Studies of the use of ethnography as an evaluation tool in large-scale contract research studies were reviewed before data collection and design decisions were finalized in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP). Five tasks had to be accomplished before data collection could begin: study sites were selected, a system for data collection was…

Findings of this ethnographic study are the product of observations of the Capital Area School Board from January until September 1976. The data were fit into two models, the Dissatisfaction Theory of Democracy and the elite-arena model. "Elite" boards reach most decisions in private meetings and feel independent of the electorate.…

Anthropological fieldwork is characterized as the most human methodology of the social sciences. Fieldwork brings the researcher into intimate relationships with the host people and facilitates perception of the unexpected activity of general social processes and understanding the initially perplexing conduct of the hosts. Fieldwork also has…

The popularity of using qualitative, or ethnographic, research methods to improve educational practices is increasing. However, an examination of how research findings are translated into policy is necessary to assess accurately the extent to which this goal can be realized. This paper assesses the efficiency of four strategies for increasing…

This study reports on career change and mobility for women and minorities in school administration. Descriptive data were collected between 1974 and 1979 in southern California school districts, using an ethnographic method. Interview data were collected from 350 school administrators. The first section describes women in school administration,…

This paper illustrates how the sociolinguistic concept of code switching applies to the use of different styles of music. The two bases for the analogy are Labov's definition of code-switching as "moving from one consistent set of co-occurring rules to another," and the finding of sociolinguistics that code switching tends to be part of…

Qualitative/naturalistic inquiry intends to discover whatever naturally occurring order exists rather than to test various theories or conceptual frameworks held by the investigator. Naturalistic, ecological data are urgently needed concerning the behavior of educational administrators. Such data can considerably change the knowledge base of the…

The authors' experiences in using three different approaches to the study and documentation of processes used in the Experience-Based Career Education model are reported. The approaches used were: ethnography, systematic observation of student behavior in natural settings, and in-depth student interviews. (Author/BP)

Presents an ethnographic analysis of the social adaptive strategies manifested by Indian and Metis migrants to the Canadian city of Winnipeg in their effort to cope with the social as distinct from the economic aspects of their urban environment. (Author/AM)

Authors note that the focus of their current research is substantive. They have begun to analyze and explicate the native defined views of an age-stratified set of peer groups with respect to numerous variables such as their concepts of health and sickness and their definitions of drugs. (Author/AM)

Defines and describes educational ethnography. Discusses the potential of ethnographic methodologies in music education research. Examines data collection, methods and issues concerning the theoretical framework, reliability, validity, and generalizability of ethnographic research. (AEM)

Ethnography, which records and describes culturally significant behavior of a particular group, is suggested as a method for college self-evaluation. The potential and limitations of the method are outlined, and current uses in education are discussed. (MSE)

Ethnographic and survey analyses are used to assess the effects of academic stratification in secondary schools. Results indicate a need for longitudinal, quantitative research that is sensitive to actual dimensions of stratification in schools and to classroom conditions and processes that vary across levels of the hierarchy. (TJH)

An ethnographic approach is used to determine how anger and aggression relate to the native childrearing theories held by child caregivers from an urban, working-class neighborhood. The three socialization contexts identified were the caregiver's life experiences, childrearing ideology, and childrearing practices. (JS)

A bibliographic essay covers all significant literature on the Sacred Pipe among the North American tribes. Organizes over 130 references dating from 1843 to 1980 under topics such as American Indian attitudes toward the pipe, sacramental and ceremonial uses of the pipe, and the pipe as symbolic man. (JHZ)