Victoria Yates WednesdayJun 29 at 8:44pmManage Discussion Entry What makes something an ethnographic study and not a case study? Like it states in Creswell. J. W., & Poth, C. N XXXXXXXXXXQualitative...

Victoria Yates

What makes something an ethnographic study and not a case study?

Like it states in Creswell. J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4thd ed).

"Definition of Ethnographic Research

Although a grounded theory researcher develops a theory from examining many individuals who share in the same process, action, or interaction, the study participants are not likely to be located in the same place or interacting on a frequent basis that they develop shared patterns of behavior, beliefs, and language. An ethnographer is interested in examining these shared patterns, and the unit of analysis is typically larger than the 20 or so individuals involved in a grounded theory study. An ethnography focuses on an entire culture-sharing group. Granted, sometimes this cultural group may be small (a few teachers, a few social workers), but typically it is large, involving many people who interact over time (teachers in an entire school, a community social work group). Thus, ethnography is a qualitative design in which the researcher describes and interprets the shared and learned patterns of values, behaviors, beliefs, and language of a culture-sharing group (Harris, 1968). "

Difference Between Case Study and Ethnography

February 13, 2017by Hasa states

The main difference between case study and ethnography is their focus; ethnography aims to explore cultural phenomenon whereas case studies aim to describe the nature of phenomena through a detailed investigation of individual cases. This article explains, 1. What is a Case Study – Definition, Features, Focus, Data Collection 2

How would you design an ethnographic study on your topic?

With my study on job satisfaction and retention in consumers with their jobs, I feel like

I would design an ethnographic study by explaining my study broadly and understanding the beliefs the companies want to have with their vision and mission in keeping their own together.

"From a review of published ethnographies, a brief list of defining characteristics of ethnographies can be assembled.

Ethnographies focus on developing a complex, complete description of the culture of a group—the entire culture-sharing group or a subset of a group. The culture-sharing group must have been intact and interacting for long enough to develop social behaviors of an identifiable group that can be studied. Key to ethnographic research is the focus on these discernible working patterns, not the study of a culture (Wolcott, 2008a).In an ethnography, the researcher looks for patterns (also described as rituals, customary social behaviors, or regularities) of the group’s mental activities, such as their ideas and beliefs expressed through language, or material activities, such as how they behave within the group as expressed through their actions observed by the researcher (Fetterman, 2010). Said in another way, the researcher looks for patterns of social organization (e.g., social networks) and ideational systems (e.g., worldview, ideas; Wolcott, 2008a).In addition, theory plays an important role in focusing the researcher’s attention when conducting an ethnography. For example, ethnographers start with a theory—a broad explanation as to what they hope to find—drawn from cognitive science to understand ideas and beliefs, or from materialist theories, such as techno-environmentalism, Marxism, acculturation, or innovation, to observe how individuals in the culture-sharing group behave and talk (Fetterman, 2010).Using the theory and looking for patterns of a culture-sharing group involves engaging in extensive fieldwork, collecting data primarily through interviews, observations, symbols, artifacts, and many diverse sources of data (Atkinson, 2015; Fetterman, 2010)."

References:

Digital Resource Creswell. J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4thd ed). Retrieved from https://redshelf.com

https://pediaa.com/difference-between-case-study-and-ethnography/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20case%20study%20and%20ethnography,Study%20%E2%80%93%20Definition%2C%20Features%2C%20Focus%2C%20Data%20Collection%202

Paulette Morris

What makes something an ethnographic study and not a case study?

Ethnographic studies are types of studies that employ methods that are ethnographic in nature. However, they concentrate more so on the development of arguments concerning cultural groups, or the formation of community. An ethnographic case study also places emphasis on the examination of other sociocultural phenomena as well (Creswell & Poth, 2017). Ethnography, however, is the study and construction of writings pertaining to individuals. Ethnography is a form of research commonly used by anthropologists. Ethnography allows for the exploration and examination of cultures and societies that are critical aspects of human experiences by researchers (Creswell & Poth, 2017). Ethnography is a qualitative research method that is used to collect data and is frequently employed in social and behavioral science research. The data is obtained by means of observations and interviewing and is then used to reach a conclusion on how individuals or societies function (Creswell & Poth, 2017). Ethnography can be viewed as an in-depth study of a particular cultural group whereas; ethnology is a comparative study of ethnographic societies, culture, and data.

There are ten principles in an ethnographic study which include grounding, evolution and emergence, complexity, generativity, immersion, details, immersion, integration, experience, and induction and deduction. Grounding is necessary for avoiding speculation or getting off-topic. Grounding makes sure that there is sufficient and ample enough evidence and theoretical connections so that the assertions can be deemed credible (Ploder & Hammann, 2021). Evolution and emergence are the interpretation and subsequent understanding evolves as the data is explored, connected, and re-evaluated by the researcher. The initial ideas become tentative, and the final theory or theories emerges from the data following repetitive and extensive exploration of the data acquired. Complexity as qualitative theories are less complex and therefore, are reduced to only a couple of variables (Ploder & Hammann, 2021). The qualitative theories are conceptually impenetrable meaning they are linked and accepted in many ways to the complexities of the real world. Details are significant to ethnographic studies as the method necessitates giving significant attention to the details (Ploder & Hammann, 2021). Something as simple as a word of an individual participant or a sentence can have significant meaning to the analysis of the data.

