Ethnographic Research
Participant observation
Participant observers engage with two primary purposes. Observe the activities Engage in the activities
Ethnographers engage in
long-term study of particular phenomena to situate understandings in a meaningful context.
Characteristics: It places an emphasis on exploring the nature of ........, rather than setting out to test
particular social phenomena
Ethnographic Research is Interpretations of
people's actions and behaviors through investigation of what people do & their reasons for doing it
Characteristics: It offers a representation of a ............that is neither the researcher's nor the person's. It is built on points of understanding and misunderstanding that occur between researcher and participant.
person's life and behavior
Characteristics: It is built on......... that occur between researcher and participant.
points of understanding and misunderstanding
Characteristics: It offers interpretations of people's actions and behaviors that must be
uncovered through an investigation of what people do and their reasons for doing it.
Characteristics: Interpretations occur
within the context or group setting and are presented through the description of themes.
Uses multiple methods for data collection
(interviews, intensive observations, reviewing documents, artifacts, and visual materials)
Types of participant observation
Active participant observer Privileged, active observer Passive observer
Ethnographic Research Interpretations presented
Interpretations presented through description of themes
Culture
Set of attitudes, values, concepts, beliefs, and practices shared by members of a group.
What is Ethnographic Research?
Study of cultural patterns and perspectives of participants in their natural settings
Ethnographic Research Techniques
Triangulation, Participant observation,
The goal of ethnographic research is to
describe, analyze, and interpret the culture of a group, over time, in terms of the group's shared beliefs, behaviors, and language.
Privileged, active observer
e.g., Researcher may serve as an aide but is able to step back and forth within the role providing opportunities for observation
Passive observer
e.g., Researcher only observes, no active role
Active participant observer
e.g., Researchers often negotiate roles as teachers' aide
Characteristics: It uses data analysis procedures that involve the
explicit interpretation of the meanings and functions of human actions.
Ethnographers generally engage in participant observation.
intensive
Triangulation is a
multi-instrument approach. Trustworthiness in qualitative data is established through triangulation.
Characteristics: It requires that researchers be.................... on the research site and the cultural group.
reflective about their impact
Characteristics: It investigates a......... of cases, perhaps just one case, in detail.
small number
