Ethnography PDF
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Fanshawe College
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This document provides a comprehensive overview of ethnographic research methods, including approaches to observation, interviews, generating field notes, and data analysis strategies. It also explores various methodologies such as participant observation and different roles researchers might adopt in the field.
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ETHNOGRAPHY What is Ethnography? https://swelldiabetes.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/ethnography-in-healthcare-safety-innovation/ What is Ethnography ? https://steemit.com/architecture/@anaximenez/culture-and-it-s-affects-to-architecture ...
ETHNOGRAPHY What is Ethnography? https://swelldiabetes.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/ethnography-in-healthcare-safety-innovation/ What is Ethnography ? https://steemit.com/architecture/@anaximenez/culture-and-it-s-affects-to-architecture CLASSIC STUDIES Based in Anthropology Gain knowledge of different cultures Look for patterns in shared human experiences Become part of the culture – learn language, customs, etc. Years long TODAY Location of study can be anywhere Focus can be anyone Scope can be narrow or wide Emic rather than etic Many forms of ethnography: critical ethnography, feminist ethnography, autoethnograpgy, visual ethnography, virtual ethnography, organizational ethnography PRACTICAL MATTERS Ethics and Protocols Gaining Access Becoming a member Gathering information Analyzing data Leaving METHODOLOGICAL FOCI Naturalism Understanding Induction Ethics: An ethnographer is “part spy, part voyeur, part fan, part member” (Van Maanen, 2011) Ethical considerations? WHY ETHNOGRAPHY? What are some benefits of ethnography? What are some limitations of ethnography? A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW WE COLLECT DATA WHAT TO LOOK AT? THE 5 R’S! HOW? Participant Observation Ethnographic interviews Visual Ethnography Documents, records MEMBERSHIP ROLES Peripheral Active Complete Covert A researchers’ role as a peripheral, active, complete, and/or covert member(s) during fieldwork should be the one(s) that offers the best angle or perspective on social life, and gives her the best insight into the phenomenon studied (Saldaña & Omasta, 2018). PERIPHERAL “fly on the wall” not participating directly in any activities observed The researcher is basically witnessing and documenting social life as it occurs. naturalistic observation ACTIVE Middle occasional participation first-hand experience COMPLETE lives the same experiences as those observed long duration membership is full COVERT Undercover Potential problems? CONSIDERATIONS FOR ETHNOGRAPHERS Lenses Filters Angles Subjectivity FIELD NOTES usually only researcher sees these Varied in quantity and approach Key data for reflection and analysis. FRONT MATTER Document the day and date, specific location of the observations, and start and end time of fieldwork at the beginning of each day’s or section’s notes. Caption or headline the specific field note set with a descriptive or thoughtful title. note participant demographics FRONT MATTER EXAMPLE January 21, 2014 (Tuesday)—“Group Murals” Escobar School, Art Classroom/Studio, 9:00-9:40 a.m. Period 2 Art Class (Carol and 22 third-grade children — 13 girls, 9 boys, all Hispanic [2 boys absent today for testing]) (Saldaña & Omasta, 2018) THE SETTING Some researchers consider the site itself an active “participant” with a distinctive character or geo-identity. The first-time observations occur in a particular setting, narratively describe and, if equipment is available and permission is granted by gatekeepers, photograph the site for analytic reference and embed the photo in field notes. EXAMPLE OF A SETTING DESCRIPTION The entire classroom smells of wax crayons. Tables and chairs look slightly worn but well maintained. North wall windows allow natural light to stream in. Rack labels by the entry door: “Detention Forms,” “Attendance Files.” On display on the south wall are laminated collages, laminated still lives in colored pencil. On the shelved counter, beneath are plastic tubs with teacher’s names on them to keep student classwork together (Saldaña & Omasta, 2018) GROUNDPLANS Bird’s-eye view of the field site is hand drawn to label and assess its accommodation of furnishings, spatial relationships, and foot traffic. Some environments such as classrooms might periodically rearrange furnishings for the particular action needed. Simply document what is a typical day’s layout of the space, with any special notes placed in the margins. HAND-DRAWN GROUNDPLAN EXAMPLE (Saldaña & Omasta, 2018) JOTTING THINGS DOWN Jottings or brief, hastily handwritten notes with simple descriptions of action and participant quotes Jottings are used as an outline for more elaborated notes on the researcher’s own time. EXAMPLE OF JOTTINGS C holds up mural “Let me show you what another class did” C raises hand, Ks do; 1 boy claps “The people at your table are the people in your group—you will work on a mural” Ks get poster boards 3-4 children tables Ks speak English Spanish as they work C walks, help tape “Work together as a team.” (Saldaña & Omasta, 2018) JOTTINGS EXPAND INTO WRITE-UPS Carol shows her class a sample mural: “Let me show you what another class did.“ She holds up four sheet-sized poster boards taped together for one lengthy mural that a small group developed and colored. Carol raises her hand to get the children quiet and the children raise their hands and stop talking. One child responds with a clap, but Carol says that response is for another class. She continues: “The people at your table are the people in your group — you will work on a mural.” (Saldaña & Omasta, 2018) OBSERVER’S COMMENTS separates researcher’s feelings from the “facts.” subjective ideas, thoughts, opinions, etc. OBSERVER COMMENT EXAMPLE Carol raises her hand to get the children quiet and the children raise their hands and stop talking. One child responds with a clap, but Carol says that response is for another class. OC: That was funny! But it’s bad teaching practice for a school to have so many different management techniques in place for children — no wonder he was confused about what to do. (Saldaña & Omasta, 2018) TIME STAMPS Time stamps note the beginning, ending, and duration of specific moments or chunks of action. When or how would this be helpful? TIME STAMP EXAMPLES 9:00 a.m. Attendance and announcements. 9:04 a.m. Carol shows her class a sample mural: “Let me show you what another class did.”... She continues: “The people at your table are the people in your group — you will work on a mural.” 9:07 a.m. One student from each table group is asked to come to the front of the classroom to pick up poster board sheets.(Saldaña & Omasta, 2018) AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING Considerations? Uses? HOW LONG FOR PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION? 20 to 40 clock hours minimum will give an adequate breadth of experiences minimum of 12 to 18 months’ worth of daily fieldwork FIELDWORK OBSERVATION LOG (Saldaña & Omasta, 2018) ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEW Open-ended Narrative Life history interviews Benefits? Limitations? Considerations? SITE DOCUMENTS Anything and everything written can be of value What can we learn? HOW DO WE ANALYZE ALL THIS DATA? Roper & Shapira (2000) suggest: Coding: group into categories, labels; examples: activity, relationships, events Identify patterns: look for themes, connections Look for outliers Tie findings to theory or previous research Memo ideas, thoughts, impressions, etc. about data RESOURCES USED TO CREATE PRESENTATION Ravitich, S. & Carl. N. (2016). Qualitative Research: Bridging the Conceptual, Theoretical, and Methodological. Thousand Oaks, CA: sage publications inc. Roper, J. M., & Shapira, J. (2000). Ethnography in nursing research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Saldaña, J. (2011). Fundamentals of Qualitative Research (Understanding Qualitative Research). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications inc. Saldaña, J. & Omasta, M. (2018). Qualitative Research: Analyzing Life. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications inc. Van Maanen, J. (2011). Ethnography as Work: Some Rules of Engagement. Journal of Management Studies, 48, 218-234.