Ethnography

Ethnography is an overall research strategy - a methodology - employed in developing some research designs. Ethnographic research is naturalistic, and employs data collection techniques such as participant observation and interviews undertaken in the ‘verstehen’ tradition.

“Ethnography is an approach drawing upon anthropology, which attempts to make sense of a particular culture or group in its own terms: that is to understand the meaning the individuals in that culture of group assign to certain rituals or cultural practices …Whilst, ethnographies, that is detailed accounts produced by ethnographic methodology, are relatively rare, if not excluded … in science education, studies which draw on ethnographic approaches and perspectives are quite common.”

Taber, K. S. (2014). Methodological issues in science education research: a perspective from the philosophy of science. In M. R. Matthews (Ed.), International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching (Vol. 3, pp. 1839-1893). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

In some types of research interview intended to understand the participants’ construing of the world, an ethnographic style of interview may be appropriate.

Recommended podcast* as a gentle introduction to Ethnography

‘The BSA and Thinking Allowed Ethnography Award Shortlist’ is an episode of the radio series ‘Thinking Aloud’ which is presented by Prof. Laurie Taylor and reports on “new research on how society works”. As the title suggests ‘‘The BSA and Thinking Allowed Ethnography Award Shortlist’ concerns “The Ethnography award 'short list': Thinking Allowed, in association with the British Sociological Association, presents a special programme devoted to the academic research which has been short listed for our third annual award for a study that has made a significant contribution to ethnography, the in-depth analysis of the everyday life of a culture or sub culture.”

The programme discusses the five ethnographies that made the 2017 prize shortlist. As well as providing a brief overview of each of the studies, the judges offer their take on the key features of ethnography.

(*Free to download from the BBC website, along with other episodes from the series).

h

Index of topics