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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

How To Conduct A Mini-Ethnographic Case Study: A Guide For Novice Researchers, Patricia I. Fusch Ph.D., Gene E. Fusch, Lawrence R. Ness Mar 2017

How To Conduct A Mini-Ethnographic Case Study: A Guide For Novice Researchers, Patricia I. Fusch Ph.D., Gene E. Fusch, Lawrence R. Ness

The Qualitative Report

The authors present how to construct a mini-ethnographic case study design with the benefit of an ethnographic approach bounded within a case study protocol that is more feasible for a student researcher with limited time and finances. The novice researcher should choose a design that enables one to best answer the research question. Secondly, one should choose the design that assists the researcher in reaching data saturation. Finally, the novice researcher must choose the design in which one can complete the study within a reasonable time frame with minimal cost. This is particularly important for student researchers. One can blend …


Making Sense Of Making Meaning, The Semiotic Way: Emotional Journey Of A Novice Learner, Papia Bawa Jan 2017

Making Sense Of Making Meaning, The Semiotic Way: Emotional Journey Of A Novice Learner, Papia Bawa

The Qualitative Report

I write this auto-ethnography as homage to my teachers and peers, both in the classroom and in scholarly realms, who inspired me to soar beyond the horizons of self and find meaning within the cosmic consciousness that surrounds us. As a novice learner in an introductory semiotics course, I learned about the process of meaning making. This paper is a product of my learning and understanding of a semiotic worldview. Encouraged by my professor, I delved deeply into the “thinkings” of two semiotic masterminds: Charles Sanders Peirce and Jakob von Uexküll, whose philosophies, ideologies and beliefs helped make sense of …


Rent, Out, And After – Examining The Process Of Eviction In Urban America, Kathryn Roulston Nov 2016

Rent, Out, And After – Examining The Process Of Eviction In Urban America, Kathryn Roulston

The Qualitative Report

In his ethnography, Evicted: Poverty and profit in the American city, sociologist Matthew Desmond examines the process of eviction for a group of people who he came to know in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Desmond painstakingly chronicles what happens when individuals and families cannot “make rent,” and are subsequently evicted from their homes. The stories presented in this book call on readers to deeply consider the interconnections between the rich and poor in urban areas in the U.S.A, and how polices might be revised with a view to ensuring affordable housing for all. An example of realist ethnography, Desmond also challenges qualitative …


Lived Experiences Of A Hong Kong Physical Education Teacher: Ethnographical And Phenomenological Approaches, Raymond Kim Wai Sum, Teng-Yao Shi Jan 2016

Lived Experiences Of A Hong Kong Physical Education Teacher: Ethnographical And Phenomenological Approaches, Raymond Kim Wai Sum, Teng-Yao Shi

The Qualitative Report

This study employed ethnographical and phenomenological methods to explore the lived experiences and career of a Hong Kong secondary school physical education (PE) teacher (Wharton) in order to embody his versatile roles through phenomenological description of a lived body itself and the lived world. The central research question is “How does a male secondary school PE teacher manage his work life and the embodiment of his professional roles?” Data collection techniques were in-depth interviewing, participant observation and field notes, participant’s reflection documentation and visual elicitation. Concepts of “play to learn,” “professional development” and “political empowerment” were used to examine Wharton’s …


Finding A Place To Belong: The Role Of Social Inclusion In The Lives Of Homeless Men, Meaghan Bell, Christine A. Walsh Dec 2015

Finding A Place To Belong: The Role Of Social Inclusion In The Lives Of Homeless Men, Meaghan Bell, Christine A. Walsh

The Qualitative Report

This study explores the role of informal social support networks of male homeless shelter residents. Authors utilized ethnographic methods, relationality and reflexive research approaches and key informant interviews with 10 shelter residents to investigate perceptions of belonging in overcoming social exclusion and countering the stigmatization cast onto as a result of their condition of homelessness. Study findings challenge our normative conceptions of homelessness by discerning between “rooflessness” and “rootlessness” suggesting that homelessness is more than the absence of shelter, but rather denotes the absence of support and inclusion in one’s community. This research highlights a community within the shelter characterized …


Two Ethnographic Researchers Embark On A Narrative Journey, Randa Abbas, Deborah Court Sep 2015

Two Ethnographic Researchers Embark On A Narrative Journey, Randa Abbas, Deborah Court

The Qualitative Report

In this article two ethnographic researchers present a life story that emerged, almost against their will, as one of 120 in-depth interviews with Israeli Druze. The ethnographic study was designed to provide understanding of Israeli Druze society today through the discovery of thematic patterns. One interviewee, however, simply refused to follow the loosely structured interview format and told her story. Hana's story about the importance of her father in her professional success, and about her struggles to abide by the tenets of her religion, shed new light on the ethnographic data and taught these two researchers some new methodological sensibilities.


