How to Do Ethnographic Research

Ethnographic research could take you anywhere in the world.

Ethnography is a science that seeks to understand customs, cultures and belief systems of large groups of people or organizations. An ethnographer doing research seeks to blend into a group of people or organization. Ethnographers must be prepared to spend endless hours noting any and all changes that occur during their time with this group or organization. This enables him to document trends and behavior during normal times, changing times and after a change has happened.

Instructions

1. Blend into the culture of the people or organization you are studying. Living among the people you're studying is one way to conduct ethnographic research. Ethnographic research is not necessarily the study of the effect of one particular event on a group of people or organization. Because of this, the research could require you to live for years in tough conditions while waiting for something to happen or simply observing what does happen. It is not uncommon to make these types of sacrifices in the interest of your study.

2. Return repeatedly to track any changes within the environment of your study. This is helpful when you're studying people in an office or workplace. Each time you go, you can ask the people in the organization the same questions to see whether their responses are the same. You'll be ready to make a special note when the responses are different. Also make note of how many times a different answer is given. These types of changes are important in ethnographic research.

3. Spend as much time as possible with the people you are studying. If the people are in a workplace, go there each day just as they do. Follow people around or even do some of the tasks they do so you'll be able to relate to their work lives. While blending in to their organizational culture, survey, interview or simply observe them to complete your ethnographic research on their feelings about their surroundings. Before publishing your findings, review what you wrote with those you interviewed to make sure you truly understand what they shared with you.

4. Interview people who share something in common with you. This is another way to conduct ethnographic research. Not everyone feels as you do about a particular event in society or the workplace. By studying those who are like you in certain ways such as race, age and social status, you can research how events affect everyone differently. Do this without assuming that you already know. Often this type of ethnographic research is set within a certain time frame. For instance, if a company is embarking on a merger, you could study the reactions of the workers and periodically ask them questions that pull out personal feelings during this transition. It is acceptable within an ethnographic study to form smaller groups to discuss additional issues that seem pertinent to the participants.

References

• "The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research"; B. G. Glaser & A. L.; 1967
• "Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods"; M.Q. Patton; 1990
• "Educational Management Administration Leadership"; Leadership and followership as a relational process; M. Russell; 2003