Ethnographic Research Methodology Research Articles

Organisational Mission Statements

The mission statement embodies certain beliefs about the management culture of the organisation which can be examined and placed within underlying theoretical contexts. This paper examines postmodernism in this respect which, in addition to forming a critique of modernist approaches, posits alternative views about philosophy, organisation and subsequently IS/IT theory. The study applies an ethnographic case research methodology where data was collected from sixty interviewees employed within a multinational financial services group. In this way, the organisational mission statement was used as a vehicle for analysing the contribution of postmodern approaches to the management of the IS/IT function. The influential Ashridge Model was adopted to map the findings of the study which suggest three propositions for postmodernism in providing i) cultural context, ii) a textual or ‘deconstructive’ analysis and iii) an ethnographic empathy for further IS/IT research.

Educating an Environmental Elite: The Training of the Indian Forest Service

The Indian Forest Service is an elite environmental civil service and in this paper I analyse the current education and training which a member of the Indian Forest Service receives. Following a discussion of my ethnographic research methodology, I demonstrate that the training of the Indian Forest Service instils a hierarchical, authoritarian culture which prevents the new, more sensitive forest policies such as Joint Forest Management (JFM) from being implemented. The actual work that the forest officer is expected to undertake may have changed beyond recognition, but the recruitment and training methods have not and remain more concerned with maintaining the esprit de corps of the service. Re-training courses for personnel are currently being held at the National Institute of Rural Development in Hyderabad but many more are needed. I conclude by recommending that new Indian Forest Service probationers need to be taught less discipline and more social sensitivity in line with their changing role.

Participatory research methods in environmental science: local and scientific knowledge of a limnological phenomenon in the Pantanal wetland of Brazil

Summary 1. Participatory research methodologies incorporating local knowledge are important to the success of ecological research and the sustainable management of natural systems. However, methods of this type are not commonly employed in the natural sciences. 2. We adopted a scientifically rigorous ethnographic research methodology to incorporate local knowledge into understanding a natural limnological phenomenon in the Brazilian Pantanal. Known locally as ‘dequada’, it is associated with fish kills. 3. Using primarily open‐ended questions and semi‐structured interviews, 30 older head‐of‐household men were interviewed, by the same interviewer, in a small community representative of the few local riverside settlements. Their opinions were then contrasted with current scientific knowledge. 4. In concordance with the scientific community, the local community cited decomposition of organic material as the principal cause of fish mortality due to the dequada. Local people therefore can have a well‐founded understanding of their environment. 5. This study demonstrates the importance of incorporating local knowledge to corroborate and, often, to guide the process of scientific inquiry. In this case, local knowledge added to scientific knowledge by providing a more complete understanding of the management and conservation of a natural system. We recommend that ecologists should be ready to acknowledge that local understanding can be greater than that of ‘outsiders’.

Change in Affect and Language Use Choices

Elements of ethnographic, qualitative, and quantitative research methodology were combined in this case study of a bilingual Chinese- English adolescent involved in an individualized reading program (IRP). Midway through the subject's fifth grade in U.S.A. school, the IRP was implemented by his parent, who also acted in the role of tutor. Pre- and post -IRP quantitative comparisons indicated that reading proficiency improved from below-level to appropriate age group level. Attitudes toward recreational reading also improved.

AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF CLIENT AND THERAPIST PERCEPTIONS OF THERAPY EFFECTIVENESS IN A UNIVERSITY‐BASED TRAINING CLINIC

The purpose of this study was to explor client and therapist evaluations of direct practice in a university‐based training center using an ethnographic research methodology. Client and therapist perceptions about the strengths and limitations of ethnographic practice evaluation were also analyzed. A domain analysis was performed on postsession interviews with both clients and practitioners over a 4‐ month period. Six core categories of client and therapist perceptions of therapy effectiveness emerged from a domain analysis: (a) changes associated with counseling, (b) important practitioner qualities, (c) effective interventions or techniques, (d) ineffective interventions or techniques, (e) recommendations for future sessions, and (f) strengths and limitations of ethnographic practice evaluation. Implications of this study for clinical practice, training, and future research are discussed.

The role of clinical vignettes in rapid ethnographic research: A folk taxonomy of diarrhoea in Thailand

This paper presents the findings of a rapid ethnographic research methodology used to investigate the beliefs and practices of rural mothers and grandmothers concerning diarrhoeal diseases in children under five years of age in Khon Kaen Province, Northeast Thailand. The multi-phase study used a combination of focus groups and clinical vignettes, semi-formal questionnaires and open-ended interviews. The efficiency of the combination of focus groups and clinical vignettes in obtaining an understanding of the important areas of belief in a short period of time is discussed, as well as the importance of quantifying and validating this information using other methodologies. A folk taxonomy of diarrhoea and its management is presented, and the implications of this for health planners is discussed. Most diarrhoea in children under one year is perceived to be su, a normal developmental stage which requires no treatment. As su is not considered to be diarrhoea, health messages concerning diarrhoea are not considered by care-givers. The labelling of a child with diarrhoea as having su results in a delay in help-seeking, a risk factor for dehydration. Thus su needs to be taken into consideration in health education campaigns. The informants demonstrated little understanding of the role of infection in diarrhoea, nor of the role of personal and domestic hygiene for its prevention, nor of the place and function of ORS, highlighting important areas where education is still necessary.

