Research in social science, anthropology, religious studies, etc. often aims at studying the behavior and facet of a culture of a community. This can be achieved by using research methods such as ethnography and phenomenology. While phenomenology focuses on individual behavior or experience, it is an ethnography approach that focuses on studying the behavior of a collective community.
Ethnography, employed in the initial stage of research, is a qualitative research method that provides an in-depth understanding of the behaviors and interactions of people of a specific community. This type of research method aims at understanding the underlying issue and designing effective solutions.
Generally, this research method involves a combination of fieldwork such as interviews, surveys, and observation, which can be utilized to assess the existing research design and support future study decisions.
Some of the key characteristics of ethnography are:
a) Has the ability to function with unstructured data
b) Can explore the nature of the specific social phenomenon
c) Capable of investigation small number of cases
Distinct from simple observational method, ethnography demands researcher to integrate into the community under study. The steps involved in this method include:
1) Identifying the research question – The first step involved in the process is determining the apt research problem you wish to find solutions for. Create a problem statement that gives rise to many more in-depth questions. The issue or question can pertain to any topic that addresses the factors (relationship, culture, processes, interactions, etc.) affecting the behavior of the people.
2) Choosing the research location (s) –Determining the research question is followed by identifying a suitable location to perform the research. Choose a place that enables you to take field notes, observe, participate, observe and determine the behavior of people in that specific environment. If your research question/problem demands, you can choose more than one apt location.
3) Formulating data collection approach – Choose the most effective approach(s) to gather the required information. However, prior to selecting the method, decide if you will be playing the role of an individual in the community you are observing? Will the individuals know you are a researcher or will you be a covert? If the individuals aren’t aware of your being the researcher, consider an ethical approach to observe and gather data.
4) Acquiring permissions –Being considerate and ethical in vital in research. Since ethnographic research is intrusive, it is necessary to take permission to get access to the environment under study and in implementing the recorded observations in your ethnography paper. Let the decision-makers know the observational methods you will be using, how the collected data will be utilized, and so on.
5) Participation –Ethnographic research involves more than observation. To perform the research effectively, participate in the events you are researching. Identify the information (pertaining to your research question and problem) you are looking for and determine ideal methods to collect the information. Behave as an objective throughout the process of collecting the data.
6) Interviewing ideal respondent – Interviews are necessary to get a deep understanding of the actions and behaviors. Identify suitable questions and individuals to obtain relevant answers to your question. Interviews can be done at any stage including, immediately after witnessing an activity, at the end of the day, at the end of the designated observation duration, or at the end of the complete research period.
7) Gathering archival information –Many communities and culture include several other information and artifacts which can be employed to collect required data. Analyze Emails, written documents, telephonic conversations, physical artifacts, websites, and other sources to improve the overall understanding of the community/environment.
8) Coding and data analysis –Coding data is a proven way to add sense to the observations. This is followed by data analysis and interpretation. The steps included here are
(1) coding & labeling collected data,
(2) sorting out patterns
(3) identifying outliers
(4) comparing theories and
(5) noting the reflective remarks.
Ethnography is widely used due to the number of benefits it offers. However, it also has a few limitations as listed below.
Advantages
a) It gives a better understanding of the cultures
b) Let’s ethnographers to discover new aspects
c) It provides deeper insights into human behavior, irrespective of culture, location, etc.
Disadvantages
a) As it relies on qualitative research, it becomes difficult to select a representative sample
b) Can result in cultural bias
c) Is time-consuming
d) The success of the study depends on the honesty & openness of respondents
Although sounds fascinating, performing the ethnographic research adept knowledge and ability to build relationships with the respondents. Master the art of deploying ethnographic approaches and gather the required data for your study.
It is a must to obtain permission from the participants before collecting the data. They must be aware of the research aim & objectives.