Essential Ethnographic Methods A Mixed Methods Approach

by Schensul, Jean J.; Lecompte, Margaret D.

• ISBN13: 9780759122031
• ISBN10: 0759122032
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-10-01
• Publisher: AltaMira Press

Summary

The second edition of the Ethnographer's Toolkit is designed with the novice field researcher in mind. In this revised and updated version, the authors of the Toolkit take the reader through a series of seven books that spell out the steps involved in doing ethnographic research in community and institutional settings. Using simple, reader-friendly language, the Toolkit includes case studies, examples, illustrations, checklists, key points, and additional resources. The Toolkit is the perfect starting point for students and faculty in the social sciences, public health, education, environmental studies, allied health, and nursing, who may be new to ethnographic research. It also introduces professionals from diverse fields to the use of observation, assessment, and evaluation for practical ways to improve programs and achieve better service outcomes.

Author Biography

Jean J. Schensul is founding director and senior scientist at the Institute for Community Research, Hartford, Connecticut. Margaret D. LeCompte is professor emerita of education and sociology at the University, of Colorado. Boulder.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	p. ix
List of Examples	p. xi
Introduction to the Ethnographer's Toolkit	p. xvi
Essential Data Collection	p. 1
What Is Essential Data Collection?	p. 1
Why Are Research Questions Required to Guide Essential Data Collection?	p. 2
The Value of Research Modeling Based on Research Questions and Prior Knowledge	p. 5
Basic Skills Required in Essential Data Collection	p. 8
Establishing Professional Boundaries: Intimacy and Relationships in Face-to-Face Data Collection	p. 17
Summary: Challenges in Collecting Observational and Interview Data in Person	p. 20
Defining and Entering the Field	p. 22
Fieldwork and the Field	p. 23
The Ethnographer as Self-Reflective Tool for Inquiry	p. 26
Establishing Relationships to Facilitate Entry	p. 32
Steps in Entering a Research Setting	p. 32
Recording and Organizing Ethnographic Field Data: Field Notes, Interviews, Drawings, Visual Documentation, and Survey Data	p. 47
What Are Field Notes, and Why Are They Important?	p. 47
Recording Field Notes	p. 54
Writing Up Field Notes	p. 56
Making Decisions about What to Write	p. 60
Organizing and Managing Ethnographic Data While in the Field	p. 78
Storing Quantitative Data for Subsequent Analysis	p. 81
Summary	p. 82
Participant Observation and Informal Interviewing in the Field	p. 83
Introduction	p. 83
Differences between Participant Observation and Nonparticipant Observation	p. 84
Observation from a Distance	p. 88
Deciding Where and What to Observe	p. 91
Deciding When to Observe	p. 101
Informal Interviewing in the Field	p. 103
Tips on Recording Observations and Informal Interviews	p. 107
Dynamics and Challenges in Field Observation	p. 110
Summary	p. 111
Additional Methods for Collecting Exploratory Data	p. 112
Introduction	p. 112
Social and Other Forms of Mapping	p. 112
Eliciting Information through Objects, Drawings, Materials, and Photographs	p. 124
Timelines	p. 128
Organizational Charts	p. 131
Summary	p. 132
In-depth, Open-ended Exploratory Interviewing	p. 134
Introduction and Definitions	p. 134
Purposes of In-depth, Exploratory, Open-ended Interviewing	p. 135
Selecting and Sampling: When and Whom to Interview	p. 137
Preparing for the Interview	p. 140
Starting an Unstructured Exploratory Interview	p. 151
Structuring Open-ended Interviews	p. 152
Self-management during Interviewing	p. 163
Recording Research Interviews	p. 166
Summary	p. 167
Semistructured Interviews and Observations	p. 171
What Are Semistructured Forms of Data Collection?	p. 171
Conducting Semistructured Interviews	p. 174
Constructing a Semistructured Interview Schedule	p. 179
Analysis of Semistructured Interview Data	p. 183
Conducting Semistructured Observations	p. 188
Sampling in Semistructured Data Collection	p. 191
Identifying and Resolving Challenges in Semistructured Data Collection	p. 193
Summary	p. 194
Focus Group Interviews	p. 195
What Is a Group Interview?	p. 195
Formal Focus Group Interviews	p. 196
Organizing and Preparing for Formal Focus Group Interviews	p. 198
Creating a Representative Sample for a Focus Group	p. 202
Identifying and Training Focus Group Facilitators	p. 211
Conducting a Focus Group Interview	p. 216
Asking Questions in Focus Group Interviews	p. 220
Characteristics of Good Focus Group Questions	p. 222
Recording Data from Focus Group Interviews	p. 226
Videotaping	p. 231
Validity and Reliability in Research with Focus Groups	p. 233
Management and Analysis of Focus Group Interviews	p. 237
Advantages, Uses, and Limitations of Focus Group Interviews	p. 239
Structured Approaches to Ethnographic Data Collection: Surveys	p. 241
The Role of Structured Data Collection	p. 241
Defining Ethnographic Surveys	p. 243
Steps in the Construction of the Ethnographic Survey	p. 247
Administration of Ethnographic Interviews	p. 271
Analysis of Quantitative Data	p. 275
Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Data: Triangulation	p. 276
Summary	p. 278
Sampling in Ethnographic Research	p. 280
Approaches to Selection in Ethnographic Research	p. 283
Approaches to Sampling to Approximate or Achieve Representativeness of a Population in Ethnographic Research	p. 294
Requirements for and Cautions about the Use of Samples	p. 309
Summary	p. 318
Defining and Evaluating Quality in Ethnographic Research	p. 319
Introduction: What Is Research Quality?	p. 319
Reliability, Validity, Objectivity, and Subjectivity	p. 320
The Positivist Critique of Ethnography	p. 323
Why Ethnographic Characteristics Fit Poorly with Positivistic Canons for Research Quality	p. 325
Validity	p. 327
Reliability	p. 341
Conclusion	p. 343
References	p. 345
Index	p. 353
About the Authors and Artists	p. 363
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