Recontextualizing Observation: Ethnography, Pedagogy, and the Prospects for a Progressive Political Agenda.
01 Jan 2005-
TL;DR: This article characterized observation as the fundamental base of all research methods in the social and behavioral sciences and characterized it as "the mainstay of the ethnographic enterprise" (Werner & Schoepfle, 1987, p. 257).
Abstract: Observation has been characterized as “the fundamental base of all research methods” in the social and behavioral sciences (Adler & Adler, 1994, p. 389) and as “the mainstay of the ethnographic enterprise” (Werner & Schoepfle, 1987, p. 257). Even studies that rely mainly on interviewing as a data collection technique employ observational methods to note body language and other gestural cues that lend meaning to the words of the persons being interviewed. Social scientists are
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore membership roles by illustrating the insider status of one author and the outsider status of the other when conducting research with specific parent groups, and explore the strengths and challenges of conducting qualitative research from each membership status.
Abstract: Should qualitative researchers be members of the population they are studying, or should they not? Although this issue has been explored within the context of qualitative research, it has generally been reserved for discussions of observation, field research, and ethnography. The authors expand that discussion and explore membership roles by illustrating the insider status of one author and the outsider status of the other when conducting research with specific parent groups. The strengths and challenges of conducting qualitative research from each membership status are examined. Rather than consider this issue from a dichotomous perspective, the authors explore the notion of the space between that allows researchers to occupy the position of both insider and outsider rather than insider or outsider.
2,064 citations
Cites background from "Recontextualizing Observation: Ethn..."
...Postmodernism emphasizes the importance of understanding the researcher’s context (gender, class, ethnicity, etc.) as part of narrative interpretation (Angrosino, 2005)....
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...) as part of narrative interpretation (Angrosino, 2005)....
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...A critique of researchers’ roles has developed “in response to a greater consciousness of situational identities and to the perception of relative power” (Angrosino, 2005, p. 734)....
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TL;DR: In this article, Annette N. Markham embarks on a unique, ethnographic approach to understand Internet users by immersing herself in online reality and finds that to understand how people experience the Internet, she must learn how to be embodied there, a process of acculturation and immersion which is not so different from other anthropological projects of cross-cultural understanding.
Abstract: From the Publisher:
Alienating for some, yet most intimate and real for others, emerging communications technologies are creating a varied array of cyberspace experiences. Nowhere are the new and old more intertwined, as familiar narratives of the past and radical visions of the future inform our attempts to assess the impact of cyberspace on self and society. Amid the dizzying pace of technological innovation, Annette N. Markham embarks on a unique, ethnographic approach to understanding Internet users by immersing herself in online reality. The result is an engrossing narrative as well as a theoretically engaging journey. A cast of characters, the self-reflexive author among them, emerge from Markham's interviews and research to depict the complexity and diversity of Internet realities.
While cyberspace is hyped as a disembodied cultural arena where physical reality can be transcended, Markham finds that to understand how people experience the Internet, she must learn how to be embodied there--a process of acculturation and immersion which is not so different from other anthropological projects of cross-cultural understanding. Both new and not-so-new, cyberspace provides a context in which we can ask new sorts of questions about all cultural experience.
480 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss four sources of qualitative data: participant observation, interviews, physical data, and electronic data, which are also beneficial ways of collecting qualitative data that have been underutilized.
Abstract: Qualitative research has increased in popularity among social scientists. While substantial attention has been given to various methods of qualitative analysis, there is a need to focus on strategies for collecting diverse forms of qualitative data. In this article, the authors discuss four sources of qualitative data: participant observation, interviews, physical data, and electronic data. Although counseling psychology researchers often use interviewing, participant observation and physical and electronic data are also beneficial ways of collecting qualitative data that have been underutilized.
192 citations
Cites background from "Recontextualizing Observation: Ethn..."
...Angrosino (2005) notes that observation pertains to three levels of specificity—descriptive, focused, and selective....
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TL;DR: Qualitative, quantitative, and hybrid approaches to mixed methods dissemination and implementation studies are reviewed, and methods for integrating multiple methods to increase depth of understanding while improving reliability and validity of findings are described.
Abstract: Limited translation of research into practice has prompted study of diffusion and implementation, and development of effective methods of encouraging adoption, dissemination and implementation. Mixed methods techniques offer approaches for assessing and addressing processes affecting implementation of evidence-based interventions. We describe common mixed methods approaches used in dissemination and implementation research, discuss strengths and limitations of mixed methods approaches to data collection, and suggest promising methods not yet widely used in implementation research. We review qualitative, quantitative, and hybrid approaches to mixed methods dissemination and implementation studies, and describe methods for integrating multiple methods to increase depth of understanding while improving reliability and validity of findings.
149 citations
Cites background from "Recontextualizing Observation: Ethn..."
...Observational research of this type has been evolving over time, with a shift in focus from the researcher as dispassionate observer to that of a participant observer interacting as a member of the community s/he is studying (Angrosino 2005)....
