An Ethnographic Approach to Education: What Are You Doing in This Village?

Abstract

This study describes the ethnographic approach used in educational research, as seen through the eyes of an ethnographer. This work is the product of research that investigates the transition of young children to pre-school, within the cultural processes of their everyday lives. The article describes the village setting and the processes in which I engaged in my role as participant observer for seven months, as well as the difficulties I encountered, and the strategies I developed. The practical experience I gained in the research provided me an important foundation for my ethnographic research methods. As a result, the products of this study emphasize that the ethnographic method doesn't necessarily relate to fixed rules; instead it usually occurs in three basic steps. These are: initial, activation, and acceptance. The content of these three phases was determined by the socio­cultural structure of the society in which I became a participant. In this study, the decisive role of the community's cultural structure in the research method and techniques is discussed in the framework of the three basic stages.

Keywords: Qualitative Research; Ethnographic Approach; Education