Intersubjective Sensibilities: Memory, Experience, And Meaning In Natural History Interpretation, Joshua E. Hunter Jul 2015

Intersubjective Sensibilities: Memory, Experience, And Meaning In Natural History Interpretation, Joshua E. Hunter

The Qualitative Report

This ethnographic account examines the perceptions of a group of outdoor educators or naturalists in a mid-western state park in regards to memory construction and how early memories impact their practice of interpretation. Findings show that early personal memories are not only fundamental to their eventual life as a naturalist but further; these memories motivate their work within the park. Of primary focus is highlighting the intersubjective continuity between the memories of naturalists and what they hope for others and the eventual goal of meaning making by way of affective memories. By describing and interpreting their perceptions of experience and …


Comprehensive Field Work Instructions: A Review Of Applied Ethnography. Guidelines For Field Research, Elizaveta Polukhina Jun 2015

Comprehensive Field Work Instructions: A Review Of Applied Ethnography. Guidelines For Field Research, Elizaveta Polukhina

The Qualitative Report

This book provides extended information and concrete guidelines for applied ethnographic research. It is rich in methodological advice, applicable empirical instruments and tools. The work will be helpful for advanced researchers, academic and non- academic people involved in complex international programs, lectures and graduate students planning to conduct ethnographic research for their dissertation. It includes research examples in education, marketing, community health, nursing, geography and more. The empirical fields of Pelto are slightly removed from the focus on Euro-American academic research and include reflections of working in the developing countries such as South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) and more.


Paradoxes, Dyads, And Tensions In Business: A Book Review Of Advancing Ethnography In Corporate Environments: Challenges And Emerging Opportunities, Bruce Lilyea May 2015

Paradoxes, Dyads, And Tensions In Business: A Book Review Of Advancing Ethnography In Corporate Environments: Challenges And Emerging Opportunities, Bruce Lilyea

The Qualitative Report

By using a dyad approach of having two authors write about a topic from differing perspectives, the book presents a real world perspective of the innate challenges of corporate ethnography and is authentic as a result. These dyads address the issues of the balance of technology and traditional ethnographic tools; past and future; speed and depth; theory and practicality; insider and outsider; and, big data and human evolution. I intentionally use the word “with” to separate the dyad topics instead of “versus” because the book presents a “with not versus” approach to the dyads in the writing.


The Fifty-Year Ethnographer: A Review Of Harry Wolcott's Ethnography Lessons: A Primer, Denise Mifsud May 2015

The Fifty-Year Ethnographer: A Review Of Harry Wolcott's Ethnography Lessons: A Primer, Denise Mifsud

The Qualitative Report

“Harry Wolcott uses fifty years of experience to take the reader inside the process of constructing an ethnographic study, offering a wealth of lessons from one of the masters of the genre”. This is indeed a concise description by the publisher. The text is constructed around the author’s five major studies. Wolcott thus gives a unique contribution to the field of ethnography as he presents some critical components of ethnography in his desire to share with us readers the results of his career-long search for the essence of ethnography. The book is divided into eight chapters. I give a critical …


Leaning Into Autoethnography: A Review Of Heewon Chang’S Autoethnography As Method, Martha M. Snyder Feb 2015

Leaning Into Autoethnography: A Review Of Heewon Chang’S Autoethnography As Method, Martha M. Snyder

The Qualitative Report

To lean in means to press forward or to move toward something. Leaning in is a deliberate way to approach something whether it is a strong wind or a new skill. Leaning in describes my stance toward autoethnography. I am making a step forward to understand what autoethnography is and how I might be able to use it in my personal research agenda. In reviewing the various approaches to autoethnography, I have found that Autoethnography as Method by Heewon Chang offers a comfortable entry point. Her methodical approach and practical guidelines for doing autoethnography are appealing and useful in creating …


