# data[].attributes.body
I offer Double Dutch Methodology (DDM) as an alternative way of thinking about qualitative research and as a set of methodological strategies. This essay is my attempt at providing a useful way to think about and practice being a researcher. Essentially I hope to provide a piece that I would have appreciated reading when I was just starting to conduct ethnographic research with youth of color in an urban context. To that end, I begin by sharing the components of the metaphorical Double Dutch Methodology. The first part of DDM involves “learning the ropes” (Gaunt, 2006, p. 37), or critically exploring researcher positional-ity. For example, what are the intersecting identities that researchers bring to the research context? And, what are the multiple roles and shifting orientation that a researcher may experience during the research process? The second component of DDM includes “plant[ing] both feet” (Gaunt, 2006, p.

Operational: "natural progression of a study along with any changes in direction and the context from which these arise."

Coding: Inductive/deductive themes that emerge. "Definitional Statements"

Analytical: "abstraction and to explore hypotheses, relationships and explanations contained within the data."

# data[].attributes.body
1.) I felt a bit mysterious just observing people with my little notepad 📝. It was also pretty awkward, especially because the space was so small. One girl asked me if I worked there. I come to the coffee shop like once a week and it always feels very fast paced but also just has a vibe with the music.

2.) Operational: I hung around inside the coffee shop for about 5 minutes before the space became too crowded and then I stepped outside where I could still see interactions. Students stepped in to either order drinks or buy snacks and either entered in pairs or alone. workers were very talkative to one another.

Codes: Students who come in with another person vs. students who come in alone; Cashier dynamic vs. Baristaa

Analytical: There is a sense of community in the coffee shop but there are also a few individuals who are not as engaged such as the cashier and those who come in alone. Is it because they are physically separated from others ?

# data[].attributes.body
-14 Tables

-4 with people

-3 with multiple people

-all had ipads/laptops out

-Conversations and Laughters at every table

-Those sitting alone are very focused on their laptops

-On average 20-22 people pass by per minutes

-Music is a theme, a dj, music coming from phones and laptops, lots of headphones/airpods

-A weird smell of sewage

-Backpacks of every size, purses, tote bags

-1 bicycle

-lots of young love, three couples passed by holding hands

-many people on their cellphones, including myself at times

My approach- I felt like people were staring at me so I also pulled my phone out to look like everyone else on their technology

# data[].attributes.body
Location: outside of King Hall

1. Approach felt natural bc of my distance from the environment I was observing. No need to feel pressured to perform or act a certain way. I was a member of this clam, natural setting.

2. Some operational, coding, and analytical memos added to the image above.

# data[].attributes.body
1. What I learned from the DDM approach is that the environment can be unpredictable. I went in wanting to observe one thing but got interested in something else. I should have focused on one thing but I was intrigued by a lot of things.

2. Notes:

Sat at bench in front of Hydro Station

5:24 pm

People respect speed limit while driving

Phone usage while driving. Counted 8 people in 16 mins

Activity included walking, driving, running, scooters, skateboards, dog-walking

Students walking with earphones is the majority

Students and non-students

Student with a project shield

Left site at 5:40

# data[].attributes.body
My approach to participant observation was to blend in with the area. I bought something to eat and sat at a table that allowed me to observe most of the space. It felt unnatural to almost stare at people who were probably in a pretty vulnerable state. The participants were mostly resting and eating, and were likely at the end of a tiring day. I tried my best not to stare at one person for too long so as not to make them uncomfortable. If I hadn't had a classmate sitting with me at the table, I would've felt much more uncomfortable. Fortunately, I've spent a lot of time in this space in my undergrad and postgrad. If it was an unfamiliar place, the entire experience would have been much more invasive.

Opertational: Group sitting arrangements, Long tables against the window for people sitting alone or charging, Very dark, TV's off, "The Spot" was closed (most affordable in the hall)

Coding: Few social interactions, Most people watching a show, headphones on

Analytical: People come here to eat and unwind, mostly independently

# data[].attributes.body
Observation:
Students are seated in small groups throughout the cafeteria. Some are focused on completing homework, using laptops or notebooks while eating. Others are casually chatting with friends or sharing snacks. The atmosphere feels relaxed and social, with a mix of productivity and relaxation.

My Approach: As an observer/researcher, my approach is mostly non-intrusive and descriptive. I focus on noticing behaviors, and social patterns without judging or interrupting. I’m a practicing participant observing from a distance, meaning I’m present but not involved.

Emerging Themes: Calm and comfort encourage both focus and social connection. Students show independence and self-regulation in shared spaces. The environment shapes how students engage and interact.

Analytical: The calm lighting and relaxed mood might relate to how students manage stress or build social comfort during lunchtime. I start forming small hypotheses, such as how environment impacts focus or how group dynamics reflect belonging. This process helps me connect to broader ideas about learning spaces, student agency, and social balance, like how calm lighting and a relaxed atmosphere could help students focus or feel more comfortable with friends. This helped me think about possible patterns or relationships between environment and behavior.

# data[].attributes.body
While observing the food court:

Although there were people who were just sitting there without food, I felt out of place

Initially: had a teacher hat on because the majority of the people eating were young adults, and a little bit like a stalker because I was just looking around

Operational:

It was really quite and I wonder if that was because 1- they were about to close or because it was late

# data[].attributes.body
What did I learn about my own approach?

In trying to mimic the Double Dutch Methodology, I experimented by going on TikTok Live in a numerology chat. The experience helped me see how participation requires timing, sensitivity, and improvisation, just like finding the right rhythm to jump into the ropes. At first, the chat was quiet and not very responsive. I realized I couldn’t just “observe” passively; I had to listen for the rhythm of the space and respond in a way that matched the group’s tone.

