Ethnography: Step by Step Paperback - 1989

Nominated for the 1992 Margaret Mead Award

"David M. Fetterman′s warm, descriptive style of writing and his emphasis on ethnographic, evaluation research in educational settings will make this book useful and interesting for a range of readers and courses."
--Teaching Sociology

"It serves as an excellent introduction and guidebook to the novice. David M. Fetterman takes the reader step-by-step through the theories and concepts of ethnography, its methods and techniques, and the process of analysis and writing. . . . The book is liberally illustrated with interesting and illuminating examples from the author′s own work."
--The Review and Expositor

"Remarkably comprehensive. . . . This is an appropriate book for the clinician who is looking for a quick but responsible and imaginative overview of the ethnographic approach." --Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease "Written in the most personable style. Ethnography has become a very popular method for cultural meaning and David M. Fetterman . . . takes us on a tour of what he refers to as the ethnographic wilderness. . . . The book is a freshly written and very authoritative account of ethnographic method. Fetterman brings all of his anthropological experience into this small volume, which makes very lively reading. . . . Gives the reader an overview of what ethnography is all about. Fetterman′s enthusiastic endorsement of this methodology is seen through many of the passages. . . . An excellent source for those new to ethnography and for those interested in ethnographic myths."
--British Journal of Psychology

"David M. Fetterman has drawn on his own experience, providing numerous examples from the field, and has developed a book that is concise and easy to read. It gives clear direction to the novice researcher on the process of ethnography from the proposal to the finished product. . . . Exemplars on participant observation and interviewing help the reader identify with the author′s point. A useful section devoted to questions differentiates between the levels of specificity needed in particular situations. . . . There is useful information on the difficulties of applied research, when the ethnographer is employed to undertake a study. These are identified and illustrated through examples of dilemmas encountered by the author in his own past research. These provide guidance to the researcher thinking of undertaking contact research for that first time. . . . The book is a [also] useful review for the experienced researcher. . . . This highly readable book should be on the shelf of all those engaged in ethnographic research."
--Qualitative Health Research

"David M. Fetterman′s book has all the right parts and contributes to the demystification of ethnography. Chapter 3 describes data collection methods and techniques in ethnography in a clear, practical manner. A beginning ethnographer would find this chapter particularly helpful in understanding the craft of fieldwork." --Qualitative Studies in Education

Sifting through notepads filled with illegible scrawl, listening to hours of tape recordings, labeling and organizing piles of photographs and slides, and cross referencing disks of data are all too familiar pictures to the ethnographic researcher. How does one avoid such pictures? This text provides an up-to-date guide on conducting ethnographic research. Using examples drawn from many disciplines, this practical volume introduces the reader to the paradigms used in ethnography, the nature of field work, the equipment needed to conduct research, the analysis of data, the differences and similarities between qualitative and quantitative approaches, and writing the report. Throughout the book, author David Fetterman provides insights into putting people at ease, research ethics, and sensitivity to other cultures. The text also includes a thorough introduction to microcomputers and printers (including the different software packages) that are used in ethnographic studies. Ethnography is a useful guide for the novice, an invaluable tool for the teacher, and an enjoyable refresher for the experienced ethnographer.