Ethnography is a form of qualitative research which is vastly different from its more well-known qualitative counterparts, focus group and interviews. To conduct ethnography, the researcher enters into the environment of the study participants as unobtrusively as possible, with the goal of becoming a “fly on the wall.” While the researcher is a dynamic part of other forms of qualitative research, in this form the researcher’s role is strictly that of observer.
The researcher aims to capture key moments of the participant’s experience in as true a form as possible. Rather than relying on the memory or the descriptions of a study participant, ethnography is all about observing and recording important moments as they happen. The ethnographer will often videotape the ethnography experience for later review.
There are innumerable possible objectives of ethnography. Many of them involve understanding the cultural context of the study participants, particularly with an eye to information that the study participant might not self report. Ethnography is looking for the symbolic, social and environmental factors that influence a participant’s experience.
Let’s say, for example, that the goal of research is to discover ways to market a product to young adults. Ethnography would thus be used to observe study participants in their daily routine, offering insights into their behaviors. The ethnographer might observe the home environment, looking for clues. What type of music do study participants listen to? How do they decorate their apartments? Who are their friends, and what do they do for fun? These may all be rich sources of cultural information. What makes ethnography different from other forms of qualitative research is that the goal is to observe and record – not to ask. In this young adult example, the ethnographer may uncover insights through observation that participants might overlook in other research methods.
Select a time to speak with an expert using the link below
Context is key. The ethnographer should act as a detective, searching for clues, with any detail in the environment potentially being significant. If the goal is to observe meal preparation, the researcher should record every aspect of the environment. How does the kitchen lit? What are the ambient sights, sounds and smells? Who is present in the home? What is the study participant wearing while cooking the meal?
Because of its format, this form is more time-consuming than other forms of qualitative research. The ethnographer must spend hours immersed in the study environment. The ethnographer often needs to dedicate significant time after the study to review the collected material. However, the payoff may come when the study yields rich data that might not be collected through other methods.
For commercial applications, ethnography can uncover unmet needs or demonstrate how people use a particular product in everyday life. Additionally, it can be employed to test new products in the home environment or observe how purchasing decisions are made in real time. Furthermore, ethnography can shed light on a particular lifestyle or add depth to the understanding of a consumer niche.
Researchers should use this form of qualitative research to answer very specific questions. As with other forms of qualitative research, researchers should never consider findings statistically significant, since ethnography cannot study large enough numbers of participants. The researcher should take care not to load too many questions into the study design, as ethnography is best suited for getting rich and valuable answers that can only be obtained by looking in great detail at a small number of issues. Similarly, the researcher achieves the most effective results by specifying the segment researched in the study design.