and back-stage behaviors. Working as a team added helped to provide a purpose for not only the program, but to each staff member as well, creating meaningful action. The description of the setting provided by the staff members, supervisor and volunteer extended my knowledge of what was already observed in the weeks before.
The content analysis paper contained the hardest part of my research. The instructions were unclear, and there wasn't enough to go off to truly understand the nodes that we were asked to use. There also wasn't enough time to learn all the information that we were required to apply to the contentment analysis portion. More was learned in the interview paper than anything, because we I was able to observe and do some participatory observation. I was very unsure of myself in completing this section. Researching this organization, and applying the nodes required gave me little understanding of this organization. The quality from this research came from observing and interviewing this organization.
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