Ethnographical research involves in-depth observation and study of a culture or group within their natural environment. It aims to provide a holistic understanding of cultural patterns, behaviors, beliefs, and language. Key aspects of ethnographic research include living among and observing the day-to-day lives of cultural groups through techniques like participant observation, interviews, and focus groups. While it provides rich cultural understanding, ethnographic research requires significant time investment and skills in cultural understanding, observation, and reporting.

1. Ethnographical Research

2. Meaning
Ethnography refers to fieldwork.
Literally means “portrait of a people”.
It is also described as the art and science of describing a group or a culture.
Ethnography is a type of qualitative research, that describes, analysis and interprets a
culture-sharing group’s shared patterns behaviour, beliefs or language developed over time.
It was developed originally by anthropologists to study a society, culture, or group in depth.
The approach is dependent upon observations and the emphasis is on studying the people
within an entire culture in their own environment.
It can include language, rituals, economic and political structures, life stages, interactions and
communication styles.

3. Examples
• Observing kids playing in the school of the same class.
• Proctor and Gamble (P&G) observing the consumption behaviour of its customers.
Example of Researches :
• To study the process and outcomes of a program of occupation for seniors with
Dementia.
• To study the habits of Alcoholic male members of the society.

4. Features
• It is conducted in Natural Setting.
• Provides holistic and systematic overview of the content.
• It is done within the field site, Ethnographers may live among cultural groups to study
cultural patterns and their origins.
• It is descriptive in nature and interpretive.
• Guided by general research question and not hypothesis.
• Focuses on meaning of words and images rather than numbers.

5. Features (Cont.)
• Researcher should have shared patterns of beliefs, behaviour, or language among members of a group that are being studied .
• Participant observation – observes their day-to-day life and interviews them .
• Getting “immersed” in a group – informal observations and conversations.
• Describing the field setting in great detail
• Low inference, primarily descriptive presentation of data
• Using extensive quotation from participants
• The purpose is to bring the culture “alive” for the readers
• Use of present tense to communicate permanence and universality

6. Tools and Techniques
• Participant observations
• In depth interviews
• focus groups

7. Types of Ethnographic Research
• Realist Ethnography – an objective account of a situation, written in the
third person point of view and reporting objectively the information learned
from participants. The realist ethnographer remains in the “background” as
reporter of the “facts”.
• Critical Ethnography- a type of ethnographic research in which the
researcher advocates for the emancipation of groups marginalised in society.
Critical ethnographers are political-minded people who speak against
domination and inequality.

8. Similarity and Difference between a Case Study and
an Ethnographic Research
▪ Similarity with case study:
• Both focus on cases (ranging from individuals to communities, society, or institutions)
• In-depth study of phenomenon of interest
• Study in natural context
▪ Difference with case study:
▪ Ethnographers focus specifically on aspect of cultures
▪ The sample size is also huge as compared to the sample size of a case study

9. Limitations
• Single perspective and it can be biased
• Contradictory results are possible
• Requires in depth study of the sample and observation skills
• Duration of the study might be long as compared to other types of research
• Researcher should have in-depth knowledge of the culture, he/she plans to
study about.
• Proficient Reporting skills are needed in the researcher