During the 1979-80 academic year, a study was conducted to determine the beliefs and attitudes held by individuals in four groups (students, parents, teachers, and administrators) directly associated with the student activity program in a small Mississippi high school using ethnographic techniques. Ethnographic techniques involve the direct observation of human activity and interaction in an ongoing and naturalistic fashion. During the study, advantages and disadvantages in using ethnographic method were found. Major advantages included sufficient on-site time for a depth of understanding allowing the researcher time to review and analyze information which seemed enigmatic on the surface; attendance at almost all activities provided first-hand information and gradually made the investigator an accepted entity in the school; and the method did not disrupt the ongoing routine of the school. Disadvantages to ethnography were extensive time spent away from job and family; more time was needed to complete the study than was planned; problems in scheduling interviews and observing events; extensive recording of events and interviews; and hand-written records of interviews and observations imposed limitations on amount and quality of material recorded. (ERB)