Using Ethnography To Understand Meaning: A Review Of Sam Ladner's Practical Ethnography: A Guide To Doing Ethnography In The Private Sector, Richard H. Rogers Nov 2014

Using Ethnography To Understand Meaning: A Review Of Sam Ladner's Practical Ethnography: A Guide To Doing Ethnography In The Private Sector, Richard H. Rogers

The Qualitative Report

Ethnography is a qualitative research methodology that explains the meaning of a culture within context. Ethnographers take the emic position, participants’ point of view, and try to understand their language, concepts, categories, and opinions that defines their research. The author, Sam Ladner, wrote a thorough text that bridges the research and the practical use of ethnography in the private or public sector. An experienced or new researcher could gain knowledge by reading this text and implementing the methods in his or her private or public sector job. If a client wants to understand why consumers make certain decisions, the methods …


World Of Warcraft: A Family Therapist's Journey Into Scapegoated Culture, Nickolas Jordan Aug 2014

World Of Warcraft: A Family Therapist's Journey Into Scapegoated Culture, Nickolas Jordan

The Qualitative Report

Relational (online) video games are lucrative business. The extremely popular Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, World of Warcraft, boasts over eight million paying users. Video games are also a lightning rod for criticism and contempt by news media, parents and policy makers as the number of mass shootings increases in the United States. There is some research suggesting violent video games increase violent cognition and behavior. There is other research arguing no relationship exist between violent gaming and aggression. The same dichotomy of views exists within the discussion of how relational video games impact intimate partnerships. The purpose of …


Research In Special Education: Using A Research Poem As A Guide For Relationship Building, Rama Cousik Jun 2014

Research In Special Education: Using A Research Poem As A Guide For Relationship Building, Rama Cousik

The Qualitative Report

Building positive relationships with participants is an important component of qualitative research in the field of special education. Research poems allow expression of the evolution of participant-researcher relationship in a sensitive and nuanced manner. In this paper, I use a research poem about gardening to demonstrate how a researcher can construct a positive relationship with his/her participants. Each line of the poem represents the sequence and evolution of relationship development between the researcher and families who participated in the research.


The Kodiak Study: Narratives Of Diversity And Acceptance On The American Frontier, Steve Drewry Apr 2014

The Kodiak Study: Narratives Of Diversity And Acceptance On The American Frontier, Steve Drewry

The Qualitative Report

This article describes a qualitative study of diversity and acceptance on the American frontier comprised of interview data and ethnographic observations gleaned from a sample of residents on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to select the study population, after which individual interviews with people who are members of various cultural groups were completed by the researcher. Also included in the study are elements of anthropological investigation, historical context and thick description. The data were analyzed using (primarily) narrative and thematic analysis placed in the cultural context of life on Kodiak Island. Findings suggest that multiple …


Letters To Grandma: A Comparison Of Generational Perspectives Of Women's Growth As Higher Education Faculty, Elyn Mcreynolds Palmer Mar 2014

Letters To Grandma: A Comparison Of Generational Perspectives Of Women's Growth As Higher Education Faculty, Elyn Mcreynolds Palmer

The Qualitative Report

This ethnographic compilation is the result of a course exercise in qualitative research. A current student of Texas Tech University interviewed an 87-yearold faculty member from the 1950s, comparing her experiences to those of the author in similar, present-day academic environments. The author developed the format of the paper as letters between a young faculty member and her experienced grandmother. Results of the study reflect many similarities between the experiences of past female faculty members and female faculty of today; the exercise does convey, however, many advances for women in the academic culture as well. Finally, the recorded experiences of …


The Impact Of Downsizing And Efficiency Measures On Anti-Fraud Resources, Marek Palasinski Nov 2013

The Impact Of Downsizing And Efficiency Measures On Anti-Fraud Resources, Marek Palasinski

The Qualitative Report

The main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of downsizing and efficiency measures on two key elements of operational performance - fraud detection and fraud reporting. Qualitative data were obtained from ethnographic observations of two major multinational insurance companies, which were already examined before the Global Financial Crisis, and subjected to an inter - and intra - business comparative analysis of anti - fraud resources. The paper points out a big discrepancy in opinions on the downsizing effects between junior staff and their supervisors. Whereas the latter present them as enabling the business to deal with suspicious …


