Introduction to Educational Research 5 th ed Craig

Introduction to Educational Research (5 th ed. ) Craig A. Mertler & C. M. Charles Chapter 10 Ethnographic Research 1

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 2

A Summary Description of Ethnographic Research • 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. 3

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 4

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 5

Published Examples of Ethnographic Research 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. 6

Additional Examples of Ethnographic Research See “Additional Examples of Published Ethnographic Studies” for 10 additional articles, available through Research Navigator. TM (http: //www. researchnavigator. com) 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/Res 1 Cont. html) • Dr. Trochim’s discussion of "Qualitative Measures" (http: //trochim. human. cornell. edu/kb/qual. htm) • Dr. Trochim’s discussion of "Qualitative Approaches" (http: //trochim. human. cornell. edu/kb/qualapp. htm) • Dr. Trochim’s discussion of "Qualitative Methods" (http: //trochim. human. cornell. edu/kb/qualmeth. htm) • Dr. Trochim’s discussion of "Qualitative Validity" (http: //trochim. human. cornell. edu/kb/qualval. htm) • Qualitative Research Resources on the Internet (http: //www. nova. edu/ssss/QR/qualres. html) 8

Applying Technology… More web sites covering topics related to qualitative research • QSR (Qualitative Solutions and Research) Home Page (http: //www. qsr. com. au) • Free, downloadable demo version of NUD*IST qualitative data analysis software (http: //www. qsr. com. au/Demo. Reg. asp) • Research Proposal Evaluation Form for Qualitative Methodology (http: //www. gslis. utexas. edu/~marylynn/qreval. html) 9