Ethnography
Recently, interest
in participant observation methods has waned while more general ethnographic
strategies are being developed. This form of training is very important in the
field of social sciences, especially when researchers are concerned with the
origins and cultural history of society. The Thesis India team will help you
prepare the right questionnaire, indicate which aspects to give more importance
and help you outline the observations to present them in your research paper in
the correct format. This is a complex task and it is a wise decision to get
help from a dedicated team who cares about your success.
Definition of
ethnography according to Hammersley and Atkinson 1995, p.1
In its most
characteristic form, it is the ethnographer who is involved in people's daily
lives, openly or clandestinely, over long periods of time, observing what is
happening, listening to what is said, asking questions - in fact, all available
data. warehouse gathering light in the center of problem research"
Ethnographic
Research - Key Features
Tendency to work
primarily with "unstructured" data. In principle, the data used have
not been coded at the point of collection.
Detailed study and
consideration of several research questions, sometimes only one.
Emphasis on
studying the nature of a particular social phenomenon rather than trying to
test hypotheses about it.
In-depth data
analysis that includes a clear understanding of the consequences and goals of
human actions.
How does
ethnography fit into the research process (qualitative research)?
Ethnography begins
with a theoretical position that describes social reality and its origins. The
most important step in ethnographic research is to identify the cultural group
to be observed. This is followed by identifying group variables, entering and
associating with people, seeking information, defining the characteristics of
the subject and analyzing the collected data to draw correct conclusions.
The research
questions mainly focus on detailed case descriptions. The use of this method is
very important for the empirical and theoretical development of the study area
and not just a problem to be solved technically. The scope of ethnography can
be broad or narrow, depending on the type of culture being observed. Studying a
particular clan or social unit is called microethnography, while observing a
wider cultural group is included in macroethnography.
Ethnography can
also be classified according to the perspective it contains. Inner observation
and knowledge of the insider's point of view is called an emic perspective,
while the study of the external point of view of a cultural group is called
ethics. To maintain a balance between the two perspectives, the researcher must
not only understand the cultural group under study, but also must interpret the
results in a way that is understandable to the external community.
Therefore,
ethnography requires a high level of reflexivity on the part of the researcher.
The study must be carried out in the most natural environment and in the most
natural situation to avoid deviations or deviations from the natural behavior
of the test subject. Research should include high-level observations by the
researcher, which can be done by recording or recording study group
conversations. Researchers are often an instrument or part of research. This
individual effort makes this research method highly subjective.
The ethnographic
spectrum is very broad. It is useful for market research by tracking psychology
and predicting people's behavior. Advertising, demographic research,
criminology, medical research, nursing, and economics research find this branch
of research very useful.
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