ETHNOGRAPHY

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 derived from the Greek
ETHNOGRAPHY
ethnos graphien
folk/
writing
people
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What is Ethnography?
– qualitative research method which was
initially associated with Anthropological
research and aims to study “cultural
phenomena”
– Studies the culture ( values, beliefs,
behaviors, language) of a distinct group
within society
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What is Ethnography?
– Ethnographer refers to the people from
whom they gather information as
informants rather than participants, and
they study sites rather than individuals.

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What is Ethnography?
“Ethnography is the art and science of
describing a group or culture. The
description may be of a small tribal group in
an exotic land or a classroom in middle-
class suburbia.”
-David M. Fetterman, 1998

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 Characteristics of Ethnographic
Research
• Contextual
- research is carried out in the context in which
the subjects normally live and work

• Unobtrusive
- research avoids manipulating the phenomena
under investigation
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• Longitudinal
- research is relatively long

• Collaborative
- research involves the participation of
stakeholders other than the researcher

• Interpretative
- research carries out interpretative analysis of
data
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• Organic
- there is interaction between questions or
hypotheses and data collection or interpretation

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 ETHNOGRAPHY AS METHOD

Step
1
Preparation

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1. Preparation
- Familiarize yourself with:
• Organization policies
• Work culture
• Current System & its history
- Identify the Focus of the Study
-Gain access and permission

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 ETHNOGRAPHY AS METHOD

Step
2
Field Study

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2. Field Study
- Field notes, audio, or video recording.
- Follow any leads

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 ETHNOGRAPHY AS METHOD

Step
3
Analysis

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3. Preparation
- Compile data into databases:
• Numerical
• Textual
• Multimedia
- Quantify data and compile statistics.
- Reduce and Interpret Data.
- Review and Redevelop Ideas.
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 ETHNOGRAPHY AS METHOD

Step
4
Reporting

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4. Reporting
- Consider multiple audiences and
respective goals.
- Prepare a report and present the findings.
- Have debriefing meetings

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 METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES
1. Naturalism
This is the view that the aim of social research is
to capture the character of naturally occurring human
behavior, and that this can only be achieved by first-
hand contact with it, not by inferences from what
people do in artificial settings like experiments or from
what they say in interviews about what they do
elsewhere.
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 METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES

2. Understanding
If we are to be able to explain human actions
effectively we must gain an understanding of the
cultural perspectives on which they are based.

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 METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES

3. Discovery
Another feature of ethnographic thinking is a
conception of the research process as inductive or
discovery-based; rather than as being limited to the
testing of explicit hypotheses.

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 Examples of Ethnographic Researches

- “Global Divas: Filipino Gay Men in the

Diaspora” by Martin F. Manalansan

- “The Culture of Homeless: An ethnographic

study” by Megan Honor Ravenhill

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