The efficacy of a scientific and ethnographic research design for evaluating AIDS group counselling

Abstract This paper reports a study ofgroup counselling for people who are HIV + based upon a scientific and ethnographic research methodology. The group counselling was underpinned by a unijied theory, appropriate for counselling in the HIV'AIDS context. Counselling sessions lasted for six months and were evaluated by quantitative and qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis used standardized psychological measurement on a pre- and post-test design. The qualitative analysis was based upon triangulation and respondent validation using video recordings of the counselling sessions, viewed by a research team and then corroborated by the members of the counselled group. The two methods of analysis confirmed that group counselling is a therapeutic intervention for this group of people.

Ethnographic Analysis: A Study of Classroom Environments

Occupational therapists assess and adapt an environment to enhance clients' abilities to function. Therapists working in schools may assess several classroom environments in a week. Identifying relevant information in an efficient manner is essential yet presents a challenge for school therapists. In this study, ethnographic research methodology was used to analyze the plethora of data gained from observations in eight classrooms. Three major categories were identified to structure observations: activities, people, and communication. These categories were used to compile a Classroom Observation Guide that gives therapists relevant questions to ask in each category. Using the Classroom Observation Guide, occupational therapists can recommend classroom activities that suit a particular teacher's style. For example, working with a teacher who prefers structural activities with clear time and space boundaries for one specific purpose, a therapist might suggest organized sensorimotor games with a distinct purpose to be carried out for a given time period.

Parenting in Two Generations of Mexican American Families

Parenting in Mexican American families is a complex activity, given the heterogeneity of adaptation among the generations of Mexicans. Through ethnographic research methodology and a case study approach, I show that childrearing is affected by generational status and participation in a grass roots community group, organised around educational issues. Collectivism characterises the childrearing of the immigrant generation. It is maintained as a conscious value by the first generation parents, although socialisation practices and child behaviour actually shift in an individualistic direction, particularly in the area of critical thinking. Nonetheless, in both cohorts, the observable practices in the home between the parent and child indicate a strong orientation toward respect and family ties. At the same time, the Spanish language is lost rapidly in the first generation families, due largely to English-only laws that affected that generation. For the immigrant group, on the other hand, bilingualism is more acceptable as a result of the changing political climate. Both groups of families have experienced isolation from the schools because they have been excluded from full participation in the educational system. However, as the immigrant cohort of parents organised and became involved in a support group, cultural knowledge about dealing with schools was learned as a sense of community was built.

Buddhism as a Support System for Southeast Asian Refugees

Buddhism has a venerable history of human service that long predates the advent of Western social work. Currently, Buddhist services are being adapted for Southeast Asian refugees in the midwestern United States. To identify the range of human services available, the authors conducted a study of three Buddhist mutual assistance associations for refugees living in the Midwest. Using an ethnographic participant-observation research methodology, the authors found that Buddhism is linked to both traditional life-style and current efforts to overcome the effects of war and trauma that have forced the migration of Southeast Asians. In particular, the authors examined the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual services provided in the Lao and Khmer temples in the United States. In this article, the authors describe their findings within the historical and philosophical context of Buddhism. In addition, they suggest that social workers refine culturally sensitive services for Southeast Asian refugees.

The “problem” in and of management information systems

Management Information Systems uncritically draws upon a number of disciplines for its theoretical framework. In doing so it has imported a host of ontological, epistemological and behavioral assumptions which have shaped the theories, technologies and practices of information system analysis, design and implementation. This has taken place without careful reflection upon the historical emergence of these assumptions or upon the context within which attempts are made to operationalize them. This paper argues that the Management Information Systems field is in need of researching itself. It proposes that through a combination of genealogical and ethnographic research methodologies, the historical emergence of theoretical constructs and the organizational context within which information systems operate should be critically examined. In the following analysis, the historical emergence of the “problem” as a generic construct in the Management Information System literature is examined and contrasted to the manner in which a group of manufacturing managers defined problems within their organizational context. A critical tension is revealed which suggests that information systems researchers, analysts and designers need to at least broaden their assumption about the nature of organizational reality, human behavior, information processing and problem solving.

Ethnographic Interviews for Information about Classrooms

Ethnographic research methodology is reviewed as an emerging methodology in special education, with application made particularly to understanding regular classrooms into which students with learning handicaps may be integrated. Suggested descriptive questions for an ethnographic interview are given. This questioning format has use both in research investigations and for the individual teacher who wants to better depict a classroom from the regular classroom teacher's perspective.

