Doing Ethnographic Research. Kimberly Kirner

      This activity will help you reflect on how participants might feel if they are asked to be part of a study.

      How would you feel if you were asked to be part of a study? Do you feel that you adequately represent your race/ethnicity, age group/generation, gender, socioeconomic status, and so on? What reservations might you have about participating in a study?

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      Activity 3.2: Cultural Data versus Individual Attribute Data

      Background: Sampling is the development of a group of people carefully chosen to be part of a research study. A sample is a way of representing the wider world through a small population that you study.

      There are two major kinds of sampling: probability and nonprobability. Probability samples are best for research that focuses on how individual attributes (such as gender, ethnicity and race, or age) impact certain characteristics of interest across a diverse population. Nonprobability samples are best for research that collects cultural data—behaviors, beliefs, and knowledge that is widely held in specific groups.

      This activity will help you differentiate between research topics on cultural data versus topics in which individual attribute data matter.

      Key Terms and Concepts

       Probability sampling

       Nonprobability sampling

       Individual attribute data

       Cultural data

      Instructions

      Using the prompts in the Cultural versus Individual Attribute Graphic Organizer (at the end of the chapter), decide whether the research topic is on cultural data or requires individual attribute data. Then justify your decision; you may use internet research to better understand these prompts.

      Common Mistakes

      Common mistakes students make when differentiating between cultural data and individual attribute data:

       Failing to think of broad trends (focusing too much on potential outliers)

       Failing to recognize potential broad patterns of difference based on gender, age, ethnicity/race, and other demographic factors

      Ask Yourself

       Am I monitoring my understanding? Have I backed up to reread a section to better understand content?

      Sample Problem

      Prompt, example, and non-example are all inside the graphic organizer below.

      Problem 1

       (Use the worksheet at the end of the chapter to complete this problem.)

      Problem 2

       (Use the worksheet at the end of the chapter to complete this problem.)

      Activity 3.3: Nonprobability Sampling Plans

      Background: There are two major kinds of sampling: probability and nonprobability. Nonprobability samples are best for research that collects cultural data—behaviors, beliefs, and knowledge that is widely held in specific groups. Aside from broadly held cultural data, nonprobability sampling is also useful for capturing what is considered expert knowledge and is common for exploratory research.

      This activity will help you decide on and justify optimal nonprobability sampling plans based on case studies.

      Key Terms and Concepts

       Sample

       Nonprobability sample

       Quota sample

       Sampling grid

       Purposive (judgment) sample

       Pilot studies

       Convenience sample

       Snowball (respondent-driven) sample

      Instructions

      Using the case study prompts, make decisions regarding optimal nonprobability sampling plans (quota vs. purposive vs. convenience vs. snowball) and justify your decisions.

      Common Mistakes

      Common mistakes students make when choosing a nonprobability sample plan:

       Insufficient attention to the details of the research question

       Insufficient attention to the details of the participants needed

       Insufficient attention to the details of the researcher’s limitations

      Ask Yourself

       What do I think is the best way to approach this task?

       Am I monitoring my understanding? Have I backed up to reread a section to better understand content?

      Sample Problem

      A graduate student in the anthropology of religion plans to study young men and women coming of age (through adolescence and early adulthood) in a Mormon church community. The student’s preliminary reading in the literature indicated that the Mormon religion has variations in its expectations of men and women.

      Example

      Optimal sampling plan: Quota

      Justification: Because the target subculture seems to have different roles and responsibilities for men and women, it is likely that the experiences of teen boys and girls will be different. It’s important to capture participants of both of these genders in the sample so that the data represent the culture accurately.

      Non-example

      Optimal sampling plan: Purposive

      Justification: The purpose of the study is to study coming of age in the Mormon church. The researcher can take all the willing Mormon participants who are teenagers or young adults.

      Problem 1

      A student is conducting a senior thesis on all the organizations that serve foster children in their county. They are interested in how the chief executive officers