The Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Research Methods
Hopefully this overview will help you to think about the possible benefits and drawbacks of using a particular method
Category: Resources for Students
This page contains information for students who are wishing to conduct ethnographic research in the field. It contains practical guidance on topic, approach and methodology.
Transferable Skills & Research Methods
It is important to think about what skills you will develop during your year abroad research project when choosing what and how you will study – it is a large piece of independent work and is therefore something you can really sell to employers.
Ethical Guidelines for Ethnographic Research from the AAA
This blog post is taken from Principles of Professional Responsibility by the American Anthropology Association (AAA). It covers a range of guidelines the association put together to address the particular issues related to anthropological study. The list of key guidelines is below.
Ethics and Ethnographic Research: In the Field
In addition to the documentation you will need to complete with your university, you are also likely to face ethical dilemmas once you are out in the field: making contacts, writing field notes and speaking with participants.
Techniques for Ethnographic Conversations and Interviews
The techniques described below are based largely on James P. Spradley’s The Ethnographic Interview. This type of interviewing is particularly “kind” to interviewees, respects their rights, and attempts to see the world as they see it.
One-to-one Interviewing
One-to-one interviewing is similar to the kinds of interviews conducted for studies in the social sciences,
Ethnographic Conversations
Ethnographic Conversations are very informal interviews, very much led by the informant, who the ethnographer sees as being able to ‘impart wisdom’, rather than ‘confirm hypotheses’.
Participant Observation
Participant observation is central to ethnography. It is the method by which the researcher both participates & observes in the studied environment.