Power Point Slides by Ronald J. Shope in collaboration with John W. Creswell Chapter 15 Ethnographic Designs

Educational Research 2e: Creswell What is ethnographic research? Ethnographic designs are qualitative research procedures for describing, analyzing, and interpreting a culture- sharing group’s shared patterns of behavior, beliefs, and language that develop over time.

Educational Research 2e: Creswell When do you conduct an ethnography? Study of a group helps you understand a larger issue Have a culture-sharing group to study Want a day-to-day picture Long-term access to culture-sharing group

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Common types of Ethnographies: Realist ethnography Narrates study in the third person voice reporting what is observed Researcher reports objective data free from personal bias, political goals or judgment Researcher produces the participants’ views through closely edited quotes and has final word on how the culture is to be interpreted and presented.

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Common types of Ethnographies: Case study Definition: an in-depth exploration of a bounded system (time, place, physical boundaries) Subject for case studies –individual or several individuals –series of steps that form a sequence of activities Researcher develops understanding of the case by collecting multiple forms of data Researcher locates the “case” or “cases” within their larger context

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Types of qualitative case studies Intrinsic Case Study Unusual Case Study an intrinsic, unusual case. Instrumental Case Study Issue Case Study a case that provides insight into an issue or theme Multiple Instrumental Case Study (also called a Collective Case Study) Case Issue Study several cases that provide insight into an issue (or theme)

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Common types of Ethnographies: Critical Ethnography Used by politically minded people Advocate for the emancipation of marginalized groups Seek to change society Identify and celebrate research bias: all research is value laden Challenge status-quo and ask “Why is it so?” Create literal dialogue with participants

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Critical Ethnography: Procedural Characteristics Social issues include: power, empowerment, inequity, dominance, repression, hegemony, victimization Collaborate actively with participants and negotiate final report Self-conscious about their own interpretation Reflexive and self-ware of their role Non-neutral Uses contradictions, imponderable, and tension (Denzin 1997)

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key characteristics of an ethnographic design Cultural themes from cultural anthropology A culture-sharing group Examination of shared patterns of behavior, belief, and language Data collection through fieldwork Description, themes, interpretation Group context or setting Researcher reflexivity

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key characteristics: Cultural themes Cultural Theme: general position, declared or implied, that is openly approved or promoted in a society or group Drawn from cultural anthropology or literature Seen in purpose statement or research questions as a Central Phenomenon Examples: –Persistence –Identity development –Social skills –Enculturation

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key characteristics: Culture-sharing group Individuals who have shared –Behaviors –Beliefs –Language Vary in size Interacts on regular basis Interacted over a period of time Representative of a larger group

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key characteristics: Discerning shared patterns A shared pattern is a common social interaction that stabilizes as tacit rules and expectations of the group –Behavior: action taken by an individual in a cultural setting –Belief: how an individual thinks or perceives things in a cultural setting –Language: how an individual talks to others in a cultural setting Types of patterns –Ideal: What should have occurred –Actual: What did occur –Projective: What might have occurred

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key characteristics: Doing fieldwork Fieldwork researcher gathers data in the setting where the participants are located and where their shared patterns can be studied Types of data –Emic data (data supplied by the participants) –Etic data (ethnographer’s interpretation of participant’s perspectives) –Negotiation data (information participants and researcher agree to use in a study) Forms of data: Observations, Interviews, Documents

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key characteristics: Description, Themes, and Interpretations Description: detailed rendering of individuals and scenes in order to depict what is going on in the culture-sharing group (detailed, thick, rich) Themes: how things work and naming the essential features in themes in the cultural setting (shared patterns of behavior, thinking, talking) Interpretation: –inferences and conclusions about what was learned –Relates descriptions and themes back to what was learned

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key characteristics of ethnographic designs: Context or setting Setting, situation, or environment that surrounds the cultural group being studied History, religion, politics, economy, the environment, physical location

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Key characteristics of ethnographic designs: Reflexivity Researcher openly discusses respect for participants and sites Talk about themselves Share their experiences Identify how their interpretations shape their discussions about sites and groups

Educational Research 2e: Creswell Steps in Conducting Ethnographic Research Identify intent and type of design and relate intent to your research problem Discuss approval and access considerations Collect appropriate data emphasizing time in field, multiple sources, collaboration Analyze and interpret data within a design Write report consistent with your design

Educational Research 2e: Creswell How do you evaluate an ethnography? Group or case clearly identified? Patterns identified? Detail provided? Context specified? Author reflexive? Broader interpretation given? Conveys how the culture works? Accuracy checked?