5 Sep 2022

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Ethnographic Research: Definition, Methods & Examples

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Academic level: College

Paper type: Research Paper

Words: 1061

Pages: 4

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Qualitative research 

Qualitative research is more interested in answering the questions on why or how issues concerning people are addressed to the entire public. Ethnographic research tries to understand the human behavior and their culture within a geographical sphere of particular individuals by literally involving the entire groups and living with them. The researcher at this stage lives with people and observes them wherever they are. In other words, the ethnographic researcher enters someone life for a while, be it a couple of days or hours. It means that the ethnography research is deeper and intimate than others. However, it should be known crystal clear that the investigation has codes which set boundaries for whoever is conducting any research. These lines or borders created by these regulations ought to be given weight when developing or undertaking research. 

The Role of the Researcher 

Part of the role played by the researcher or the specialist is very distinctive and valuable in the qualitative research. These role needs to be played within the boundaries of the ethics and the neutrality. The specialist has a significant role in conducting research or investigating the role of an individual within the target population. In so doing, the researcher has to ensure that they record and coordinates all the data they manage to squeeze from the respondents. Data recording is an important role of the scientist while carrying out the entire research. As they get involved in the research, there are other parts of the research or activities which the researcher has to bear in mind as asserted by Simon (2011). These are issues which are the core for the researcher to have the desired results. First, they have to ensure that the selection of the strategy is suitable and coherent with the research underway and experience expert aptitude guides it. Moreover, they have to make sure that the observers or those who assist them making observation are selected based on merits and hence have the much-needed skills to deliver. Also, the researcher has a role to play in ensuring that the those involved in the scientific research are cooperative and they are not error prone which will end up bring some issues or misfortune to the entire research (Pelto, 2016). In the meantime, the researcher has to be very vigilant both with the assistance and themselves and they have to ensure that high level of integrity is maintained when it comes to the use of resources within the research boundaries. Moreover, they have to ensure that the staffs that assist them are well enumerated to reduce complaints. 

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Consequently, it is the moral duty of the researcher to ensure that there exist precision and details in the research result. Through this, they ensure that truth is given priority. They have to make sure that all the data collected are precise and their interpretation is made in a right manner to make sure that the result is correct and reliable. The specialist, on the other hand, has a role in ensuring that the outcome of any individuals participating in the study is looked at. On the event of any risk detected within the research framework, the researcher has to ensure that the risk is calculated and its effects communicated appropriately to those involved in the study. In any chance that there are some inheritance perils within the research framework, the specialist researcher has to ensure that the issue is dispensed appropriately, they also have the obligation of canceling the examination until the anticipated risk is cleared and the entire process rendered safe. Lastly, the research also has a role to play in ensuring that the after examination materials or any other hazardous materials used are well dispensed off well. The safety of the group and the entire study population lies on their hands. They have to ensure that they remain ethnically oriented to make sure that the whole team and the community is safe. 

Research ethics 

Ethnography involves the researcher have a taste of other people daily life while researching them. As they engage and interact with an individual within the society of study, the researchers have a massive role to play. Hammersley (2016) believes that b y getting an opportunity to live with people as they carry out the research, they risk in many perspectives. Therefore, the obligation of their security is focal. It is crystal clear that some portion of the group may have the judgment of the research obscured. This may result in one sided results or conclusion. For this reason, ethics consideration is paramount in shaping the entire research. Any genuine result must hold fast to morality and ethics. There is a risk of ethics valuation whether in the group or personal research; this can lead to all the research and the finding being trash. Therefore the researcher has to look for issues such consents, autonomy, the beneficence, and non-maleficence. 

Goffman's ethnography 

Some moral issues are thrown in the light in the work of the researcher. The exactness is one of the moralities in research, more importantly; the consents and the participant’s identity are others which must be given weight in research. To hide identity, the participants are given different identity and the situations modified. Alternatively, the researcher has to change the actualities. They need to create new realities of replacing the changed ones. The result is that the entire research is a fiction hence hides the entire identity as asserted by Campos (2015). This is what Goffman has done in her work. She changes all the character and makes it troublesome for other researchers to access the results. To maintain ethics and morality, she decided to change the facts collected during the research. 

Insights of the work 

Covering the participants has been one means used by many researchers. Many commentators have confessed that while going through Goffman work; they were unable to confirm part of the records due to the action she took of hiding the characters (Pelto, 2016). This is very paramount since it should not be known in research on the identity of the participants. The work seems to be very critical in real life situations. The police appear to be overbearing since with them is the support of the court. Through the exploration, the happening is anchored on the people, and general learning and necessities are needed to end such circumstances. 

Lessons 

There are issues in the current world which affect the entire public and must be tackled. It, therefore, requires that those who are in a critical position to address these issues have a reliable data which they can depend upon to solve such situations. One of the most valuable and dependable methods of getting the Data which can be relied upon to address these issues is the ethnographic research. This data is critical since it comes from the people after a long time study hence reliable for making a certain conclusion. 

References 

Campos, P. (2015). Alice Goffman’s implausible ethnography.  The Chronicle of Higher Education 21

Hammersley, M. (2016). Reading ethnographic research. Routledge. 

Pelto, P. J. (2016). Applied ethnography: guidelines for field research. Routledge. 

Simon, M. (2011). The role of the researcher.  Retrieved May 21 , 2016. 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 16). Ethnographic Research: Definition, Methods & Examples.
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