Ethnography is an iterative research method where the researcher is involved with direct and sustained contact with human agents. The researcher gets into contact with people in the context of their daily life watching their behaviors and listening to what is being said. It is among the in-depth research methods. Targets are observed in their natural setting rather than in an artificial setting (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). The major aim of ethnographic research is to study how people live, what they do, use things and what they need in their everyday life. It relies on observations, diaries, video, diaries, interviews and analysis of artifacts. This research method has many advantages.

First, ethnographic accounts are both interpretative and descriptive. This is because details are critical and the researcher has to determine the significance of the observations without broad statistical information. Ethnographers usually live among the people they intend to study and participate in their local daily lives (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). This is intended to provide a natives point of view, which may differ from an outsiders point of view.

It provides a rich source of visual data and helps in revealing implicit needs. The researcher in an ethnographic research lives among the study participants. He/she participates in the local lives of the people making observations and listening to what is being said. This allows the researcher to collect visual data firsthand. In addition, through observations and listening, one can easily realize any unspoken needs.

Another advantage is that ethnography captures behavior in different contexts of life. People behave differently based on the context. An ethnographer is able to observe these behaviors first hand at different contexts.  Ethnography also provides an understanding behind the statistics. The researcher is able to observe everything the study participants doses rather than interviewing the participants (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). Any statistical data will be based on the observation made thus understandable.

Another advantage is that by observing the everyday life of the participants, the researcher is able to identify any discrepancies between what people say they do and what they actually do (Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). When a researcher uses a questionnaire on interviews the participants, there is no way of determining what the participants say is the truth or not. However, in ethnography, the researcher observes what the participants do first hand without even the knowledge of the participants.

Another advantage is that ethnography allows for the capture of emotional behavior. The researcher is able to observe any emotional behaviors in the participants, which can otherwise not be observed in other research methods. The researcher is able to develop personal relationships with the participants and observe their emotions. Everything in ethnography is visual. The researcher observes and makes notes rather than interviewing the participants. All the data captured is first hand and from the point of view of the participant.

Reference

Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography: Principles in practice. Routledge.

(Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007)

Do you need an Original High Quality Academic Custom Essay?