NCJ Number
64104
Date Published
1979
Length
22 pages
Annotation
EVALUATIVE RESEARCH DIRECTED AT THE FEDERALLY FUNDED EXPERIMENTAL SCHOOLS PROGRAM (ES) PROVIDES A RECORD OF THE PROBLEMS AND POSSIBILITIES OF ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND A STARTING POINT FOR DISCUSSION.
Abstract
A SYNTHESIS OF PUBLISHED COMMENTARY INDICATES THAT THE USE OF ETHNOGRAPHY IN EVALUATION RESEARCH RAISES FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES WHICH CAN BE RESOLVED ONLY AT GREAT COST AND WITH MODIFICATIONS TO CONVENTIONAL ETHNOGRAPHIC PRACTICE. THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH INCLUDE AN INITIALLY EXPLORATORY AND OPEN-ENDED APPROACH TO THE RESEARCH PROBLEM, INTENSIVE PARTICIPANT AND OBSERVER INVOLVEMENT OF THE RESEARCHER, USE OF MULTIPLE INTENSIVE RESEARCH TECHNIQUES THAT EMPHASIZE PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION AND KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWING, UNDERSTANDING OF EVENTS THROUGH SHARED MEANINGS OF THE GROUP UNDER STUDY, A FRAMEWORK EMPHASIZING CONTEXT IN DETERMINING BEHAVIOR, AND A RESEARCH PRODUCT IN WRITTEN FORM. THE OVERALL ES EVALUATION RESEARCH STRATEGY USED DESCRIPTIVE CASE STUDIES AT EACH SITE AND A BATTERY OF SURVEY AND PSYCHOMETRIC INSTRUMENTS ACROSS ALL SITES TO ASSESS CHANGE IN PUPILS, SCHOOL ORGANIZATION, AND COMMUNITY. PROBLEMS AROSE IN CONFLICTING DEFINITIONS OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM, ESTABLISHMENT OF RAPPORT, USE OF CONFIDENTIALITY, IDENTIFICATION OF POLICY VARIABLES IN THE ETHNOGRAPHIC REPORT, GENERALIZING FROM A SINGLE CASE, AND COSTS. THE LITERATURE SUGGESTS ALTERNATIVE WAYS ETHNOGRAPHY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EVALUATION RESEARCH, SUCH AS INCORPORATING LARGE-SCALE ETHNOGRAPHIC COMPONENTS SIMILAR TO THAT OF ES STUDIES INTO OTHER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH VENTURES BY APPLYING ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK TO MORE FORMATIVE ENDS, AND BUILDING MORE LIMITED ETHNOGRAPHIC COMPONENTS INTO EVALUATION RESEARCH DESIGNS. TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR ETHNOGRAPHERS MIGHT ALSO REFLECT THIS INCREASED INTERDISCIPLINARY FOCUS. NOTES ARE GIVEN. (AOP)