Ethnography: Step by Step (Applied Social Research Methods Series, Volume 17)

By David M. Fetterman

Book Overview

Nominated for the 1992 Margaret Mead Award

"David M. Fetterman′s warm, descriptive style of writing and his emphasis on ethnographic, evaluation research in educational settings will make this book useful and interesting for a range of readers and courses."
--Teaching Sociology

"It serves as an excellent introduction and guidebook to the novice. David M. Fetterman takes the reader step-by-step through the theories and concepts of ethnography, its methods and techniques, and the process of analysis and writing. . . . The book is liberally illustrated with interesting and illuminating examples from the author′s own work."
--The Review and Expositor

"Remarkably comprehensive. . . . This is an appropriate book for the clinician who is looking for a quick but responsible and imaginative overview of the ethnographic approach." --Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease "Written in the most personable style. Ethnography has become a very popular method for cultural meaning and David M. Fetterman . . . takes us on a tour of what he refers to as the ethnographic wilderness. . . . The book is a freshly written and very authoritative account of ethnographic method. Fetterman brings all of his anthropological experience into this small volume, which makes very lively reading. . . . Gives the reader an overview of what ethnography is all about. Fetterman′s enthusiastic endorsement of this methodology is seen through many of the passages. . . . An excellent source for those new to ethnography and for those interested in ethnographic myths."
--British Journal of Psychology

"David M. Fetterman has drawn on his own experience, providing numerous examples from the field, and has developed a book that is concise and easy to read. It gives clear direction to the novice researcher on the process of ethnography from the proposal to the finished product. . . . Exemplars on participant observation and interviewing help the reader identify with the author′s point. A useful section devoted to questions differentiates between the levels of specificity needed in particular situations. . . . There is useful information on the difficulties of applied research, when the ethnographer is employed to undertake a study. These are identified and illustrated through examples of dilemmas encountered by the author in his own past research. These provide guidance to the researcher thinking of undertaking contact research for that first time. . . . The book is a also] useful review for the experienced researcher. . . . This highly readable book should be on the shelf of all those engaged in ethnographic research."
--Qualitative Health Research

"David M. Fetterman′s book has all the right parts and contributes to the demystification of ethnography. Chapter 3 describes data collection methods and techniques in ethnography in a clear, practical manner. A beginning ethnographer would find this chapter particularly helpful in understanding the craft of fieldwork." --Qualitative Studies in Education

Sifting through notepads filled with illegible scrawl, listening to hours of tape recordings, labeling and organizing piles of photographs and slides, and cross referencing disks of data are all too familiar pictures to the ethnographic researcher. How does one avoid such pictures? This text provides an up-to-date guide on conducting ethnographic research. Using examples drawn from many disciplines, this practical volume introduces the reader to the paradigms used in ethnography, the nature of field work, the equipment needed to conduct research, the analysis of data, the differences and similarities between qualitative and quantitative approaches, and writing the report. Throughout the book, author David Fetterman provides insights into putting people at ease, research ethics, and sensitivity to other cultures. The text also includes a thorough introduction to microcomputers and printers (including the different software packages) that are used in ethnographic studies. Ethnography is a useful guide for the novice, an invaluable tool for the teacher, and an enjoyable refresher for the experienced ethnographer.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803928912
• ISBN13: 9780803928916
• Release Date: February 1989
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Incorporated
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 5.5" x 0.5"

Customer Reviews

A "How To" Guide

Fetterman explains in sequential fashion how to do an ethnographic study. He describes ethnography as "the art and science of describing a group or culture" (p. 11) The first step in the process is for the researcher to enter the field of study with an open mind. In attempting to describe a setting, there is no one acceptable standard. Multiple interpretations of reality exist. A study is one person's view of a given group, at a particular time. Although this limitation is a given, an ethnographer should seek to be holistic in presenting a study's findings (p. 21). An ethnographic study would include both structure and function. Structure is the social structure or configuration of the group. Function is the social relations among group members. Like systems theory, relationships are significant components of an ethnographic study. Symobolic communication is significant in revealing what is important to the people being studied. As an observer, a researcher using this approach is a human instrument. There are some biases, but the more experience one develops, the better one can develop his or her skills of observation. Fetterman goes on to talk about the difference between writing good field notes and writing the final report. In all the book clearly shows how to go about the process of doing an ethnographic study.

A lifetime resource as well as a great introduction

I'm surprised I've studied Anthropology this long without this book. It is simple, linear and effective. David Fetterman takes the beginner through all the necessary thought processes and equipment required to do research. More importantly, he includes a whole section of resource material in one book. Everything from Web sites with research data to List Serves that have anthropological material to associations, their phone numbers, email addresses and Web sites. He includes a detailed listing of software and freeware that can help a reseacher, complete with a brief explanation of the use and value.Moreover, he noted that when the first edition came out in 1989, there was no World Wide Web, so that by the time this book was published in 1998, it was undoubtedly already out of date. Subsequently, he has set up a Web page to accompany the text with a more up-to-date listing of software, freeware, List Serves, technological advances and WebSites.This book is a great tool!Fetterman gives user friendly definitions of many of the most daunting terms in the field of anthropology. Emic = insider's or native's perspective. Etic = external or social science perspective. Proxemitics = study of how the socially defined physical distance between people varies in differing social circumstances. Kinesics = body language study. Operationalism = defining one's terms and methods of measurement. Terms like micro and macro level studies, open and closed probes, structural and attribute questions are not only defined, but are put into practice with short examples.Fetterman briefly describes research methods such as projection techniques and triangulation -- gives examples of their use, advantages and drawbacks.He details specific uses for specific programs, like MicNotePad that turns the researchers portable computer into a tape recorder and aids in transcribing the material.This book is an essential tool for any student, undergrad, graduate or post graduate in anthropology or social sciences in general.