Yesterday I started listing 7 characteristics of ethnography to distinguish it from other forms of research, for people unfamiliar with ethnography.
2. Observation is a primary data collection method, resulting in “thick” descriptions.
Ethnography is important as a research method when there are key factors that participants either can’t or prefer not to verbalize for one reason or another. For this reason, observation is an essential ingredient for ethnographic research. Observation is either unstrucure or semi-structured. If the variables are understood to a degree that a structured approach can be formulated, then ethnography is not the best method to use. Field notes provide a rich, or “thick,” description of behaviors and events.
Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)
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