Ethnography - Data Collection Phases

Ethnography Data Collection Strategies & Phases

Data Collection Strategies: Observe, interview, record that which is relevant to the foreshadowed problem statement.

1. Participant observation

2. Ethnographic interview (informal, guided, or standardized)

For a one-hour interview, plan 4 hours to transcribe notes, recordings, and add elaborations. Plan for this time immediately after the interview.

3. Artifact collection includes looking at the social process that created the artifacts and how the artifacts are/were used.

Phases of Data Collection

Phase I: Planning

A. Identify research question, kind of site, and type of participants

B. Prepare yourself as the researcher - immerse yourself

1. McMillian and Schumacher (1995, p. 377, 3rd edition. Research in education: A conceptual introduction (3rd edition). New York: HarpersCollins) suggest 4 methodology courses in doctoral training for ethnographic research

2. Become a skilled ethnographer - read ethnographies, try strategies

3. Insightful - the researcher identifies what makes him or her qualified to interpret the specific phenomenon or event

4. Locate and gain permission to a site, network or persons, or an archive of documents.

5. Prior to collecting data list all your preconceived notions, biases, and assumptions about your problem statement and purposeful sampling selection

Phase II: Beginning Data Collection

A. Researcher becomes oriented to the field

B. Purposeful sampling: Decide specifically on where, when, who, and what. Provide a clear definition of the criteria for the selection of the site, participants, or event. The criteria are related to the research problem and purpose.

C. Establish rapport and trust with participant(s).

D. Refine interview and recording procedures

Phase III: Basic Data Collection

A. Use multimethod strategies or "triangulation" to collect data from participants' perspective using observation techniques, interviews, and/or document analysis.

B. As initial patterns emerge the researcher uses further observations or interviews to corroborate ideas and facts.

Phase IV: Closing Data Collection

"Data collection continues until the logical termination of the naturalistic event" or the situation changes so that it is no longer relevant to the research focus (McMillian and Schumacher, 1997, p. 441)

The researcher concludes the last interview or observation not due to a pre-set date but due to the richness of data collected as related to the research problem. "Further data collection will not yield any more data relevant to the research problem" (McMillian and Schumacher, 1997, p. 403).

Phase V: Completion

Conduct formal data analysis by organizing data into diagrams, time charts, frequency lists, process figures, and other formats to seek patterns in the information.