U9D1-28 - Exploring Outcome-Based Evaluation Options - Please follow all instructions outlined below. Do not skip anything. Readings and Forms are attached.

WHAT IS ETHNOGRAPHY?

INTRODUCTION When we conduct public needs assessment and planning projects, we are part of the project. Whether our official role is that of a representative of a constituent group, another type of stakeholder, or a government representative, we may be called upon to facilitate the project. Natural leaders arise and you don’t need to have the title of chair to be called upon to take a research position!

YOU AS AN ACTION RESEARCHER Your future participatory action research dissertation study includes you as a member of a team that works to find a solution to a public problem. Participatory action research builds on ethnography as one component of the research model. That’s one reason to understand ethnography as a qualitative research methodology. Ethnography has its roots in a number of disciplines, and each adds depth and richness to the research design. Let’s look at some of the aspects of this lived research experience.

ANTHROPOLOGY Ethnography has its roots in anthropology, the science of human beings. Specifically, the field of anthropology contributes the study of people’s nature, their characteristics, and how these influence their activities. Think about this as the individual’s perspective in a needs assessment project or research study setting.

SOCIOLOGY A second field that contributes to ethnography is sociology, the science that studies societies, their institutions and relationships. It examines the collective behaviors of organized groups of people. This fits well within what we already know about the organizational impacts on a project or study.

HUMAN ECOLOGY The third branch of science that has a lesser but still profound impact on ethnography is human ecology, which studies the interrelationships and patterns of humans’ response to their environment. It contributes a systems theory approach to ethnography. When we consider our world and its influences in its broadest sense, there are many variables and externalities that impact how a project or study may proceed.

INDIVIDUALS Humans operate within societies, represented by the intersection between anthropology and sociology.

ORGANIZATIONS

Organizations operate within a world that changes how they may approach a problem, noted as the intersection of sociology and human ecology.

SOCIETY AND THE WORLD Similarly, actions of individuals may change based on their place within the world and their personal environment. The intersection of anthropology and human ecology provide this evidence.

ETHNOGRAPHY! At the core, ethnography considers all three levels of influence, individuals, organizations, and society, in relation to the problem being studied.

CONCLUSION As you think about a public needs assessment project for this course or your future participatory action research, consider the ethnographic implications that may direct the outcome in one way or another. You can then plan to overcome problems and be proactive in your project or study design!

Subject Matter Expert:

Interactive Design:

Instructional Designer:

Project Manager:

CREDITS Yvonne Kochanowski Mark Bune, Justine Lee

Brian Powers

Karen Dodd

L i c e n s e d u n d e r a C r e a t i v e C o m m o n s A t t r i b u t i o n 3 . 0 L i c e n s e .