On the verge of entering the field : Addressing the methodological issues of using ethnographic observation and biographical in-depth interviews when following young drug users in processes of rehabilitation

Abstract

The paper will discuss reflections on certain methodological aspects and ethical dilemmas related to ethnographic fieldwork on Young drug users and the qualitative tools used to obtain data, including: sampling procedures, participants roles and data collection strategies, dilemmas related to observer roles and observer interference, implications of adding video as an instrument for obtaining data, researcher ethics concerning the study of marginalised groups and the handling of sensitising material. The paper is written in conjunction With a Ph.D. course given at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Educational Science, 6th – 7th of November 2017.