 Units
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of analysis are who you are studying
Communities
Families
Organizations
Occupational groups
Communities of interest
 Logistical
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Location
Timing
Seasonal issues
Size of group
Issues (special permission, supplies, home,
clothes, transportation etc.)
 First
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Contact
Windshield Reconnaissance
Gate Keepers
Key Informants
 Not
as natural as it seems!
 Intense, not overlooking the usual
 It’s not data unless recorded in a usable way
 To record or not record?
 Discuss confidentiality use pseudonyms if
necessary
 Try
to write as many direct quotes as
possible so you can capture the language and
emotions being used
 Make sure your notes follow the conversation
as spoken
 Make sure you use a cover sheet and date
and time each interview
 Devise a system to categorize interviews for
quick reference
 Record your own thoughts on the interview
 Made
with minimum research participation
 Key Cultural Ideas to watch
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Proxemics – how people use physical space
Kinesics – how people convey meaning through
body language
 Structured
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Observation
Using a fixed setting to see how people interact
in it for comparability
Using an inventory for comparison across places
or groups
Usually unobtrusive research is structured
 More
typical of ethnography
 Generally only works if people in the study
group have become familiar with the
researcher
 Generally note-taking occurs in the evening
or next day out of sight of the study group
 Participant observation is unstructured
observation
Research Observation is not natural or intuitive
 There are specific types of interviews for
subjects dependent on the sort of information
needed for the research
 Types of interviews
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Exploratory
In-depth
Key Informant
Open-ended
Semi-Structured
Life History
Oral History
 Most
typical of all ethnographic Methods
 Usually In-Depth to give great detail and
enhance the researchers understanding
 Usually Open-Ended so the respondent
explains things from their viewpoint and the
context of things.
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There are no forced choice questions
Effectively builds rapport in a conversational
setting
Identifies differing views of events
Sometimes collaborators can become emotional
 Conversational
style is preferred—it is okay
to probe or ask challenging questions
 Start the interview with a culturally
appropriate conversation starter
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Generally an inquiry of family, friends, even pets
Be in a comfortable setting
Privacy may be a concern (balance with personal
safety)
Gender issues could be important
Watch for cues of discomfort, length, annoyance
GET THE RIGHT PERSON—KEY INFORMANT
 It’s
become standard practice to digitally
record interviews
 In many cases interviews are transcribed and
analyzed with content analysis software
 Obviously this is very intensive commitment
of time and work
 Other times interviews of videotaped, but
usually reserved for public figures and
important key informants who are very
public—no confidentiality
 Other
anthropologists feel that taping
inhibits the interview
 Sensitive topics are influenced by the
recording—some may not wish to go on
record
 If not taped note-taking is critical—especially
if content analysis is going to be preformed
 There are many cases where there are very
good reasons not to record
 Numerical
content analysis
 Cultural model
 Key concepts
 Strictly descriptive
 Predetermined
questions on a specific topic
 Often developed after a number of
exploratory interviews
 Sometimes just administered to key
informants or a more representative sample
to assess how widely the ideas are held
1. How long have you fished in this area?
2. Did your parents and grandparents fish also?
3. Is fishing the biggest source of income for your family?
4. Currently, whom do you sell your catch to?
5. In your opinion, how much has fishing in this area changed?
6. How has the fishery changed?
7. What do you think has caused changes in fishing as a way of life?
8. What do you think has caused changes in the fishery?
9. Would you say that you live in a fishing community?
 Use
plain language
 Avoid double barrels
 Avoid leading questions
 Ask questions in a chronological sequence
 Start simple and moved to questions
 Ask all questions on a single topic before
moving to the next issue
 Work from the concrete to abstract
 Ask the most sensitive questions near the end
of the interview
 Archived
materials are records stored from
research, services, government, and other
agencies
Some examples include:
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Maps
Records of births, deaths, real-estate
transactions, marriages, etc.
Census
Church
Court records
Old newspapers
Photos, letters, museums
 Archived
materials produce non-reactive
research—therefore are unobtrusive
 Secondary data is information collected by
someone else for another purpose other than
your work
 Archived materials and secondary research
are missing the contextual analysis of the
collaborators
 External
Validity and Internal Validity
 Triangulation
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Observation
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Interviews
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Unobtrusive
Participant Observation
Exploratory unstructured
Semi-structured
Archived materials
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News/history information/records
Secondary data