This book discusses ethnographic research methods of observations, participation, interviewing and use of documents. The treatment of observations is the central focus. According to the author, ethnography essentially is positioned as field research, together with reporting of experiences in this activity. The fieldwork is typically conducted by a participant observer. It describes behavioral patterns, human interaction and behavioral practices generally. It involves holistic descriptions of field sites.
The book is intended for several audiences among which are practitioners, university teachers and lecturers, as well as graduate and undergraduate students of social sciences and related fields. The audience best served by the book, in my opinion, is the undergraduate or graduate student who is working on an ethnographic research project assignment. The work is authoritative and well written, but experienced practitioners will need a more in‐depth treatment of subjects, such as interview site selection, ethnographic data collection, and methods of data analysis.
Doing Ethnographic and Observational Research begins by defining the field, and successively explains methods of data collection and analysis and reporting issues that field researchers face. Specific chapters include: the domain of ethnography, site selection, data collection, observation as a special focus, analysis, reporting, ethics, and emerging issues.
Sections of the book on observation are of greatest interest for this special issue of Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal.
The Chapter 4 on “Data collection in the field,” has a section on observational data collection. The author first discusses the familiar unobtrusive versus obtrusive observational techniques. Checklists for taking well‐organized field notes and for maintaining notes are valuable for novice observational researchers. Chapter 5 is dedicated exclusively to the topic of observation. The breadth of coverage is comprehensive, touching on types of observational research, the observational research process, validity concerns and more. This chapter provides a valuable roadmap for the interested reader to consult additional references and learn more about observational field research.
Overall, the book is authoritative and meets the needs of students and their teaching faculty. It will be of value, as well, to practitioners who are users of such research for administrative decisions.