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11 Nov 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, Stausberg and Engler present a survey of content analysis, discourse analysis, and network analysis techniques for women's research in the field of field research, focusing on the following issues: 1) Methodological issues, 2) Free listing, 3) Field research: participant observation (Graham Harvey) and 4) Structured observation, and 5.
Abstract: Part One: Methodological Issues 1. Introduction (Michael Stausberg and Steven Engler) 2. Comparison (Michael Stausberg) 3. Epistemology (Jeppe Sinding Jensen) 4. Feminist methodologies (Mary Jo Neitz) 5. Research design (Wade Clark Roof) 6. Research ethics (Fred Bird and Laurie Lamoureux Scholes) Part Two: Methods 1. Content analysis (Robert H. Woods and Chad Nelson) 2. Conversation analysis (Ehsa Lehtinen) 3. Discourse analysis (Titus Hjelm) 4. Document analysis (Grace Davie and David Wyatt) 5. Experiments (Justin Barrett) 6. Facet theory methods (Erik Cohen) 7. Factor analysis (Kendal C. Boyd) 8. Field research: participant observation (Graham Harvey) 9. Free listing (Michael Stausberg) 10. Grounded theory (Steven Engler) 11. Hermeneutics (Ingvild Saelid Gilhus) 12. History (Jorg Rupke) 13. Interviewing (Anna Davidsson Bremborg) 14. Network analysis (jimi adams) 15. Phenomenology (James V. Spickard) 16. Philology (Einar Thomassen) 17. Semiotics (Robert A. Yelle) 18. Structuralist methods (Seth D. Kunin) 19. Structured observation (Michael Stausberg) 20. Surveys and questionnaires (Barry A. Kosmin and Juhem Navarro-Rivera) 21. Translation (Alan Williams) 22. Videography (Hubert Knoblauch) Part Three: Materials 1. Auditory materials (Rosalind I.J. Hackett) 2. Internet (Douglas E. Cowan) 3. Material culture (Richard M. Carp) 4. Spatial methods (Kim Knott) 5. Visual culture (John Harvey)
95 citations
Cites background from "Recontextualizing Observation: Ethn..."
...While the fi rst edition contained a detailed discussion of structured observation (Adler and Adler 1994), the relevant chapter in the latest edition (Angrosino 2005) refl ects trends that ‘question whether observational objectivity is either desirable or feasible as a goal’ (ibid....
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...4 Sometimes it is argued that many so-called natural settings, in particular in economically poorer countries, are not natural at all, because they are subject to ‘unnatural’ conditions of the colonial world (Angrosino 2005: 72)....
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References
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Book•
12 Jan 1994
TL;DR: This book presents a step-by-step guide to making the research results presented in reports, slideshows, posters, and data visualizations more interesting, and describes how coding initiates qualitative data analysis.
Abstract: Matthew B. Miles, Qualitative Data Analysis A Methods Sourcebook, Third Edition. The Third Edition of Miles & Huberman's classic research methods text is updated and streamlined by Johnny Saldana, author of The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Several of the data display strategies from previous editions are now presented in re-envisioned and reorganized formats to enhance reader accessibility and comprehension. The Third Edition's presentation of the fundamentals of research design and data management is followed by five distinct methods of analysis: exploring, describing, ordering, explaining, and predicting. Miles and Huberman's original research studies are profiled and accompanied with new examples from Saldana's recent qualitative work. The book's most celebrated chapter, "Drawing and Verifying Conclusions," is retained and revised, and the chapter on report writing has been greatly expanded, and is now called "Writing About Qualitative Research." Comprehensive and authoritative, Qualitative Data Analysis has been elegantly revised for a new generation of qualitative researchers. Johnny Saldana, The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Second Edition. The Second Edition of Johnny Saldana's international bestseller provides an in-depth guide to the multiple approaches available for coding qualitative data. Fully up-to-date, it includes new chapters, more coding techniques and an additional glossary. Clear, practical and authoritative, the book: describes how coding initiates qualitative data analysis; demonstrates the writing of analytic memos; discusses available analytic software; suggests how best to use the book for particular studies. In total, 32 coding methods are profiled that can be applied to a range of research genres from grounded theory to phenomenology to narrative inquiry. For each approach, Saldana discusses the method's origins, a description of the method, practical applications, and a clearly illustrated example with analytic follow-up. A unique and invaluable reference for students, teachers, and practitioners of qualitative inquiry, this book is essential reading across the social sciences. Stephanie D. H. Evergreen, Presenting Data Effectively Communicating Your Findings for Maximum Impact. This is a step-by-step guide to making the research results presented in reports, slideshows, posters, and data visualizations more interesting. Written in an easy, accessible manner, Presenting Data Effectively provides guiding principles for designing data presentations so that they are more likely to be heard, remembered, and used. The guidance in the book stems from the author's extensive study of research reporting, a solid review of the literature in graphic design and related fields, and the input of a panel of graphic design experts. Those concepts are then translated into language relevant to students, researchers, evaluators, and non-profit workers - anyone in a position to have to report on data to an outside audience. The book guides the reader through design choices related to four primary areas: graphics, type, color, and arrangement. As a result, readers can present data more effectively, with the clarity and professionalism that best represents their work.
