Research conducted outside of laboratories, libraries, or offices, involving direct observation, data collection, and interaction with subjects in their natural environments or real-world settings.
Compound of 'field' (Old English 'feld', open land) plus 'work'. Originally referred to agricultural labor, the term was adopted by various disciplines in the late 19th/early 20th centuries as researchers emphasized the importance of studying phenomena in their natural contexts rather than artificial laboratory settings.
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