Alive In The Reading: Nayaran And Chekhov, Laurie Ecke Oct 2013

Alive In The Reading: Nayaran And Chekhov, Laurie Ecke

The Qualitative Report

Kirin Nayaran's Alive in the Writing: Crafting Ethnography in the Company of Chekhov is a five - section book about finding "company amid the often isolating and difficult aspects of writing" (p. xiii). As an English Literature major, I recall the basic tenets of story - writing: plot, setting, and characterization. Narayan's chapters offer a kinder entry. "Story and Theory" invoke Anton Chekhov as an ethnographic companion offering expertise about the essentials of writing a good story. "Place," "Person," and "Voice" take the innocent writer further in to the power of writing, until "Self" provides a denouement of sorts, when …


Strategies For Data Gathering And Reporting Voices From The Field: A Review Of Applied Ethnography: Guidelines For Field Research, Loum S.L. Constantine Sep 2013

Strategies For Data Gathering And Reporting Voices From The Field: A Review Of Applied Ethnography: Guidelines For Field Research, Loum S.L. Constantine

The Qualitative Report

The importance of applied research cannot be underestimated in this era of evidence - based implementation of intervention programs in health, community development, education, agriculture and other applied disciplines. Research reports of many qualitative studies have turned out short on quality due to poor data gathering techniques, analysis and write - up of findings. “Applied ethnography: guidelines for field research” is an authoritative narrative answering to this serious methodological flaws in applied research within ethnographic context. It presents rich and deep practical field experiences applicable in all qualitative research undertakings that demonstrate skills in planning field research ; from gaining …


(Un)Stable Space(S): An Ethnography Of A (Sometimes) Gay Bar, Andrea M. Davis Aug 2013

(Un)Stable Space(S): An Ethnography Of A (Sometimes) Gay Bar, Andrea M. Davis

The Qualitative Report

Using ethnography, I studied the ways in which space was created at a nightclub with a once a week Drag Night. The history of the space (each night building on the night before for years and years) created stability for the nightclub that remained regardless of the individuals within it. Drag Night, however, did not reap the benefits of that stability. Despite site - specific (read theme - night specific) normative performances in the space, the social space was altered through individual performances as well as rules associated with the club.


Grumpy Old Ethnographers: A Review Of David Silverman ’S A Very Short, Fairly Interesting And Reasonably Cheap Book About Qualitative Research, Rachel Fang Jul 2013

Grumpy Old Ethnographers: A Review Of David Silverman ’S A Very Short, Fairly Interesting And Reasonably Cheap Book About Qualitative Research, Rachel Fang

The Qualitative Report

Renowned scholar of qualitative research methods David Silverman delivers an indictment of contemporary qualitative research methods. The book is meant to be an introduction (or “pre - textbook”) to the subject of qualitative research and definitely not a “how - to” manual. In evaluating contemporary qualitative research methods, Silverman’s book primarily focuses on ethnography and conversation analysis. Intentionally personal and biased, Silverman’s plainly - stated goal for this book is to “debunk the accepted understandings” of qualitative research and elicit an interest in the arguments within the field of qualitative inquiry , and he succeeds on both accounts .


Transpersonal Approaches To Autoethnographic Research And Writing, Diana Raab May 2013

Transpersonal Approaches To Autoethnographic Research And Writing, Diana Raab

The Qualitative Report

My life as nonfiction writer has led to my interest in doing an autoethnographical study and this paper will discuss how autoethnography can be performed using transpersonal psychology as a model. Autoethnography is a personal narrative akin to biography and memoir, and has become a more prevalent research method because of its accessibility an d the ease with which the reader can connect with the researcher ’ s and participant's lived experiences and/or epiphanies. The best narratives consist of embodied, vulnerable, and evocative writing, which help to explore, transform, and heal through various life journeys. This self - awareness and …


Among The Cannibals : A Review, Julie Schuh May 2013

Among The Cannibals : A Review, Julie Schuh

The Qualitative Report

Paul Raffaele has written a particularly absorbing book about his ethnographic studies to discover the last remaining participants in the enigmatic and disconcerting practice of cannibalism. His research takes him across the globe living with societies from New Guinea to Mexico.


