I wanted to determine if there was a trend in nationality and graduate school in individuals that complain to University of Chicago intramural referees in graduate IM soccer. Most of the graduate school teams that complain were not from the US and take their games very seriously. Understanding what nationalities and graduate schools are more likely to complain will help referees prepare accordingly and be ready to deal with complaints.
Before beginning my observations, I worried that it would be difficult to quantify the many ways that graduate students complain during the 40 minute soccer match. To combat this, I developed a chart that kept track of complaints, nationality and graduate program while I recorded my observations.
I really enjoyed systematic social observation because it combined observations with quantitative modeling. The different models were interesting to build and useful for my analysis, especially after taking a quantitative Excel class last quarter. The most helpful aspect of the SSO method was the ability to combine qualitative observations with quantitative analysis in a single product.
