Tasks---Ethnographic research

   What is ethnographic research?  

• Ethnography is the study of cultures through close observation, reading, and interpretation. Ethnographic researchers work “in the field,” in the culture which they are studying. The activities they conduct are also often called fieldwork. Ethnographic researchers learn how to recognize traits that make up a culture and how to describe it to others. As a research method, ethnography is used in many disciplines, among them anthropology, political and social studies, education, and others. Because ethnography is the study of cultures, before going any further, it is important to define the word “culture.”   

      (Source from: http://methodsofdiscovery.net/?q=node/19)

     What techniques are used? 

• Ethnographic research methods:Observing
• Ask for permission to observe. Your research subjects must be aware of the fact that they are being observed. Not only is this a sound practice or ethical research, but it will also help you later on to approach the members of the culture you are studying with interview and survey requests, if you need them.
• Let your subjects know that you are there, and then be as unobtrusive as possible. If you need to talk to any of the members of the culture you are studying, you can ask for an interview later. 
• Keep careful notes. Record events, language and other interactions between the people you are observing as well as their surroundings.

• Ethnographic research methods:Interviewing
• When interviewing someone, it is generally better to have more open-ended questions.
• An open-ended question is one that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” Remembers that successful interviewers encourage their interlocutors to speaks as much as possible, and open-ended questions help them achieve that goal.Rafoth cites writer Robert Weiss recommends that interviewers allow their subjects to develop their answers in such a way that gives the interview additional depth.

• Ethnographic research methods:Collecting and Reading Cultural Artifacts.
• While observing a culture and talking to its members, pay attention to the items around you and to what the people in the culture do with those items. Pay attention to the items that seem important, useful to the members of the culture.
• Begin by noticing the appearance, size, texture, and other visible qualities of the artifact.
• Talk to the members of the culture you are studying to learn about the artifact’s purpose, history, peculiar features and so on.
• Notice ways in which the artifact is being used by the members of the culture
• Compare your observations of the object with the descriptions and remarks you hear from the members of the culture
• Think about the artifact metaphorically or symbolically. Behind its physical reality, what can the artifact symbolize or stand for in the culture that you are studying? Thinking about artifacts in this way will help you to go beyond simply describing them and into making conclusions and generalizations about the artifacts’ meaning for the culture you are studying.
• Ethnographic research methods:Conducting Secondary Research
• As ethnographers usually use a variety of secondary sources, both print and electronic ones, in their work. Using secondary sources allows you to add texture to your work.
• Other ethnographic accounts of the culture you are studying.
• Texts produced by the culture you are studying.Sources of this type will particularly help you to understand the discourse of the culture you are studying.
• Ethnographic research methods:Writing Activity: Finding Useful Secondary Sources for Ethnographic Projects
• Find other writers have said about your research site or similar sites elsewhere will help you accomplish that. Cultural artifacts.

• Ethnographic research methods:Finding Research Sites
• Choosing an ethnographic research site, and thus the topic for your paper is whether the site and the people who inhabit her can be called a culture.

• Ethnographic research methods:Keeping Field Research Notes and Journal
• It is important to keep careful notes of all you do. And in the course of the project, you keep careful notes of everything you see and do.If later on in the term, you want to reflect on your progress as an ethnographic researcher, your journal will help you to do just that.

     Conclusion

• Ethnographic research allows you to get “up close and personal” with cultures. It places researchers at the heart of the investigations, often allowing them to participate in the very culture they study. Such an active role gives writers valuable insights into their subject, which usually cannot be achieved simply by studying books, journal articles, and websites.

• The range of subjects for ethnographic research is unlimited. You can study the mundane or the exotic, the ordinary or the extraordinary. You can make a ethnographic research project out of a weekly visit to a city market, as the author of the paper above did. Or, you can go to the Amazon and study the cultures of the local peoples. The possibilities are endless.
• Ethnography allows us to gain new knowledge about the communities and places we live in, the people we know, and to share that new knowledge with others. Because ethnography allows for the subjectivity of the writer, it places the author in a unique position where expression of emotions, and descriptive writing are encouraged, not discouraged. At its best, the writing that comes out of ethnographic projects is energetic, moving, and intellectually and emotionally stimulating. Give ethnography a try.
• (Source from: http://methodsofdiscovery.net/?q=node/19)  

    Give examples of ethnographics in research.

• Ethnography research  of a restaurant in the United States 
• This case by observation and analysis of consumer in Don Pablo 'behavior of dining-room,  examines the Mexican culture of the southern United States, especially the diet culture. In this study,  investigation,  observation and interview method can be used to collect and measure data.

