Where and how family members spend time at home: A quantitative analysis of observational tracking of everyday lives of Italian families
Francesco Arcidiacono
Institute of Psychology and Education, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Coltilde Pontecorvo
Department of Developmental and Social Psychology,
University of Rome - Sapienza, Italy
PP: 113 - 129
Abstract
This paper examines a dataset that derives from an observational tracking, in order to analyze where and how middle class working families spend time at home. We use an ethnographic approach to study the everyday lives of Italian dual-income middle class families, with the aim to analyze quantitatively the use of home spaces and the types of activities of family members on weekday afternoons and evenings. The different analyses (Multiple Correspondence Analysis, Agglomerative Hierarchical Cluster, Discriminant Analysis) show how particular spaces and activities in these spaces are dominated by certain family members. We suggest a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies as useful tools to explore in detail the everyday lives of families, and to understand how family members use the domestic spaces. In particular, we consider relevant the use of quantitative analyses to examine ethnographic data, especially in connection with the methodological reflexivity among researchers.
Keywords
Working families, ethnographic data, observational tracking, everyday life, domestic spaces, activities at home, Multiple Correspondence Analysis, Discriminant Analysis
Article Text
Over the past decades, only few detailed, reliable, and systematic studies have explored how much time family members spend together at home, and what activities they engage in. In this paper, we examine where and how Italian families spend time at home through a combination of different methods. Our analysis is based on an intensive ethnographic observation of the everyday lives of working families during weekday afternoons and evenings, with the aim to integrate both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. In particular, we will provide a quantitative analysis of the frequency of family togetherness and uses of space in the home, and a general overview of these patterns. The major strength of our method is that it allows for systematic analysis of where family members are and what they are doing at 10 minute intervals throughout the observation period. We consider that our research approach can be an important methodological contribution to the social science enterprise: the combination of different rigorous data collection methods can give a better understanding of how family members use the domestic spaces during their everyday lives. We also suggest to use quantitative analyses to examine ethnographic data, in order to highlight the methodological reflexivity among researchers.
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