CS235 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Ethnography, Grounded Theory, List Of Newspapers In Greece
Ethnography and Interviewing 2 tutorials left
Features of Qualitative Research
● Inductive view of relationship between theory and research (bottom up)
● Interpretivist and or critical epistemology
● Constructivist ontology (there are multiple versions of reality, and reality can be seen
subjectively)
● Emphasis on subjective meanings rather than numbers
● Diverse research methods (data collection and analysis, qualitative researchers rely on
triangulation)
Qualitative Research Methods
● Ethnography
● Qualitative interviewing
● Focus groups
● Grounded theory approach (analytic method)
● Discourse and narrative analysis
Qualitative Research Flow
● Theories → Research Question → Methodology → Methods → Findings → (at this point no
difference between qualitative/quantitative - qualitative unique because you can go back
to research question and alter it - which may thus alter methodology and methods) →
Theories (ultimately, try to inform theory development)
● Ultimate goal is to develop theory for future research
● Flexible stance is unique to qualitative research - theory must be followed rather than
devised in quantitative research
What is Ethnography?
● Ethnos (of the people) + Graphos (to write)
● Ethnography does not have one universal definition
● Communication researchers usually define it as: The systematic investigation of people
and cultures from the viewpoint of the subject of the study (designed to explore cultural
phenomena where the researcher observes society from their point of view)
● A researcher is immersed in the field for an extended period of time
● Associated with the interpretive and or critical research paradigm (descriptive,
evaluative, and reformist claims)
“Ethnography involves the ethnographer participating overtly or covertly in people’s daily lives
for an extended period of time… collecting whatever data available to throw light on the issues
that are the focus of research”
Approaches to Ethnography
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
● Macro-ethnography
○ Studies broadly defined cultural groups (Canadians, university students)
○ Involves years of field research and multiple researchers
● Micro-ethnography
○ Studies narrowly defined cultural groups
○ Conducted by a single researcher
Ethnographic Methods
1. Selecting a culture or group of interest (often have to narrow focus - for eg 2nd year
comm majors rather than all uni students - and conceivable rationale - why you are
interested and why it is important to study)
2. Literature review (ongoing)
3. Develop research question(s) - as noted earlier can be rephrased
4. Gaining access (to culture or community - thru gatekeepers)
a. Open/public vs closed/private settings
b. May need the gatekeeper or sponsor’s approval
i. Gatekeepers: those who have power to grant/deny your access to the
setting
ii. Sponsors: those who take an active interest in the project
5. Build rapport with key informants
a. A sense of trust and comfort with key informants
i. Have specialized, first hand knowledge about the community
ii. Represent larger group
iii. Can be gatekeepers (aren’t always but could me)
6. Data collection thru field work (cultural immersion)
a. Field observation (goal to obtain subjective meanings and think description)
i. Participant observation → explained further down
ii. Unobtrusive observation
b. Qualitative interviewing
i. One on one
ii. Focus group
c. Analysis of archival documents and artifacts → explained further down
7. Data analysis and theory building
Participant Observation
● A key method of ethnography in which the researcher takes on the role of being studied
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Inductive view of relationship between theory and research (bottom up) Constructivist ontology (there are multiple versions of reality, and reality can be seen subjectively) Emphasis on subjective meanings rather than numbers. Diverse research methods (data collection and analysis, qualitative researchers rely on triangulation) Ultimate goal is to develop theory for future research. Flexible stance is unique to qualitative research - theory must be followed rather than devised in quantitative research. Ethnos (of the people) + graphos (to write) Ethnography does not have one universal definition. Communication researchers usually define it as: the systematic investigation of people and cultures from the viewpoint of the subject of the study (designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from their point of view) A researcher is immersed in the field for an extended period of time. Associated with the interpretive and or critical research paradigm (descriptive, evaluative, and reformist claims)
