Is it for me? An experiential invitation to ethnography
Exercise in preparation of DTC Lecture 8, 26 February 2014
Lecturer: Davide Nicolini1
This exercise is intended to give you a taste of the kind of work ethnographers do, both in
observing in the field and writing up those observations. It is really a taster so that you can
decide whether ‘is it for me?’ You are strongly invited to carry out this exercise even if you
think of yourself as a quant person or have no intention to use this method in the future.
The second part of the class in week 8 will be based on the results of this exercise, so if you
do nothing you will find the session extremely boring.
The exercise is divided in three parts: preparation, observation, analysis of the field notes and
write up.
1.1
Preparation
Select an event or activity to observe and, ideally, to participate in at some level. The event or
activity may be quite simple, common, small, or frequent—or it may be elaborate, unusual,
and different from your own cultural tradition—but it must meet these criteria:
• You have a right to be there, or you have secured permission or an invitation to attend from
persons in charge.
• It is not familiar to you.
• It has a clear beginning and end.
• It is limited in time.
• You are curious about it.
Examples can include: an event you have never been to (a football match), public meeting, a
bus, a store you are not familiar with (ethnic food?), a pub, a sport session, a worship event…
1
Text compiled utilising a number of existing exercises and references. Contact the instructor if you would like
to know more about them.
1|Page
It would be useful if you could endorse the help of an acquaintance familiar with the
event—your key informant—who will accompany you or host you at the event and answer
your questions about it.
BEFORE you start the observation ask yourself and write down: what do I want to know
more about? What would I like to understand better at the end of the observation?
1.2
Observation
You need to spend at least 60-90 minutes doing observation (ideally a bit more).
Observation is not done with the eyes only. Ask questions to your informant or other
participants. Ask them What does it mean? And how come this is done. Appearances may be
deceptive, especially for a casual observer (like you are).
You should let your original curiosity to lead your observation (what do I want to understand
about the situation I am observing?). In case you are stuck, here are a couple of observation
frameworks that you may find useful:
Spradley’s 9 Dimensions of descriptive observation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
SPACE - layout of the physical setting; rooms, outdoor spaces, etc.
ACTORS - the names and relevant details of the people involved
ACTIVITIES - the various activities of the actors
OBJECTS - physical elements: furniture etc.
ACTS - specific individual actions
EVENTS - particular occasions, e.g. meetings
TIME - the sequence of events
GOALS - what actors are attempting to accomplish
FEELINGS - emotions in particular contexts
From Spradley, J. P. (1980). Participant Observation. New York: Holt, Rinehart &
Winston.
Jordan’s POSTA observation framework
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
P - Person
O - Objects
S - Situations
T - Time
A - Activity
From Gitte Jordan (Institute for Research on Learning and XEROX PARC)
2|Page
Plan to take notes. You can use a variety of tools to do so (paper, tablet, etc.) You may also
want to take pictures, capture videos and record voices .This may help you to catch anything
you may miss with notes (for example if you interview people) . If you decide to do so, a)
ensure you have permission and b) don't use this as a substitute for note-taking. Even if you're
recording, keep observing. You're freed from writing down exact quotes, so you can spend
your time noting other things.
When writing your note please be sure that you separate what you observe, hear, see, sense
from your own personal thoughts, which may include what you learned in the setting
regarding your guiding question, what to ask next or next time. Be sure also to take notes of
what was it like for you to be doing this research, what felt comfortable for you about being
in this site and what felt uncomfortable, for example: how are you situated in this social
setting? Are you an "insider" to this group? To what extent do you choose to interact with
participants, either those you already know or those you meet at the event? How do people
react to you? How did you prepare for your observation, and what was it like entering your
"fiel dsite"? How did you make your exit, and how did you feel about it as you left? Pay
special attention to how your interaction with this event affects your observations, the
participants' behaviour, and your interpretations of what you see .In what ways did you
connect with informants, and in what ways didn't you?
If you do not take notes during your observation, be sure that you do so Right AFTER it.
Even if you do take notes during your observation, please ensure that you re-read them and
add things ASAP after the end of the field visit. This is critical as human memory is very
tricky. For your information, most ethnographers spend about 60% same time observing and
40% writing up notes (in many situations taking notes in real time is impossible) and ordering
their notes at the end of the day or week.
1.3
Analysis of the field notes and write up
Please write up a report of your observation. Try to write at least two pages (800-1000 words)
but not more than four (1500 words) as you will be asked to share your document with others
in class. You can use any media that carries in print (pics, drawings, graphs). Quotes from
people and sounds will have to be transcribed or rendered.
The best practice, provided you have wrapped things up immediately after your observations
(see above), is to wait a few days and take a fresh look at your notes. You'll be surprised at
how your memory of the event differs from your recorded observations. Don't wait too long,
3|Page
though; and if you neglected your post-event "wrap-up" (above), then move to the writing
stage as soon as possible, before gaps in your notes become mysterious, incomprehensible
blanks.
Start with rereading multiple times your note. Experiment with the write up. You can use the
same framework you used for your observation, or tell the story in a different. Please way
include a section detailing your reflections on the event and your experience as a participantobserver. Feel free to make your own interpretations, but be aware that you've only just
begun to scratch the surface. If there is room include a section detailing your reflections on
the event and your experience as a participant-observer. If there is no room in the document,
take note of this as we will discuss this stuff in class. Briefly assess the strengths and
weaknesses of your foray into ethnography: anything you feel proud to have "caught,"
anything you feel you missed, and anything you'd pay more attention to next time around.
Your feelings and reactions to the project are part of your data.
BRING TWO COPIES OF YOUR OBSERVATION REPORT WITH YOU IN CLASS
4|Page