When one participant received an unfavorable reading and began asking follow-up questions that weren’t answered, I felt a tension between my observer and participant selves. I wanted to comfort them, to “make them feel better,” even though I didn’t know them personally. That emotional pull revealed that my approach to observation is deeply empathetic, I naturally attune to the emotions of others and feel compelled to restore balance when I sense discomfort.

I also questioned my impulse: Why do I feel responsible for their feelings? That moment helped me recognize how my positionality and care orientation shape how I engage in spaces. I ultimately chose humor (“Relationships are overrated anyway, at least you get to decide where you can go for dinner”) to establish connection without crossing boundaries or getting to specific. This interaction reminded me that sometimes relational rhythm isn’t about fixing, but flowing, finding a tone that matches the energy while maintaining awareness of my role.

Memo

-Operational - purpose= to experiment how to participate without dominating

-Challenge: determining how to participate without dominating or over-identifying.

- Strategy: humor as a bridge to re-engage the group without imposing myself.

Coding Memo

My empathic reflex, boundaries, emotional climate

Analytic-

I noticed my observational style is care driven, feeling the space,

I questioned my reasoning and chose to respond differently based on my realization

What if they didn't feel bad? What if I was projecting- Then I had an existential crisis (lol)

# data[].attributes.body
1. I learned that I walked into that space with certain memories/stories I’ve heard about employees in the student union. I felt like it’s a place I would not want to do my homework in because it’s too public and too much commotion. I was paying attention to how much students were on a device vs how much they were socializing.

Memoing

• operational: I wonder if I would have had a better eyes view if I was sitting at the second floor.

• coding: students with reusable water bottles only had one drink, while most students without had multiple drinks (energy + water + something else). Students in groups of 3+ were loud. Students 2 and less were quiet.

• seeing cops come into the building in uniforms and armed made some people leave.

# data[].attributes.body
Operational: because I was sitting inside looking out, I could only describe what I saw. I didn’t have access to smells and sounds. As a result, I focused a lot on what people looked like, what they were wearing, and the direction they were walking.

Coding: Themes included: color of clothing, hair length, direction of movement (past the front, sitting down, walking through, etc.)

Analytical: Most people were walking through the SU to get to the parking lot/drop off, or sitting to talk with someone else. Only one person had a vehicle (scooter); everyone else was walking.

# data[].attributes.body
1. I stayed on the move with my approach, using my feet as a medium for data collection. I observed the observers.

2. I jumped between spots on campus, watching my classmates settle into places from which they took their notes.

3. With events on campus, it made it easy to identify places from which people would want to observe others (distant, hidden, in plain sight)

Operational: I heard discussion of accessibility. Deciding between the coffee shop, restroom, or walkways. Even classrooms were available. Then saw how observers used mobility to find those spots (walking, elevator, stairs).

Coding: Observers chose to sit in spots that provided wide peripheral views. Spots that would guarantee people to observe. Some ventured further, I never found them.

Analytical: most observers relied on the self as an instrument for collection. Not many groups or pairs. Except those observing from within a group.

I scribbled notes with time stamps and key frames as I found observers. Using them as a guide for my data collection

# data[].attributes.headline
Outside Sitting Area of King Hall Beside Fine Arts Building

# data[].attributes.subject
Outside Sitting Area of King Hall Beside Fine Arts Building

# data[].attributes.body
Sitting at an outdoor table in the sitting area outside of King Hall beside the Fine Arts building and a walkway abundant with trees, I observed how this campus space functions as a hybrid zone where studying, eating, and socializing overlap. As a researcher, I did somewhat feel as an outsider as I am able to blend in and not at the same time within my observation. Taking notes made me feel and appear as another student studying or doing work in the same area. Yet, when it came to observing, it did feel a little invasive since it might look weird staring at people and would find myself having to use my peripheral vision or make quick glances. The area’s design (tables with umbrellas, walkways, and stair-side tables) encourages both movement and pause, allowing interactions to unfold organically. Students occupy the space in varied ways: some study alone or in pairs, others linger to share laughter and conversation. Even the environment itself is reimagined as a couple nearby transforms a metal table covering into a makeshift bulletin board, taping up flyers that invite collective participation. Around every 5–10 minutes, a new wave of students passes by, some riding scooters swiftly between destinations, others strolling slowly and taking in the scenery. Clothing styles, postures, and paces all differ, reflecting a multiplicity of student identities and rhythms. While a few people look up, noticing trees or one another, many remain absorbed in their phones, headphones sealing them off from the surrounding world. These contrasting patterns reveal how public campus spaces become both social and solitary as sites of connection and isolation, creativity and routine where students constantly renegotiate how to inhabit and make meaning within institutional settings.

# data[].attributes.body
1. In regards to the DDM approach, I learned that my personal approach was very much like detective work. I was very analytical in taking notes and leaned heavily on descriptive language to capture the ‘feel’ of the space.

2. As an observer I felt I did not belong in this space. The demographic of the people in the space were young and mostly male presenting. Almost everyone in the space was on their tech, be it a computer, their phone or using AirPods/headphones. The only people not on their tech were some more mature adults eating at Sbarro, two friends, and a few observers from our class.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Some things I observed sitting on the bench were the people waiting in line to get In-n-out and others sitting at the benches. I noticed some students came well dressed for the event tonight. I also noticed some groups of people were vibing to different songs that were being played. I also noticed that groups of students were separated by race, gender, couples and age.

2. At first I felt a bit uncomfortable observing from a distance but as I got closer I became more comfortable with my surrounding and the music that was getting played felt warm and welcoming.

Coding: People taking selfies and pictures of others. People playing games like pickle ball.

Analytical memo: People attended this event to have food, hang out with friends, and enjoy the event in the gym.