Fieldwork

Fieldwork in Sweden

April 18-23, 2023

SIPGI ran a virtual reality (VR) experiment at the International Science Festival Gothenburg (Internationella Vetenskapsfestivalen Göteborg). The goal of the experiment is to test the effects of immersive VR on attitudes and behaviors towards refugees in Sweden. With the assistance of students, who were trained by Kristen Kao on experimental and quantitative face-to-face survey methods as well as the use of VR technology, we collected data from 166 participants over 5 days of the festival. 

August 24 - 31, 2020

Josepha Wessels met with about 10 migrants from Syria in Gothenburg to ask them to share their stories of integration. She collected photos from them and informed them about the upcoming project plans with videos, etc. Kristen Kao met with Josepha and accompanied her on some interviews.

July 1 - 5, 2020

Josepha Wessels conducted a short ethnographic fieldwork in Gothenburg and established rapport with 10 Syrians living in the city of Gothenburg. She set up digital ethnography/participatory photography focusing on the respondents’ daily experiences of encounters and integration. She carried out participant observation in three locations in Gothenburg where Syrians meet.

Fieldwork in Jordan

September-October 2022

Iman Abu Zueiter conducted field research in Amman and Irbid which included: providing training for 16 enumerators who will be working on the Virtual Reality experiment in Irbid, monitoring a 30 N pilot survey, meeting the survey providers in Jordan to layout some project activities, and conducting 17 interviews with Jordanians and Syrians in Irbid for the purpose of collecting data on “From Apathy to Empathy: The effects of immersive virtual reality on attitudes and behaviors towards refugees in Jordan” experiment and the neighborhood and identity experiment both to be run in Irbid.

September 2022

Josepha Wessels conducted ethnographic work in Irbid filming four 360-degree videos with Syrian Refugees in Irbid telling their stories and experience of living and integrating in Jordan on a-day-to-day basis. The films are to be used for the Virtual Reality experiment to be conducted in Irbid. Josepha also provided training on using the Virtual Reality headsets to 16 research assistants who will be working with the interviewees in Jordan. 

April-June 2022

Tareq Naseef and Ghader Hussein conducted field work in Irbid, Jordan which included five interviews with local officials and NGO staff working on education and livelihood support projects in Irbid. Additional interviews were also conducted with stakeholders and Syrian refugees in Irbid collecting data for the SIPGI survey. 

Autumn 2021

Alexander Jung and Ezgi Irgil conducted 16 online interviews with several international NGOs in Jordan (and Turkey) with the purpose of collecting data. The outcomes of the fieldwork will result in an academic paper about the role of international stakeholders in refugee reception in centralized states. 

September 2021

Tareq Naseef conducted field interviews with Syrian Refugees in Irbid, Jordan, to collect data for the SIPGI survey. 

November 7 - 24, 2019

Kristen Kao met with Jordanian academics and students at Yarmouk University in Irbid, the heads of aid organizations focusing on refugees including Mercy Corps and the Norwegian Refugee Council, and survey providers in Jordan to lay the groundwork for some of the project activities.

Fieldwork in Turkey

Dec 2023/ Jan 2024 

Ahmet Akbaiyik and Kristen Kao conducted a large-n face-to-face survey (n = 1800) experiment in Adana using VR technology to test the effects of immersive VR on attitudes and behaviors towards refugees in Turkey.

June 2023

Kristen Kao, Karen Ferree and Ahmet Akbaiyik conducted interviews on integration with Turks and Syrians in Adan Turkey. 

Autumn 2022

Zubeyde Ekmekci Turk and Tareq Naseef conducted interviews with stakeholders at Bogazici University in Adana (Turkey).

January 2022

Tareq Naseef conducted field interviews with Syrian Refugees in Adana, Turkey for the purpose of collecting data for the SIPGI survey. 

Autumn 2021

Alexander Jung and Ezgi Irgil conducted 16 online interviews with several international NGOs in Turkey (and Jordan) with the purpose of collecting data. The fieldwork will result in an academic paper about the role of international stakeholders in refugee reception in centralized states.