Ethnographic Research

 
 

What is ethnographic research?

Ethnographic research is a qualitative research method involving the systematic study of people in their natural environment to understand their way of life, including how they see and interact with the world around them. The aim of an ethnography study is to produce a rich, comprehensive account of a social setting from the participants’ point of view. ​​

Researchers conducting an ethnographic study spend time with the participants, have an up-close experience with them to gain insights into their social interactions, and collect data through participant observation, face-to-face interviews, etc. Ethnography in qualitative research is also called thick description as it involves an up-close observation of the participants and a detailed description of their cultures, behavior, mutual differences, and practices.

Ethnographic research has its root in anthropology, the study of human societies and culture. Social scientists use this qualitative research methodology in health care, education, cultural studies, etc. 

Read on to learn more about ethnographic research, including how to collect data for your ethnographic field work,  the pros and cons of ethnographic research, and examples of ethnographic research.

What are ethnographic methods?

Ethnographic methods are the techniques used to collect data for an ethnographic study. They are the means researchers utilize to acquire knowledge about the social settings under investigation and tap into the participants' points of view. The three main ethnographic methods are participant observation, interviews, and archival research. Usually, researchers use all or a mix of all these ethnographic methods to collect data for their study.

Ethnographic observation

There are two types of ethnographic observation: active participant observation and passive participant observation. The first one involves becoming a member of the study group, partaking in their daily activities, and working directly with them to get hands-on experience and understand their perspective. The latter involves observing and taking notes only. You do not get involved in the group’s activities. Learn more about qualitative observation here.

Interviews   

Interviews in ethnographic fieldwork involve observing the participants in their natural environment and asking them questions to gain more insights. Researchers utilizing this ethnographic method interact with the study group to understand the participants' actions and thought processes. An advantage of collecting data through interviews when conducting ethnographic fieldwork is that the researcher gets to ask questions directly linked to participants’ experiences and unearths insights that you may not uncover if the interview happened outside the subject’s natural environment.

Archival research

Archival research is an ethnographic method in which you collect and analyze existing research data, websites, annual reports, and other relevant written documents to learn more about the people and place you are investigating. When archival research is used alongside other methods, it helps the researcher become more prepared as they know about the participants’ demographics, economic status, education levels, cultures, interests, etc., before conducting the ethnographic fieldwork.

How to conduct ethnographic research

Are you thinking of conducting an ethnographic study? Below are the main steps involved in conducting ethnography qualitative research.

  1. Identify the questions you hope to answer with your ethnography study. This first step will help you determine the goals of your ethnographic research and shape your entire work. 

  2. Choose the best ethnographic method to collect the data you need. You can either utilize one or use a mix of the methods listed above. For example, you could use only ethnographic observation or interviews, ethnographic observation, and archival research for your study. 

  3. Contact your potential study subjects to explain your research and obtain informed consent. 

  4. Start your study with ethnographic fieldwork. Go to the place under investigation to observe, ask questions, gain more insights, and take thorough notes.

  5. After ethnographic fieldwork, the next step is analyzing your data. You are likely wondering how to analyze ethnographic observations. Coding ethnographic data involves identifying patterns and themes in the data you collected. Learn more about ethnographic coding here. You can facilitate this time-consuming process and save some stress by using Delve qualitative analysis software. 

  6. Once you analyze your data, the next thing is to list all the insights you uncovered from your research, including the answers to your research questions.

  7. The last step in ethnographic research is writing and presenting your findings. The output from an ethnographic study is called ethnography, a detailed and all-encompassing description of the research subjects, insights you uncovered, and how you conducted the study.

Ethnographic research examples

Here are two real-life ethnographic research examples to help you better understand this methodology and how you can implement it in your work.

1. Ethnographic research among drinking youth cultures; reflections from observing participants. 

In this ethnographic example, Briggs, Golobov, and Ventsel investigated the drinking cultures of youth groups in the UK, Germany, and Russia. First, the researchers collected data using interviews and field observations. Afterward, they analyze their collected data and list the insights they uncovered about the drinking culture of the research participants. 

2. An ethnographic study of an engineering community: Mentoring as a tacit rule and its implication of how people learn.

Here, Ayar and Yalvac employed ethnographic research to investigate the cultural characteristics of an engineering research center. The researchers used interviews and participant observations to collect data. After analyzing the collected data, the researchers identified the cultural practices of the center.

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Advantages of ethnographic research 

The advantages of ethnographic research include:

  1. Ethnographic methods allow the participant to contact the research subjects directly, have personal experience with them in their natural environment and collect first-hand data.

  2. Ethnographic research provides detailed and authentic information about the research subjects, including a detailed account of their behavior and why they occur.

  3. Ethnographic research can uncover the qualities of a group’s culture or experience in a way that other qualitative research methods cannot.

Disadvantages of ethnographic research 

Some of the disadvantages of ethnographic research are:

  1. First, ethnographic research is time-consuming and requires some level of expertise.

  2. Conducting an ethnographic study is expensive as it requires the researcher to travel to the participants' natural environment and live with them for weeks or months to learn about their ways.

  3. The researcher's presence may affect the participants' behavior, thereby affecting the validity and authenticity of the research results. 

  4. The researcher’s bias may affect the design and implementation of an ethnographic study.

When to use ethnographic research?

You can use Ethnography in sociology, health sciences, education, and other cultural studies when you are trying to:

  • Understand reasons why people in a social setting behave in a certain way.

  • Examine social interactions and gain insights into a social phenomenon.

  • Understand the cultural norms and views of a group of people.

  • Study the behavior of workers in a workplace

Should you employ ethnographic research for your study?

Are you wondering if ethnographic research is the right qualitative method for your thesis, dissertation, or other work? Below are some questions that can help you decide if ethnographic research is the right approach.

  • Is ethnographic research the best way to collect the data you need, or are there more effective methods to get it done?

  • Can you gain access to the social setting under investigation easily?

  • Are there ethical issues that could arise during the ethnography study?

  • What is the time span of the research, and how do you want to conduct it?

Answering these questions can help you decide whether to use ethnographic research. 

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