Conference:
ECER 2008
Format:
Paper
Session Information
PRE_F7, Preconference; Paper Session F7
Paper Session
Time:
2008-09-09
08:30-10:00
Room:
CE 04
Chair:
Ingrid M.E. Munck
Contribution
Abstract: Ethnography is a type of qualitative research. It is widely used in educational settings. One of these educational settings is ‘university’. This study examines the issues of educational ethnography in a lecture setting at a university. More specifically, this paper discusses the methodological and ethical issues of ethnography in a physics lecture at a university. Discussed methodological issues are explained in three categories- data collection, data analysis and reliability and validity conditions for the research. Ethical issues basically focus on ‘being a participant observer’ in a lecture setting. In addition, feasibility of the ethnographic research in a university classroom setting is mentioned, and all possible difficulties for the research are discussed. This study may lighten the young educational ethnographers by discussion of important issues of educational ethnography in detail.
Key words: Ethnography, educational setting, physics lecture setting.
Ethnography documents the everyday experiences of individuals by observing and interviewing with them (Frankel & Wallen, 2000, p.541). In the ethnographic research, the researcher studies in natural setting in a period of time (Creswell, 2003, p.14). According to Malinowski (pioneer of anthropology), an “ethnographer should not sit his arm chair theorizing but should get out there and spend time learning about different people from within their own natural surroundings” O’Reilly (2005, p.10). One of the best or “a critical minimum definition” for ethnography was done by O’Reilly (2005) as below:
Ethnography at least (in its minimal definition) is iterative-inductive research (that involves in design through the study), drawing on a family of methods, involving direct and sustained contact with human agents, within the context of their daily lives (and cultures), watching what happens, listening to what is said, asking questions, and producing a richly written account that respects the irreducibility of human experience, that acknowledges the role of theory, as well as the researcher’s own role, and that views humans as part object/part subject. (p.3)
Method
Ethnography is also widely used in educational settings such as “pre-school, primary and secondary schools and institutions of higher and adult education” (Beach, Gobbo, Jeffrey, Smyth & Troman, 2004). This study discusses methodological and ethical issues of educational ethnography by specifying it in a physics lecture at a university. Data collection, data analysis and reliability and validity conditions for research are explained in detail. Data collection category mentions the characteristics of important data collection techniques such as interview, observation, and other techniques, and also data recording techniques such as field notes, video records and photographs in that setting. In addition, participant and setting characteristics are mentioned in this part. Data analysis explains some strategies to handle with too much data obtained in setting in a long time. Reliability and validity conditions are explained by considering the qualitative perspective. For this reason these conditions are stated under the title of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Some precautions are stated for the ethnographers. Ethical issues focuses on ‘being a participant observer’, because being an overt or covert observer in educational setting creates some contradictions in the literature. And, some other ethical issues are explained.
In addition to the mentioned issues, ‘hidden’ conditions for the research are explained in detail. One of them is ‘feasibility’ due to time and budget. Finally, the possible difficulties occur in a physics lecture setting are stated.
Expected Outcomes
Ethnographic research in a lecture setting at a university can provide deep information about affective and cognitive domains. Factors shape students’ emotion, interaction, motivation, attitude, belief etc. can be examined. In addition, their learning, cognitive structures about concepts can be identified. Also some relations between these variables can be researched.
This study provides detailed information about ethnographic research in a lecture setting. For this reason, it may be helpful for new educational ethnographers in terms of explanation of important issues of this research.
References
Beach, D., Gobbo, F., Jeffrey, B., Smyth, G., & Troman, G. (2004). Ethnography of education in a European educational researcher perspective. European Educational Research Journal, 3(3), 534-538. Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2000). How to design & evaluate research in education. Boston: McGraw Hill. O’Reilly, K. (2005). Ethnographic methods. London: Routledge.
Search the ECER Programme
- Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
- Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
- Search for authors and in the respective field.
- For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
- If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.