WHAT IS ETHNOGRAPHY

MEANING/CONCEPTUAL BASES
֍ Also known as ethnomethodology or methodology of people. It focus on
studying socio cultural phenomena of a community.
֍ Ethnographers attempt to capture a whole picture of a culture by observing
and interviewing participants with the intent of revealing and interpreting the
way people structure and understand their world (Fraenkel et al., 2011) and
how they develop "shared patterns of behavior over time" (Creswell, 2007,
p.19).
֍ Ethnography is a qualitative type of research that documents a particular
culture or group and tries to understand how this culture affects their lives.
Then ethnographers observe the day-to-day life of the members of that group
and conduct interviews with them.
PURPOSE
A. It helps in cross cultural analysis.
B. It helps in analyzing the past events or the history of
the culture.
C. It helps in studying the behavior, experiences and
attitudes of individuals in a more natural environment.
D. Close observation increases the chances of validity in
the reports and theory formulated.
 LIMITATION OF ETHNOGRAPHY
I. Ethnography requires time
II. Creating a normal environment isn't always easy
III.It's more difficult to recruit
IV. Overall expense may be higher
V. Biases can be apparent because a researcher will always bring with
them their own culture and own perspective which may impact their
interpretations of the experiences they observe within this different
culture. 
VI. Genuine co-operation and engagement from the people of interest may
not always be forthcoming and rapport might be difficult to establish. 
ILLUSTRATION/EXAMPLES
A. Observing a group of children playing
B. Observing employees in a corporate office
C. Observing medical personnel in a high-volume
hospital
D. Observing an indigenous village
E. Observing a high school classroom
F. Observing motorcycle riders