Customer Reviews

The Ethnographic Interview

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great step-by-step guide to the theory and practice of ethnography. Provides the theoretical rationale for why ethnography is structured as it is. It is most unique for the well thought out, structured approach to interviewing. Identifies how different types of questions provide different types of data. Gives an elegant taxonomy of questions and shows how each type of question is linked to a different aspect of ethnographic analysis. A must read classic for anyone--academic ethnographics to market researchers--involved with data collection from individual human beings.

While reviewing tons of literature searching for the appropriate research methodology for my doctorate degree in corporate innovation, "The Ethnographic Interview" came to my attention. The research paradigm described and illustrated in this work provided a blueprint for the collection and analysis of text-based data. So often quantitative measures are applied before the problem or situation has been truly assessed. Spradley's methods are respectful of the population or culture to be studied and provide a vehicle for the researcher to interact without interferring.

Spradley was an advocate and artful practitioner of a particular type of ethnography, informed by symbolic interactionism, that does not necessarily have the spatial contextual character of most ethnography. For example, he studied "tramp" culture, which is a context of a sort, but not like, say the KU med school in Boys in White. Much of this book explains how to conduct his sort of research. Because I generally favor the more traditional contextual approach, I neglected this book in my own book The Ethnographer's Method (Sage). Now I wish I hadn't; the advice on ethnographic interviewing is still very worthwhile for anyone heading off into field research, regardless of their style of "qualitative" study. In fact, I'm using it myself in the project I'm currently launching.

This book is old, but a great introduction for beginners and researchers to ethnographic interviewing, stepping the reader through the whole process from beginning to end. As an academic book, it is readable and where there is jargon, it is explained in depth. Recommended.

A seminal reference for all those qualitative researchers--graudate students and tenure track--who use the interview as a data gathering tool. I have referenced this book several times throughout my journey of obtaining my PhD. A must-have reference!

Diane Billay RN BN MN PhD(c)