Ethnography and Phenomenology . . . and a little Ethnomethodology Dangerous Minds Mission

1. Ethnography and Phenomenology . . . and a little Ethnomethodology Dangerous Minds Mission

2. Ethnography . . . • is the study and description of a social or cultural group • involves first-hand, face-to-face experience in the everyday lives of the people being studied • is also used to refer to the written product • is used to explore and describe “What is going on here?”

3. Assumptions • There are multiple realities • People are viewed as “meaning-makers” and the emphasis is on how people interpret and construct their cultural worlds” • Society and culture can only be studied from the inside; the natural states

4. Doing Ethnography . . . • What is the problem or topic of interest? • the driving force behind the research endeavor • Consult secondary sources • Identify a naturally occurring setting • Sampling • Relationships

5. Doing ethnography. . . • Data collection through participant observation, interviews, document review • Field notes, audio and visual recordings • Data analysis • Report writing • Verification

6. Critical ethnography . . . • goes beyond description to empowering those who are being researched • involves directly with and for oppressed groups

7. While there is a wide diversity of approaches to ethnographic research, they share a fundamental commitment to developing a deep understanding through participant observation.

8. Critiques • Ethnography does not have the objectivity and validity of the “harder” sciences • Time consuming • Role of participant observer: Native vs. Stranger • Interpretation through the lens/standpoint of the ethnographer • Ethnography addresses the richness and complexity of social life and provides depth of description • Cultures are studied in their natural states (rather than in contrived experimental scenarios, surveys, etc.)

9. Credibility and authenticity . . . • Rigorous data collection • Making the researcher’s presence known • The use of multiple perspectives • Verification of the accuracy of the account • Reflexivity • Explicitly reporting on the researcher perspectives, values, and beliefs • Contextualizing observations and providing in depth descriptions