Practicing The Four Seasons Of Ethnography Methodology While Searching For Identity In Mexico, Margaret Jane Pitts Oct 2012

Practicing The Four Seasons Of Ethnography Methodology While Searching For Identity In Mexico, Margaret Jane Pitts

The Qualitative Report

This narrative is an account of my field experiences and challenges practicing González’s (2000) Four Seasons of Ethnography methodology in Mexico City. I describe the complexities and tensions inherent in managing two scientific paradigms: Western scientific logic vs. a more organic ontology. The experiential knowledge produced in this text is useful to ethnographers who face questions of identity and ethics in the field. To evoke a sense of experience, I represent the ethnography for the reader in the way it unfolded for me—sometimes painful, other times insightful, oftentimes both. This dual text exposes my struggles as emergent ethnographer grappling with …


Foundations Of Unlimited, Anna Azulai Sep 2012

Foundations Of Unlimited, Anna Azulai

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (3rd ed.) is an informative, engaging and user-friendly book by J. W. Creswell (2012) that is focused on practical application of qualitative research methods in social inquiry. The author provided a useful comparison of the five types of qualitative inquiry (narrative, phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, and case study) and discussed foundational and methodological aspects of the five traditional approaches. Creswell also effectively demonstrated how the type of the approach of qualitative inquiry shaped the design or procedures of a study. This book could be particularly useful to novice researchers and graduate …


Women And Wasta: The Use Of Focus Groups For Understanding Social Capital And Middle Eastern Women, Deborah C. Bailey Aug 2012

Women And Wasta: The Use Of Focus Groups For Understanding Social Capital And Middle Eastern Women, Deborah C. Bailey

The Qualitative Report

Social capital is the use of informal networking to secure access to resources and opportunities. Often identified as an asset for offsetting deficiencies in societies, research on the phenomena is limited. This paper describes a qualitative study using focus groups with young adult Emeriti women representing three social-economic groups who were interviewed by the author in order to explore the topic of social capital, specifically a form of social capital defined by the Arabic term “wasta”. The women discussed their experiences of how wasta persists regardless of social and religious laws forbidding its practice and how they might use it …


Finding A Way Out Of The Ethnographic Paradigm Jungle, Subhadip Roy, Pratyush Banerjee Jul 2012

Finding A Way Out Of The Ethnographic Paradigm Jungle, Subhadip Roy, Pratyush Banerjee

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop a hybrid ethnographic paradigm, taking the best points from the different approaches of ethnographic research. The pioneering proponents of ethnography differed in their conceptualization of the method, resulting in the development of three distinct schools of thought-holistic, semiotic and behavioristic. These three ethnographic paradigms have their respective benefits and shortcomings. Following any one of these approaches may lead to only partial comprehension of the phenomenon by the ethnographer. This study wished to address this issue by developing a best practice approach, which will have the virtues of all the three …


Making Markets And Constructing Crises: A Review Of Ho’S Liquidated, Alexandra B. Cox Apr 2012

Making Markets And Constructing Crises: A Review Of Ho’S Liquidated, Alexandra B. Cox

The Qualitative Report

This book review is a beginning academic researcher’s interpretation of the robust methods and rich data Ho presents in her study of investment banking culture and the market in Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street (2009). A unique contribution of the text is Ho’s combining of ethnographic methods in order to practice polymorphous engagement in her study. A weakness of the text is Ho’s lacking autoethnographic analysis of her experience as an Asian American woman on Wall Street. The book will be helpful for a scholarly audience interested in studying rigorous ethnographic methodologies and exploring the culture of Wall Street.


Manufacturing Change, Una Ruddock Jan 2012

Manufacturing Change, Una Ruddock

The Qualitative Report

This is a highly accessible presentation of organisational research, which demonstrates how ethnography can elicit a holistic understanding of across section of employees and thereby reveal a workplace culture. It suggests that change efforts fail if culture is ignored and offers a detailed account of how critical incidents translate into tools for change. The data analysis reveals the weakness in working relationships and how blame functions to prevent change. The Ideal Plant project emerges, which validates transformation tools to create cooperative workplace interactions and collaborative problem solving. The past and future, metaphorically represented as two different places, are connected by …


How To Conduct Ethnographic Research, Nisaratana Sangasubana Mar 2011

How To Conduct Ethnographic Research, Nisaratana Sangasubana

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of conducting ethnographic research. Methodology definition and key characteristics are given. The stages of the research process are described including preparation, data gathering and recording, and analysis. Important issues such as reliability and validity are also discussed.