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• The survey to ask some questions, about the people in the American south to the Mexican culture ideology and values. For example, which one do you agree with the following statements: "food consumption reflects the culture of different",  "this restaurant is authentic Mexican food",  "would you consider to hold a party here?".

Form 1.1 : Visit customers: Age/gender and Education background (n=25)

Age/gender         Education background	0-19 M      F		20-35 M      F		36-45 M      F			46-64 M     F		65- M      F		Number M      F
High school	1	2	1	2	0	0	1		2	0	0	3	6
Undergraduate	1	1	2	2	1	1	0		1	1	1	5	6
Graduate	0	0	1	0	1	1	1		0	0	1	3	2
The total number	2	3	4	4	2	2	2		3	1	2	11	14

• Form 1.1 is fill out the survey of a population structure of the clients. On weekdays, many men will be study in the restaurant. According to the census bureau, in this area is 25 years old and over 79.5% of residents in the low level of education (high school diploma or less),  25 and 26.2% of residents have a higher level of education (university and/or degree) after graduation,  most consumers surveyed degree is higher. The results have to work in the local business customers. This also explains why more white-collar crowd in investigation, there will be less whereas blue-collar population.

•  Form 1.2 : Cultural sensitivity and degree of consciousness：Male（n=57）Vs  Female（n=53）

  Problems	Strongly agree M    F		Agree M    F		Neutral M    F		Disagree M    F		Strong opposition M    F
  Food reflects the cultural differences	5	5	35	32	7	7	10	9	0	0
  In the United States food culture affected by Mexico's diet culture	1	0	14	16	13	11	24	23	5	3
  The waiter's service is very good	24	21	31	24	2	0	0	0	0	0
  The price is reasonable	15	16	39	34	3	1	0	2	0	0
  Services provided by the also reflects the cultural values in Mexico	0	1	28	24	11	16	18	12	0	0
  Food is provided by the real Mexican food	1	3	14	17	31	22	10	11	1	0
  To the restaurant just for food or for Mexican culture experience	0	2	11	13	5	6	38	30	3	2

•                     Form 1.3 : Cultural sensitivity and degree of                                                                               consciousness： Low Ed. (n=53) Vs. High. Ed. (n=57)

  Problems	Strongly agree L      H		Agree L      H		Neutral L    H		Disagree L     H		Strong opposition   L      H
  Food reflects the cultural differences	4	9	24	33	16	10	9	5	0	0
  In the United States food culture affected by Mexico's diet culture	0	3	8	15	15	13	21	24	9	2
  The waiter's service is very good	15	22	35	31	0	4	3	0	0	0
  The price is reasonable	13	24	36	32	4	1	0	0	0	0
  Services provided by the also reflects the cultural values in Mexico	2	14	21	19	15	13	14	12	0	0
  Food is provided by the real Mexican food	3	11	19	14	26	23	5	8	0	1
  To the restaurant just for food or for Mexican culture experience	0	5	15	8	12	9	20	33	6	2

  
  
• Form 1.2 and 1.3, through the classification criteria, such as gender, diet, education, company and position, can be used to test the sensitivity of the relationship between them and culture.The study found that sex and food, cultural beliefs is relationship to a certain extent.In general, women than men a little easier to realize the cultural difference, and they for Mexico's diet culture also know more than men, but also between men and women are a little deviation.

• Food consumption habits, such as what kind of food, where to eat and who, from the point of view of culture are related, especially when the food consumption changes with different race.In this case, we found that the majority of customers agree to food consumption can indeed reflect culture, this suggests that people admit that Mexican restaurant in the American south and restaurants in the United States in comparison there is a difference.Through interview and open questionnaire obtained according to the majority of consumption of Mexican food consumers more or less have a certain understanding of Mexican culture.

   Conclusion

• In this particular case study of a national restaurant is located in the southern United States.This restaurant is a accept foreign food culture, ethnic and cultural diversity.For the restaurant industry, consumers are very important factors, they decided to food consumption and restaurant service provision.For the culture of a particular restaurant, consumers also determine their success or failure, in most of the restaurant, customers satisfied with the service here and cultural experience. Eating is not the only reason to ethnic restaurants.Here, not only greetings, order, have a meal, all the interaction between here can produce a kind of cultural consciousness.For interesting cultural consciousness and interaction, the observation is a very good method.Observation is the purpose of those based on sex, occupation, age and ethnic background and national restaurant frequented people have a deeper understanding.On the basis of the observation, the consumer and their consumption behavior because of different backgrounds and different, such as different gender and so on.

• Through the questionnaire survey collected data can help verify observation and further analysis about consumer culture consciousness.