How Does Ethnography Work In Real Life?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Ethnographic research is a

qualitative method where researchers observe and/or interact with a study’s participants in their real-life environment

. Ethnography was popularised by anthropology, but is used across a wide range of social sciences.

What are some examples of ethnography?

  • Observing a group of children playing. …
  • Observing employees in a corporate office. …
  • Observing medical personnel in a high-volume hospital. …
  • Observing an indigenous village. …
  • Observing a high school classroom. …
  • Observing motorcycle riders.

How do you use ethnography?

Ethnographic research is a qualitative method where

researchers observe and/or interact with a study’s participants in their real-life environment

. Ethnography was popularised by anthropology, but is used across a wide range of social sciences.

What is the purpose of doing ethnography?

The primary purpose of ethnography is

to gain a holistic understanding of a social or cultural group

.

What is ethnography and its example?

Generally, an ethnographic study involves

a researcher observing behaviour either in person or via cameras pre-installed in participant homes

, work places, etc. Think of the show Gogglebox where viewers observe the reaction to other people watching TV – that’s ethnography.

What are disadvantages of ethnography?

Ethnographic research has several disadvantages to consider as well. Ethnography is time consuming and requires a well-trained researcher. It takes time to build trust with informants in order to facilitate full and honest discourse.

Short-term studies

are at a particular disadvantage in this regard.

What is ethnography method?

Ethnographic methods are

a research approach where you look at people in their cultural setting

, with the goal of producing a narrative account of that particular culture, against a theoretical backdrop. As part of this you will look at: … How they interact with one another, and with their social and cultural environment.

What is ethnography in simple terms?

ethnography,

descriptive study of a particular human society or the process of making such a study

. Contemporary ethnography is based almost entirely on fieldwork and requires the complete immersion of the anthropologist in the culture and everyday life of the people who are the subject of his study.

What are the characteristics of ethnography?

  •  …
  • Produces an accurate reflection of perspectives and behaviours.
  • Ethnography consists of inductive, interactive and repeated collection of unstructured data and analysis to build local cultural theories. …
  • Data are mostly collected from fieldwork experiences.

Why was ethnography created?

Ethnography is the practice

developed in order to bring about that knowledge according to certain methodological principles

, the most important of which is participant-observation ethnographic fieldwork. … This is how anthropologists understand the world.

What are the three meanings of ethnography?

Ethnography (from Greek ἔθνος ethnos “

folk, people, nation

” and γράφω grapho “I write”) is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures.

What is ethnography and why is it important?

Ethnography is

the description of cultures and the groups of people who live within them

. It can be useful in personal adaptation, personal success, and to better understand other cultures.

What is the value of ethnography?

Another key strength of ethnographic methods is that they allow us to discover, witness and explore the complexity and detail of consumer ritual and routine. Accessing ritual and routine is crucial—it allows us to understand the human moments that punctuate the rituals of everyday life.

What are the strengths of ethnographic study?

  • Marketers Get a More Realistic Picture. …
  • Uncovers Extremely Valuable Insight. …
  • Pinpoint Business Needs & Make Accurate Predictions. …
  • Extended Observations. …
  • Higher Scope of Available Data. …
  • Ethnography Requires Time. …
  • Creating a Normal Environment Isn’t Always Easy. …
  • It’s More Difficult to Recruit.

Is Ethnographic Research expensive?

A lot of people view ethnography

as an expensive, time consuming form of research

. Whether its service, product, or experience development – ethnography is rarely ever considered. … Today, ethnographies are becoming more accessible and more appealing to companies due to their mobile counterparts.

How do you collect data from the ethnography design?


Use multimethod strategies or “triangulation”

to collect data from participants’ perspective using observation techniques, interviews, and/or document analysis. B. As initial patterns emerge the researcher uses further observations or interviews to corroborate ideas and facts.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.