Designing an Ethnographic Research Question
Key concepts for turning a curiosity into a feasible, ethical ethnographic question.
Keyboard Shortcuts
💡 Pro tip: Use keyboard shortcuts for faster studying!
Study Smart Tips for Designing an Ethnographic Research Question
Master these concepts using proven study techniques that actually work:
Active Recall
Test yourself before flipping each card to strengthen memory retention
Spaced Repetition
Review difficult cards more frequently than easy ones
Multiple Sessions
Break study time into shorter, focused sessions
Explain Aloud
Verbalize answers to reinforce understanding
Questions Covered in This Set
11 cards to master
What is a "snag" in research design?
A small, specific moment where the world didn't behave as you expected — an unwritten rule you noticed people following. Snags, not broad topics, are the raw material for good questions.
Why are topics like "food" or "religion" not research questions?
They are filing cabinets, not questions — too broad to answer. They lack a specific setting, practice, or puzzle that fieldwork could actually investigate.
Which question forms work best for ethnography?
"How do X accomplish Y?", "What counts as Z here?", and "What does A mean to the people who do it?" — forms that stay close to observable practice.
Why avoid "why" and "does" questions?
"Why" invites armchair psychology and "does" demands causal datasets you don't have. Ethnography is weak on causality but excellent at meaning and process.
What is the emic perspective?
The native categories and meanings of the people studied — understanding practice from the insiders' point of view rather than testing the researcher's hypothesis.
Name the four feasibility filters for a 2-week project.
Access (legitimate, repeated presence), Density (it happens often), Scale (one site/small group/~10 interviews), and Evidence (name your data in advance).
Why does a question about an annual festival fail the feasibility test?
It fails Density — the event won't occur often enough within the two-week fieldwork window to generate observations.
What are the four ethical commitments named in the lesson?
Informed consent, voluntariness, confidentiality (pseudonyms, altered details, secure records), and reciprocity to participants.
What should a first-time researcher avoid?
Vulnerable populations, illegal activity, and covert observation.
What is the "one friendly sentence" self-check?
Could you explain the project out loud in one friendly sentence to the person you're observing? If that sentence makes you wince, redesign it.
How does the café example move from topic to question?
Topic: coffee shop culture → Snag: regulars glare at newcomers in "their" seats → Question: how do regulars enforce informal claims to space without explicit rules?
