Chapter Fifteen - Ethnographic and Action Research

1

Describe some of the characteristic features of ethnographic research

  • It aims to elicit phenomenological data, to represent the worldviews and points of view of the people under investigation
  • It gathers data in naturalistic settings to study how people behave, think and interact in culturally defined real-world settings
  • It is holistic - it attempts to present the totality of a phenomenon under investigation, within its temporal, cultural and spatial context
  • It is eclectic - there is no one prescribed data collection or analysis approach, but there is an emphasis on observation and thick description
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2

What are some typical problems that a person might encounter when conducting ethnographic research?

  • There is the difficulty of making the implicit explicit, as culturally defined phenomena are often implicit to those who live within them
  • Ethnocentrism - a person will describe or analyse the world from their culturally defined point of view, which may lessen a genuine understanding of those who they study
  • Semantic accent - there is the chance of confusing one's own meanings with those of the respondent
  • Selectivity - accounts must necessarily be partial, as no account can capture the infinite content of an event or culture
  • Ethical problems of observing and filming others potentially without their full knowledge or consent
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3

Upon what criteria would you evaluate the quality of an ethnographic piece of research?

  • Its contribution to wider knowledge or understanding
  • The suitability of the research design to the original aims and research questions posed
  • The systematic and transparent nature of the data collection, analysis and reporting process
  • The extent to which the detail, depth and richness of the data are conveyed
  • The quality and plausibility of the arguments and conclusions based on the data
  • The clarity of the communication of the theoretical assumptions and perspectives that shaped the study
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