This week I have continued to collect data for my surveys and find respondents. I have also identified people for in-person interviews and have drafted the specific questions I will include in these interviews. From the surveys I collected from this past week, it is interesting to see the increasing amount of diversity and variety in their responses. Having started with a relatively homogeneous batch of data, a wider spectrum of responses is exciting as it leads me closer to identifying some of the deeper lying motivations for style and fashion. As the amount of responses increases, I can also begin to see some patterns and correlations forming. For example, there seems to be quite a bit consistency with some of the answers that require a comment or short answer.
The similar responses from multiple subjects tells me there are consistencies with clothing, or the way it is perceived, around campus from multiple vantage points. By having people from very different social spheres and climates observing the same habits means there is something to investigate. Whether it is about physical apparel, brand names, or ways people dress at certain moments, the larger quantity of research and responses is challenging me to analyze the data with a mindset of finding similarities. At the same time, it is also important to not try and articulate the data and simply study the responses for what they are.
One way this data has acted provocatively is the way it has made me thinking deeper about some of the consistent responses I have encountered and if the direction of my study is correct. For example, one important area for my study is about using clothing to either hide or shine when being mobile through Bowdoin spaces. Although that is certainly a main focus for me, I am also wondering if I should be exploring why people feel the need to wear lavish clothing, or if I should simply take record of these instances. I still have more data to collect, so I will hold off until I have those responses, but the correct questions are being posed which is the most important part.
My next concrete steps are to begin the in-depth interviews with subjects following up on their survey answers. I finalized that I will use voice memos for the interview recording software and will transcribe each one. These transcriptions will serve as primary data for my survey and will be the main focus of my paper when I mobilize them to show more intimate rationale for my points. A difficulty of this step can be finding times when everyone is available, but the interviews will be a great source of information and vital as my project reaches its later stages.