Ethnographic Design

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Ethnographic Design Randy Huberman Ariel Johnsey Steve McGuire

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Ethnographic Design. Randy Huberman Ariel Johnsey Steve McGuire. What is Ethnographic Research?. Qualitative research method Used to describe, analyze, and interpret culture Significant time needs to be spent “in the field”. How Did E thnographic R esearch D evelop?. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Ethnographic Design

Page 1: Ethnographic Design

EthnographicDesign

Randy HubermanAriel Johnsey

Steve McGuire

Page 2: Ethnographic Design

What is Ethnographic Research?

• Qualitative research method• Used to describe, analyze, and interpret

culture• Significant time needs to be spent “in the

field”

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How Did Ethnographic Research Develop?

• Began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries• Solidifies in the 1950s• The “watershed” event was the publication of

Writing Culture, by Clifford & Marcus in 1986

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Realist Ethnography

• An objective account of a situation gained through observation

• Usually narrated in 3rd person• Should contain no bias, political goals, or

judgment• Participants views are presented in direct

quotations

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Case Studies

• Studies individuals or groups involved in a process

• If the case is unusual it is an intrinsic case• If the case illustrates an issue it is an

instrumental case• Collective case studies encompass multiple

cases

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Critical Ethnographies

• Studies of social issues such as power, inequality, dominance, repression, and victimization

• Studies are done with the interest of improving the situation

• Not an objective method. The researcher is “in the text”

• Often messy and multilevel

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What are Ethnographers Looking For?

• Shared Patterns – common social interaction that stabilizes the rules and expectations of the group

• Behaviors• Beliefs• Language

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Fieldwork – Types of Data

• Emic Data – Information provided by participants– First order concepts

• Etic Data – Information representing the researcher’s interpretation– Second order concepts

• Negotiation Data – Information that the researcher and the participants agree to use

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When should ethnographic research be used?

• Ethnographic research is when the researcher wants to learn more about a specific person or group of people

• Results are qualitative

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Who uses ethnographies?

• Ethnographic research is common among social and cultural anthropologists.

• Researchers hope to gain a better understanding of different divisions of cultures

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What are issues with ethnographies?

• Ethics– Do not “out” any specific

people• Your sample– Is your sample an

accurate representation of a population?

• Data analysis– How do you organize your

data – dealing with people’s stories

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Examples of ethnographic studies

• Research on the smokers community – Bumming cigarettes

• Research on education – Studying abroad

• Research on gender and sexuality – GLBT community

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Participant Observations

• Take part in the culture you are studying

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Interviews

• Getting to know your sample

• Asking questions• Allowing your subject to

feel safe

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Reporting results

• How do you inform others of what you researched?

• How well was your question defined?