Ethnographic Research

A brief, graduate-level introduction to ethnography and ethnographic research. Table of Contents Overview 5 Key Concepts and Terms 6 The ethnographic method 6 Definition 6 Types of ethnographic methods 7 The research environment 10 Immersion 10 Situational reduction 11 Cultural patterning 11 Ethical considerations 12 Theory 12 Cognitive theory 13 Phenomenology 13 Symbolic interactionism 14 Other theories 16 Data gathering methods 16 Field notes and field observation 16 Field...
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A brief, graduate-level introduction to ethnography and ethnographic research. Table of Contents Overview 5 Key Concepts and Terms 6 The ethnographic method 6 Definition 6 Types of ethnographic methods 7 The research environment 10 Immersion 10 Situational reduction 11 Cultural patterning 11 Ethical considerations 12 Theory 12 Cognitive theory 13 Phenomenology 13 Symbolic interactionism 14 Other theories 16 Data gathering methods 16 Field notes and field observation 16 Field interviews 17 Participant observation 19 Go-alongs 19 Case studies 20 Archival research 20 Focus groups 21 Data processing methods 22 Coding 22 Sorting and pattern recognition 22 Identifying outliers 23 Other methods 23 Assumptions 24 Assumptions about observation time 24 Assumptions about culture 24 Assumptions about individuals 25 Assumptions about the ethnographer 25 Epistemological assumptions 25 Frequently Asked Questions 26 Isn't ethnography a subjective rather than scientific social science research method? 26 Into what epistemological tradition does ethnography fall? 26 How do I gain research access in the first place? 27 What considerations go into recruiting and training the ethnographic research team? 29 What software do ethnographic researchers use? 30 What is rapid ethnographic assessment? 33 What are the Human Relations Area Files (HRAF)? 34 Acknowledgment 35 Bibliography 35 Pagecount: 47