1. 1 Introduction to Educational Research (4th ed.) C. M. Charles/Craig A. Mertler Chapter 10 Ethnographic Research

2. 2 The Nature of Ethnographic Research Research process used in the study of human interactions in social settings A highly descriptive, holistic approach to research Topics must involve people in groups May last from a week to several years Excellent at constructing a VERY detailed picture of human life and interactions

3. 3 Purpose — to describe/explain segment of group social life as it pertains to education Hypotheses/questions — begin as broad statements; emerge more specifically as data are collected Data — qualitative; verbal descriptions of people, interactions, settings, etc. within the specific context Data sources — people, settings, etc. A Summary Description of Ethnographic Research

4. 4 A Summary Description of Ethnographic Research (cont’d.) Data collection — done by researcher, through observations and interviews (naturalistic observation) Data analysis — presentation of verbal descriptions through logical analysis in an attempt to discover themes/ patterns that exist in a particular context

5. 5 Strengths and Weaknesses of Ethnographic Research Strengths: »Its holistic nature (as opposed to a “snapshot study”) Weaknesses: »A single observer calls into question the reliability of the data (and therefore, the validity of the results) »Must determine if biases exist…if observations are accurate

6. 6 Pajak, E. F. & Blase, J. J. (1984). Teacher in bars: From professional to personal self. Sociology of Education, 57, 164–173. Williams, J. & Williamson, K. (1992). I wouldn’t want to shoot nobody: The out-of-school curriculum as described by urban students. Action in Teacher Education, 14(2), 9–15. Published Examples of Ethnographic Research

7. 7 Applying Technology… Web sites covering topics related to qualitative research An Introduction to Qualitative Research (http://www.uea.ac.uk/care/elu/Issues/Research/Res1Cont.html)http://www.uea.ac.uk/care/elu/Issues/Research/Res1Cont.html Dr. Trochim’s discussion of "Qualitative Measures" (http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/qual.htm)http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/qual.htm Dr. Trochim’s discussion of "Qualitative Approaches" (http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/qualapp.htm)http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/qualapp.htm Dr. Trochim’s discussion of "Qualitative Methods" (http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/qualmeth.htm)http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/qualmeth.htm Dr. Trochim’s discussion of "Qualitative Validity" (http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/qualval.htm)http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/qualval.htm Qualitative Research (http://llanes.panam.edu/research/advisor/Qualresearch.html)http://llanes.panam.edu/research/advisor/Qualresearch.html Qualitative Research Resources on the Internet (http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/qualres.html)http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/qualres.html

8. 8 QSR (Qualitative Solutions and Research) Home Page (http://qsr.latrobe.edu.au)http://qsr.latrobe.edu.au Free, downloadable demo version of NUD*IST qualitative data analysis software (http://qsr.latrobe.edu.au/software/download.htm)http://qsr.latrobe.edu.au/software/download.htm Research Proposal Evaluation Form for Qualitative Methodology (http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~marylynn/qreval.html)http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~marylynn/qreval.html Applying Technology… More web sites covering topics related to qualitative research