Ethnography

Dr Katalin Illes

Cambridge, UK

Paper overview

What is ethnography?

How can we use it in teaching and research?

Two examples of good practice

Exercises for the project

Parliamentary Commission for the Environment (PCE), New Zealand

“In contemporary Western society the ‘thinking’ sides of ‘education for sustainability’ are often highlighted. However, education for sustainability requires people to use their hearts just as much as their heads.

Values that are needed for a sustainable future include (but are not limited to) compassion, equity, justice, peace, cultural sensitivity, respect for the environment and recognition of the rights of future generations.” (PCE, p.43)

What is ethnography?

Phenomenological methodology

Ethno- means folk and art

Graphy- means description

“any full or partial description of a group.”

(Werner and Schoepfle)

The study of people in naturally occurring settings or fields by means of methods which capture their social meanings and ordinary activities, involving the researcher participating directly in the setting, if not also the activities, in order to collect data in a systematic manner but without meaning being imposed on them externally. (Brewer, 2000)

Techniques:

In-depth interview

Discourse analysis

Personal analysis

Vignettes

Participant observation

Visual methods:

Video

Photography

Film

Internet

Triangulation of methods

Philosophical framework:

Naturalism; humanistic; hermeneutic or interpretative paradigms

Naturalism is an orientation concerned with the study of social life in natural settings and they occur independently of experimental manipulation.

Main method of data collection is participant observation where the researcher becomes a full working member of the group being studied.

Research takes place over a long period of time.

Suggestions for researchers:•Build trust as early as possible•Become as involved as you can with the phenomena, but maintain an analytical perspective

•Develop strong contacts with a few keyinformants

•Gather data from as many different sources aspossible, using multiple methods

•Capture participants’ views of their experiences in their own words, but remember the limitationsof their perspectives

•Write up field notes as soon as possible afterleaving the setting and do not talk to anyone until you have done so

•Be descriptive when taking your field notesand draw diagrams of physical layouts

•Include your own experiences, thoughts andfeelings as part of your field notes•As field work draws to a close, concentrate onmaking a synthesis of your notes

Further Suggestions:

Try different techniques on a small scale

Talk with other researchers

Involve students/members of organisations in research projects – raising consciousness and mindfulness

Two examples:

‘Learning by Sharing’

‘Relationship Audit’

Needs, Demands and the Question of Trust in Business Education

Students Academics

High brand value Job satisfaction

Transferable skills Promotion, recognition

Competencies Balanced workload

Employability Good students

Employers

Transferable skills

Flexibility

Commitment

Self-discipline

businessindividuals

students teachers/researchers

Learningby Sharing

outside world

young generation university

learningthroughpractice

learning byexperimenting

learning by investigating

Learning by Sharing

(Thijssen et.al. 2006)

Technical Competence

Managerial Competence

Relational Competence

Free Mental Space

Goodwill Trust Development

Contracts

New Conceptual Framework

Trust is a result of actionGood will is practical rather than theoretical and it is rooted in intent.

1.My intent is to serve, to create, to give.

2. I sustain this as my practice in life.

3. I radiate good will and

4.That results in trust.

Trust in different cultures research:

http://btc-server.btc.anglia.ac.uk/phpsurveyor/index.php?sid=3

Please contact: Katalin.illes@anglia.ac.uk

Research question:

Does our cultural conditioning influence how we build trusting relationships?

If so how?

Focus groups and in-depth interviews

Please contact: Katalin.illes@anglia.ac.uk

Exercises for ICOPROMO project

1. Risks we take – personality type and risk

2. Organisational history – cultural awareness

3. Leadership and Followership – debate, observation, testing personal views

4. Action Learning and Ethnography –observation, reflection

Questions?

Thank you.