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Ethnography ‘Those who want to use qualitative methods because they are easier than statistics are in for a rude awakening’ BUT they are VERY useful!. ‘Ethno’ Scientific description of culture based on observations of ordinary interaction and negotiation between people
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Ethnography‘Those who want to use qualitative methods because they are easier than statistics are in for a rude awakening’ BUT they are VERY useful! • ‘Ethno’ • Scientific description of culture based on observations of ordinary interaction and negotiation between people • Ethnographic research approaches involve • Participant observation • Interviewing (unstructured, structured, group) • (in combination with) surveying
Ethnography… • Good for qualitative data • ie identify issues • Not good for quantitative data • ie how much issues count • Time consuming • Hard work • Language • Takes practice
What do we learn with ethnography? • Understand meaning • Understand how people make decisions • Understand behaviour • eg Why do people watch weather channels? • eg Why do people live in disaster-prone areas? • Understand how people are impacted by change
Who plays? • Informants: ethnographic informants selected for cultural competence rather than statistical representativeness • Key informants • Culturally specialized informants
Participant observation…the foundation of cultural anthropology • Participation - participant observation involves fieldwork, but fieldwork does not always involve participant observation • Establish rapport • Spend time • Observation - observe where the action is! • Fieldnotes • Photographs • Audio/visual recordings • Researcher becomes instruments of data collection and analysis
Why use participant observation? • Increase breadth of exposure to types of data • Reduces ‘reactivity’ - tendency to change behavior when studied • Salient and relevant questions • Intuitive understanding breeds confidence • Best method for the job