 |
|
|
An explanation of the observation seating plans.
The two seating plans are examples of how the research team were positioned to observe the respective congregations. The seating position of the researcher is represented by the researcher's initials (e.g. Elspeth Chantler appears on the plan as 'EC'). Each researcher's initials are shown in a different colour and the pews observed by that researcher are marked in the same colour as their initials. Where two researchers have observed the same pew that pew is marked in the colours of both researchers.
The Church Nine plan is typical of eight of the observations, where each researcher solely observed their section of the congregation.
The plan of Church Ten shows the most complicated scenario, with two pairs of researchers observing some of the same pews. When the positioning of the researchers was discussed, the team was told that the majority of the young people would sit in the front pew when the returned from Sunday School, so I was positioned accordingly. When they arrived, however, they saw me sitting in the front pew, and filed into the pew behind 1. This meant that there were no young people at all in the area I had agreed to observe, but nearly all the young people in Ben's area. Therefore, I made the decision to observe the pew behind me (which Ben was also observing) and the figures were compared and adjusted accordingly providing a useful comparison of results as well. For instance, there was one child who Ben had not been able to see well enough to classify, but I had been in a position to see her clearly and make the appropriate record. Sue and David were agreed to observe the same area from the start, and their results showed no discrepancies.
Back to Top
- This was one of the few occasions where the presence of the research team made an obvious impact on the service. It is no surprise, perhaps, that the young people did not sit in the same pew as a researcher, for the church is large and the congregation few in number. As is the custom in most sparsely populated Anglican services, the people sat dotted around the church, each person or couple with a pew to themselves. It could be presumed therefore that the young people felt that they would be intruding on my space if they sat in the same pew, and simply followed the standard accepted practice of choosing a pew that was empty. Back to text
|
|
|
|