What is Ethnography? Creswell (2013) defines ethnography as a qualitative design where the researcher describes and interprets shared and learned patterns within a culture sharing group in which includes: Values, behaviours, beliefs, and language. Ethnography focuses on an entire culture sharing group, which means that the participant group would be large and would include the researcher to commit themselves to living in the participants environments and engaging in extended observations. An ethnographic researcher will immerse into the environment of the participants and see how they live, in order to gain the most accurate information. Wolcott furthered this ideology by stating that ethnography is not the study of the culture per se, but it is the study of social behaviours and interactions within a culture sharing group. An analysis of observations gathered in the field in combination with symbols, artifacts and quotes allows the ethnographer to capture the essence of how a culture sharing group functions.
Realist ethnography is mainly used by cultural anthropologists. Realist ethnography involves an objective point of view on the situation. Normally it is presented in third person and objectively describes the information gathered from participants.
Critical ethnography is ethnographic research where the ethnographer is a spokesperson for the emancipation of marginalized culture sharing groups. These ethnographers utilize their research as a way to speak out against an oppressive body in order to find equality: This type of ethnography is value-laden, and gives power to the powerless through authority, challenging the status quo.
Methods and Procedures
Many cultures and groups that are studied are marginalized or oppressed. It can be difficult to gain information if trust has not been established. Establishing a relationship with an individual of the group will allow the researcher in, otherwise known as a gatekeeper Part of the procedure is to select key themes, issues and theories in order to provide a framework for the study. The ethnographer will study the interactions between people in their common, every day settings. To do this, the researcher must give respect for