The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has just completed four years of surveying, documenting, and reporting on the folk customs and crafts of the Pinelands National Reserve. The project was designed to assist the Pinelands Commission in shaping policies for reserve land use and development. (MLW)

Identifies and interprets the discursive codes (subsystems of symbols and meanings) at a television station, in order to understand cultural communication and organization. (MS)

An anthropologist is urging development of better-defined standards for the evaluation of the writing of ethnographies. (MSE)

Examines Peter Woods' argument for "phase two" ethnographic research which involves"leaps of (theoretical) imagination" and "hypothesis formation and testing." Concludes that current theories are not improved upon and that instead of further research, major reassessment and reconstruction of ethnographic practice must…

Replying to a critique of his "phase two" ethnographic research, Woods states that testing studies in the manner that Hammersley advocates would be inappropriate and counter-productive. More "phase two" work with reflection on existing material rather than investigation of new areas is recommended. Cautions against systematic…

Replying to Woods' analysis of his original critique, Hammersley lists four points of disagreement: (1) what counts as theory development; (2) phases of theory development; (3) the nature of theory testing; and (4) whether theory development and testing is an achievable goal. (GEA)

Ethnographic methods were used to examine functions of a clique and informal leaders in a work group at a sheltered workshop for mentally retarded adults. Two leaders, an instrumental leader and a socioemotional leader, served to maintain group cohesion and allow members to act outside of direct staff influence. (Author/DB)

Considers bias and subjectivity in ethnographic research. Since researchers cannot eliminate biographical determinants, the makeup of the researcher is critical to research quality. This article suggests ways to move this "bias in biography" toward a new era in anthropology and education. (Author/LHW)

Examines the schism of values between qualitative and quantitative social science researchers. Focuses on some practical methodological issues which face researchers wishing to adopt a qualitative-interpretive approach. (JDH)

A case study of a young woman in segregrated (handicapped-only) residential and educational environments identifies discrepancies between two human service agencies' stated philosophy of normalization and actual behavior in five areas: (1) prosthetic equipment, (2) home and classroom materials, (3) agency goals and individual programs, (4) agency…

Cautions that a lack of rigor in research methodology and a lack of restraint in interpretation may ruin the potential benefits of educational ethnography. (HOD)

Interviewing has been a recognized mainstay of ethnographic fieldwork for more than 100 years. Coupled with participant observation, it was taken to be the complete corpus of anthropological and sociological inquiry activity. Although the repertoire of fieldwork inquirers has grown, interviewing remains a primary data collection technique,…

This paper presents some insights about the rigors of ethnographic fieldwork gained in the conduct of an ethnographic study of the Muscogee people of Oklahoma (called "Creek" by European settlers). The difficulties and issues discussed include: (1) gaining entry; (2) selection of key informants; (3) ways informants tested the investigator; (4)…

An educator, an "old timer" in sociology but new in the field of communication, sees her work as a "calling," a "mission." She wants the audience to feel the emotion of autoethnography. To bring research to life, she chooses three autoethnographic vignettes to show scenes in which a different kind of stigma is felt:…

The chapters of this volume traces the changes in the discipline of qualitative inquiry over the last five decades. The collection serves as a textbook for training scholars in the history and trajectory of qualitative research. The chapters of part 1, The Revolution of Representation: Feminist and Race/Ethnic Studies Discourses, are: (1) Situated…