Ethnography is the study of a specific grouping within a culture and is a qualitative method for collecting data often used in the social and behavioral sciences. Researchers pursuing this study format will immerse themselves in the culture they are researching. The qualitative data is gathered through direct observation and interaction or interviews with participants which are then used to draw conclusions about how societies and individuals function.
Introduction to Ethnography
The first step in conducting an ethnography is to learn as much as possible about the culture you will be studying — the context. The second step is to learn more about the participants who will be your subjects — the participants. The ethnographer must first engage with the culture she/he is studying, but also in the participants’ culture. You will then gain life experience which you, in turn, will use to interpret your research. Ethnography is a qualitative research method, and it is often used to understand and explain cultural differences or similarities between societies or groups. Ethnography researchers use multiple methods of observation and interviews to gather data. Ethnographers try to look beyond the obvious to get a deeper understanding of the social and cultural issues.
Source: Medium (Sean Van Tyne)
Types of Ethnography for qualitative research
There are multiple types of ethnography that researchers can use for qualitative research. These ethnographies can be distinct for their focus on a subculture within a larger culture, the history of a subculture, or the relationship between two subcultures. For example, a researcher interested in health care in a specific rural community might conduct a micro ethnography on the health care system in that community. The researcher might conduct interviews with health professionals and patients to explore the system’s structure, rules, and policies. The researcher might also conduct interviews with community members about their experience with health care, as well as interviews with experts about health care systems around the world.
Micro ethnographies usually focus on a single community or subculture. In contrast, macro ethnographies look at a larger society or culture. Macro ethnographies can be general or specific. General macro ethnographies look at the relationship between two or more cultures, while specific macro ethnographies focus on a single culture.
Steps in conducting an ethnography
First, you must decide what you want to explore in your ethnography. The two main types of ethnographies are macro and micro ethnographies. A macro ethnography looks at one or two cultural aspects of a society. A micro ethnography looks at one cultural aspect of a specific subculture or community. You also want to think about the type of participants you want to include in your study. If you want to study women in the rural community, you will want to include women in your sample of participants. You’ll want to decide what questions you want to answer, and what kind of data you want to collect. You’ll want to make sure you have a clear idea of how long the ethnography will be. Ethnographers usually carry out their studies over a period of time, but that time length can vary depending on your project.
Evaluating Efficacy of Ethnography
From the various research approaches available to you, it is evident that one of them is more suitable than the other. This can be determined through qualitative research method efficacy. Efficacy is the extent to which a research design yields useful results. A study design is deemed effective when it produces reliable results. Ethnography as a qualitative research approach is highly effective. It is effective in providing knowledge about a culture. Many scholars and researchers are of the view that ethnography is an effective method for obtaining research results but there are a few risks and associated issues of confirming validity involved in ethnography.
One primary issue is the concern of establishing clear project protocols before your review Board or such other authority overseeing your research. The unpredictability of organic life is responsible for this which renders the researcher unable to implement any rigorous timelines. Ethnographic researchers overcome this by providing comprehensive information on how their research is guided and what is the particular impact of studying the culture or community. The researchers are also bound by certain codes of conduct, which could vary according to your university or departmental regulations and this affects the extent and mode of interaction you can freely pursue.
The researchers also have to model a well-defined consent process and procedure of interaction to control the extent and ethical implication of the sensitive information that will be collected. Ethnographic research can also run the risk of observer bias and subjective interpretation which are again due to the nature of the research.
Conclusion
Ethnography is a qualitative research approach that allows researchers to examine a culture from within. Ethnography is highly effective because it allows researchers to examine culture from within and outside the culture. As with all qualitative research methods, ethnography requires a great deal of fieldwork and intensive research to compile quality data. Ethnography is also highly regarded as an effective method for obtaining research results, albeit subjected to common perversions of inaccuracies in studying and evaluating qualitative data.