KEYSTONE HPSR Initiative // Module 9: Ethnography // Slideshow 2: Qualitative Research and Ethnography: Overlaps and Distinctions This is the second slideshow of Module 9: Ethnography, of the KEYSTONE Teaching and Learning Resources for Health Policy and Systems Research To access video sessions and slides for all modules copy and past the following link in your browser: http://bit.ly/25vVVp1 Module 9: Ethnography The ethnographic approach offers a unique research space to better understand context (political, social, institutional, and historical) of health policies and policy formulation; and how these policies are translated and come alive in health systems. This approach lends itself well for a nuanced analysis of the relationships between power, knowledge and practice in health systems. In this module the (a) roots of ethnographic approach, (b) distinguishing ethnography per se from qualitative research; (c) ethnographic approach and health systems as social institutions & (d) ethical issues and rigour are explored. There are 4 slideshows in this module. Module 9: Ethnography Module 9 Slideshow 1: Ethnography Module 9 Slideshow 2: Qualitative Research and Ethnography: Overlaps and Distinctions Module 9 Slideshow 3: Health Systems Ethnography Module 9 Slideshow 4: Ethnographic approach: Rigour & Ethics The other modules in this series are: Module 1: Introducing Health Systems & Health Policy Module 2: Social justice, equity & gender Module 3: System complexity Module 4: Health Policy and Systems Research frameworks Module 5: Economic analysis Module 6: Policy analysis Module 7: Realist evaluation Module 8: Systems thinking Module 10: Implementation research Module 11: Participatory action research Module 12: Knowledge translation Module 13: Preparing a Research Plan KEYSTONE is a collective initiative of several Indian health policy and systems research (HPSR) organizations to strengthen national capacity in HPSR towards addressing critical needs of health systems and policy development. KEYSTONE is convened by the Public Health Foundation of India in its role as Nodal Institute of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR). The inaugural KEYSTONE short course was conducted in New Delhi from 23 February – 5 March 2015. In the process of delivering the inaugural course, a suite of teaching and learning materials were developed under Creative Commons license, and are being made available as open access resources. The KEYSTONE teaching and learning resources include 38 videos and 32 slide presentations organized into 13 modules. These materials cover foundational concepts, common approaches used in HPSR, and guidance for preparing a research plan. These resources were created and are made available through support and funding from the Alliance for Health Policy & Systems Research (AHPSR), WHO for the KEYSTONE initiative.

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Inaugural KEYSTONE Course on Health Policy and Systems Research 2015
Qualitative Research & Ethnography:
Overlaps and Distinctions

2. Qualitative research & Ethnography
Overlaps and distinctions

3. Ethnography involves use of qualitative methods of data
collection and collecting qualitative data.
It occupies an end of a spectrum of qualitative research
methods
Beyond this, differences far outweigh the overlaps
In certain senses differences are in degrees
Qualitative research and qualitative research methodology

4.  Cross sectional, one-time study rather than long term,
iterative study
 No time is spent on rapport building
 Issue of obtrusiveness or reactivity not addressed
 Selection rather than holism
3/18/2016 N. Nakkeeran, IIPHG 4
Non in-depth methods

5.  A-priori conceptualization and more or less well defined
research questions.
 Focus is on specific phenomenon of concern, divorced from its
context
 Requires early systematization of data collection
 Risk of being anecdotal or journalistic
 Often framework based terminal analysis
 Tendency to quantify
 But in ethnography the conventional idea of ‘sample’ is
untenable for a number reasons

6.  Supreme importance to observation and informal
interviews
 Central role of ethnographer
 The very process of knowing reconstitutes reality
 Epistemological differences
Ethnography

7. Interview continuum
Informal - Unstructured – Semi-structured – Structured
Increasing degree of control over the responses
73/18/2016 N. Nakkeeran, IIPHG

8. Informal interview
• Total lack of structure or control (Everything is negotiable, an
informant is free to treat a question as s/he likes)
• No written set of questions
• Conducted usually in natural settings
• No formal role of the interrogator
• Used largely in initial phase
• Helps to establish rapport
• Requires constant jotting.
• May get progressively more focused
3/18/2016 N. Nakkeeran, IIPHG 8

9. Some additional points
• Informant vs. respondent
• Interview / discussion guide vs. interview schedule
• Importance of understanding type of qualitative data

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