Ethnographic Research Methodology in Music Education

Ethnographic Research Methodology in Music Education

Where Are You Coming From and Where Are You Going? The Reporting of Ethnographic Research

To know the history of something is to know more about it. Unfortunately, there is not enough space in this essay to provide a history of the use of ethnographic research methodology in professional education. However, one has only to examine the of the American Educational Research Association to note an increase in the use of the term ethnography in the association's journals, annual programs, workshops, and communications. Of particular note in the message of the artifacts is a great debate over qualitative versus quantitative research. Perhaps because anthropologists are eclectic in their use of research methodologies (see Table 1), whether psychological, sociological, humanistic, or those of the pure sciences, they are rarely faced with this dilemma. If quantitative methods are useful in producing a more precise picture of a society, they are readily utilized. It would appear from this artifact analysis that to date little attention has been paid to the interpretation of ethnographic research. This may be because ethnography can be defined in two ways: as a methodology or as a portrait of a culture. The latter definition will be the focus of this essay. In short, what constitutes good cultural description and interpretation? In attempting to answer this question, one is immediately confronted with the question: Who is going to provide the description, the ethnographer as an observer or the natives participating in the culture? Perhaps one could suggest simplistically that there are two major views of culture, one holding that culture is the product of the carriers of the culture and the other that culture resides in the minds (psychic) of the participants. Goodenough (1964) distinguishes these two orders of reality as (a) the phenomenal order of observed events or the regulators they exhibit (ho

Early Intervention for Hearing-Impaired Children: Oral Options (review)

Reviews push up, but they remain unanswered. For example, was legal intervention taken on Anne's behalf? We do not know, but we would like to know more about this young woman who's indomitable will is a testament to the human spirit. To those of us who live with and love our disabled children , this story of a family's anguish, frustration, anger and isolation is all too familiar and is repeated again, again and again. Is anyone out there? Does anyone care? Jacqueline Cosgrove Shields Parent Walkersville, MD 21793 Early Intervention for Hearing-Impaired Children: Oral Options, Daniel Ling, (Ed.), 217 pp., $19.50, paperback, College Hill Press, 4284 41st St., San Diego, CA 92105, 1984. This text is a well-written and informative account of a limited approach to education of the hearing impaired. The definition of Total Communication as the incorporation of oral, aural, and visual-gestural communicative modes to meet the unique needs of each hearing-impaired child is rejected. Instead, the editor divides Early Intervention for Hearing-Impaired Children into two volumes, Oral Options and Total Communication Options. This division suggests a dichotomy contradictory to contemporary progress toward an educational approach which includes rather than excludes a variety of intervention strategies. Oral Options supports the notion that auditory oral options will not succeed if presented in combination with Sign Language and fingerspelling . The editor states this view in introductory and summary chapters. He provides a short discussion of hearing impairment, hearing aids and oral education that would be useful for parents and nonprofessionals. In each of the four remaining chapters, a current program is described which emphasizes using residual hearing as the primary means for eventual language acquisition. The ultimate expectations for deaf children are quite similar in the four approaches described in this text. All of the programs include pragmatic, motivational communication activities that involve family members as well as hearingimpaired peers. The reader can gain an insight into current auditory oral practice and, in addition, can profit from a number of positive suggestions regarding parent education and participation, observational assessment, and evaluation protocols for both classroom and individual therapy settings. The McGiIl University project, for example, details a logical progression of stages which would lend itself to the integration of linguistic, cognitive and psychological intervention strategies. Their focus on normal language acquisition and ethnographic research methodology provides a practical framework for early intervention programs, regardless of philosophical or methodological preferences. If one truly attempts to avoid making "any assumptions whatsoever about a child's prognosis" (page 113) then, in the opinion of this reviewer, one must also avoid drawing premature conclusions which limit the quality and quantity of receptive communication that a child can receive. Some of the methods described in this text seem to incorporate flexibility and sensitivity to individual communicative strenghs and needs of children. It may be that this flexibility, rather than a particular communicative option, is the variable which will determine the eventual acquisition of communicative competence among hearing-impaired individuals. Kathee M. Christensen, Ph.D. Department of Communicative Disorders San Diego State University San Diego, CA 92182 The Hearing Impaired Child in School, Raymond H. Hull and Karen I. Dilka (Eds.), 200 pp., hardcover, Grune & Stratton, Inc., Orlando, FL 32887,1984. In this text, the editors have organized chapters written by professionals in various disciplines. The chapters cover such topics as the function of the auditory system in speech and language, hearing aids and other amplifying devices, placement and programming for the hearing impaired, practical suggestions for teachers and administrators of mainstreaming programs, the relationship between home and school, the process of language stimulation and development, and interpreting in the K—12 mainstream setting. The text also includes a list of resource materials for use in school and at home. The Hearing Impaired Child in School is an ideal resource for a diverse reading audience such as public school teachers in a mainstream setting, educators of the deaf, speech/language pathologists, audiologists, and parents. The editors' goal is to strengthen the bond between teachers, parents, and hearing specialists. Whether they succeed in such an ambitious undertaking is a moot point. Some of the chapters are too technical...