41,986 citations
"Recontextualizing Observation: Ethn..." refers background in this paper
...There are three criteria that help us to decide whether a proper relationship exists between the specific value and the other elements of the act (McCormick, 1973; McCormick & Ramsey, 1978)....
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Book•
09 Mar 1998
TL;DR: This chapter discusses Qualitative Research as Learning as Learning, the role of the researcher as Learner, and major Qualitative research Genres.
Abstract: Chapter 1. Qualitative Research as Learning Chapter 2. The Researcher as Learner Chapter 3. The Researcher as Competent and Ethical Chapter 4. Major Qualitative Research Genres Chapter 5. Conceptualizing and Planning the Research Chapter 6. Entering the Field Chapter 7. Gathering Data in the Field Chapter 8. Our Characters' Data Chapter 9. Issues That Arise in the Field Chapter 10. Analyzing and Interpreting Data Chapter 11. Our Characters' Analyses Chapter 12. Presenting the Learnings
3,699 citations
Additional excerpts
...Observations in natural settings can be rendered as descriptions either through open-ended narrative or through the use of published checklists or field guides (Rossman & Rallis, 1998, p. 137; for an historical overview of this dichotomy, see Stocking, 1983a)....
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Book•
01 Jan 2000
TL;DR: A rich ethnography of Internet use is presented in this article, which offers a sustained account not just of being online, but of the social, political and cultural contexts which account for the contemporary Internet experience.
Abstract: This pathbreaking book is the first to provide a rigorous and comprehensive examination of Internet culture and consumption. A rich ethnography of Internet use, the book offers a sustained account not just of being online, but of the social, political and cultural contexts which account for the contemporary Internet experience. From cybercafes to businesses, from middle class houses to squatters settlements, from the political economy of Internet provision to the development of ecommerce, the authors have gathered a wealth of material based on fieldwork in Trinidad. Looking at the full range of Internet media -- including websites, email and chat -- the book brings out unforeseen consequences and contradictions in areas as varied as personal relations, commerce, nationalism, sex and religion. This is the first book-length treatment of the impact of the Internet on a particular region. By focusing on one place, it demonstrates the potential for a comprehensive approach to new media. It points to the future direction of Internet research, proposing a detailed agenda for comparative ethnographic study of the cultural significance and effects of the Internet in modern society. Clearly written for the non-specialist reader, it offers a detailed account of the complex integration between on-line and off-line worlds. An innovative tie-in with the book's own website provides copious illustrations amounting to over 2,000 web-pages that bring the material right to your computer.
1,441 citations
01 Jan 1994
1,402 citations
"Recontextualizing Observation: Ethn..." refers methods in this paper
...…those dedicated to qualitative methods have devoted considerable effort to organizing their observational data in the most nearly objective form (i.e., the form that looks most quantitative) for analysis (see, e.g., Altheide & Johnson, 1994; Bernard, 1988; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Silverman, 1993)....
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Book•
08 Jun 1988
TL;DR: The Foundations of Social Research Anthropology and the Experimental Method Sampling Choosing Research Problems, Sites and Methods The Literature Search as mentioned in this paper Part Two: COLLECTING DATA Participant Observation Taking and Managing Field Notes Unstructured and Semistructured Interviewing Structured Interviewed Questionnaires and Survey Research Direct, Reactive Observation Unobtrusive Observation Part Three: ANALYZING Data Qualitative Analysis Coding and Codebooks for Quantitative Data Univariate Statistics Describing a Variable Bivariate Analysis Testing Relationships Multivariate Analysis
Abstract: PART ONE: PREPARING FOR FIELD RESEARCH Anthropology and Social Science The Foundations of Social Research Anthropology and the Experimental Method Sampling Choosing Research Problems, Sites and Methods The Literature Search PART TWO: COLLECTING DATA Participant Observation Taking and Managing Field Notes Unstructured and Semistructured Interviewing Structured Interviewing Questionnaires and Survey Research Direct, Reactive Observation Unobtrusive Observation PART THREE: ANALYZING DATA Qualitative Analysis Coding and Codebooks for Quantitative Data Univariate Statistics Describing a Variable Bivariate Analysis Testing Relationships Multivariate Analysis
1,196 citations
"Recontextualizing Observation: Ethn..." refers background in this paper
...How are they similar to traditional communities or social networks? How are they different? How does electronic communication make new kinds of community possible? How does it facilitate existing communities? (Regarding questions such as these, see Gabrial, 1998; Hine, 2000; Jones, 1998, 1999; Markham, 1996; Miller & Slater, 2000). As Bird and Barber (2002) noted, “Life on-line is becoming simply another part of life in the twenty-first century....
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..., Altheide & Johnson, 1994; Bernard, 1988; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Silverman, 1993). Adler and Adler (1994), in fact, suggested that in the future observational research will be found as “part of a methodological spectrum,” but that in this spectrum it will serve as “the most powerful source of validation” (p....
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...Bernard, H. R. (1988)....
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...This position, associated with the philosophical writings of Cahill (1981), Curran (1979), Hoose (1987), and Walter (1984), assesses “the relation between the specific value at stake and the ....
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