Generativity is another principle in ethnographic studies because generative questions create innovative ideas and ways of thinking (Ploder & Hammann, 2021). Innovative thinking and ideas are imperative to making comparisons and distinguishing between concepts, or ideas. Immersion is essential to ethnographic research because it is needed to focus on the complexity of the study and uncover the details (Ploder & Hammann, 2021). The researcher immerses themselves in the data frequently for a long duration with times for reflecting, reading the notes, and reading them again. The researcher then draws the data together to find the connections that exist between the data. The next principle is experience in which the researcher’s experience becomes important to discovering patterns within the context of the data (Ploder & Hammann, 2021). While engaging and interpreting the data the researcher provides new meanings to the information obtained.

Induction and deduction focus on the verification of the conclusions drawn by the researcher. The induction is where the hypothesis is developed by chunking based on the data review and deduction is where the data is generalized from the initial hypothesis to form implications. Last but certainly not least is the integration process which is a critical aspect of the qualitative analysis. Integration is necessary for integrating the data to create a net of meaning that is interconnected (Ploder & Hammann, 2021). The connection is internal within the area the study focuses on the external which connects the theories and concepts. For a study to be ethnographic it must contain ethnographic methods such as observation by the participants and the study must be conducted over an extensive duration of time (Creswell & Poth, 2017 & Ploder & Hammann, 2021). In contrast to an ethnographic study, a case study is the detailed study of a specific individual, place, event, phenomena, institution, organization, or group and is typically utilized in educational, clinical, business, and social research.

A case study follows some characteristics of an ethnographic study such as realistic and natural observation. The idea of case studies is the describing of individual cases or situations in detail and the identification of the main issues of the situation. A case study also analyzes the case by employing theoretical concepts that are deemed to be relevant to what is being studied (Creswell & Poth, 2017, & Ploder & Hammann, 2021). Ethnography can be deemed to be the study of individuals within their natural context by employing methods like observation while participating, and interviews conducted with individuals face-to-face. Ethnography is the study of participants in their natural environment with direct observation and explores the cultural phenomenon from the participant's viewpoint. The objective of ethnographic studies is to get insight into the way the participants interact with entities within their natural environment. Ethnographic qualitative analysis is sort of complex and lengthy. Case studies study what is desired to be studied. It involves the study of a specific case or situation.

How would you design an ethnographic study on your topic?

My topic focuses on kindergarten readiness but seeks to answer the question is the preschool curriculum aligned with the benchmarks mandated for kindergarten entrance and the kindergarten curriculum. The idea is to determine is kindergarten readiness really being fostered at the preschool level for children attending various prekindergarten or pre-school program types by examining if children that are attending these programs can meet the mandated benchmarks set forth by the state early learning standards and if they are prepared for the Common Core Curriculum based instruction received in kindergarten. To conduct an ethnographic study would mean to sit in both pre-kindergarten classrooms and observe the type of instruction provided at this level for various types of pre-kindergarten or preschool programs.

Then it will be necessary to observe kindergarten students in the actual classroom environment at the commencement of the school year to see how well they perform with the required tasks and instruction. Talk to teachers to learn what the children understand and what they have yet to master then compare the information and retract the necessary data based on the participating observations. The patterns observed will be written in a way that will demonstrate how the children function within the classroom setting. The final product will be a cultural idea of what was observed from the participants and from my perspective as the researcher which will advocate for the readiness needs of the children and suggestions as to what teachers can do to assist with preparing young children for kindergarten.

References

Creswell. J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017).Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed).https://redshelf.com(Links to an external site.)

Ploder, A., & Hamann, J. (2021). Practices of ethnographic research: Introduction to the special issue.Journal of

Contemporary Ethnography,50(1), 3-10

Renalta Smith

Ethnography focuses on studying different patterns with twenty or more individuals and concentrates on a whole culture-sharing group. Ethnographic is a qualitative method that researchers use to explain a culture's shared beliefs and values. Ethnography uses extended observation when studying groups through participant observation. An ethnographic study of the meaning of behavior and how people interact ethnography is a way of learning about a culture-sharing group (Creswell. 2017).. Ethnography entails continued studies of the group through participant observation. Ethnographers study the meaning of the behavior and the dealings among members of the culture-sharing group. Ethnographies focus on creating a development, complete explanation of the culture of a group. Ethnography differs from a case study in that a case study is an in-depth study focused on understanding an individual case within a natural life setting. So case study studies individuals during ethnographic study culture.

Thanks

Renalta

Reference

Creswell. J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4thd ed). Retrieved from https://redshelf.com