Blending the Focused Ethnographic Method and Case Study Research: Implications Regarding Case Selection and Generalization of Results

Abstract

<jats:p> In this article, we present the benefits of blending the methodological characteristics of the focused ethnographic method (FEM) and case study research (CSR) for a study on auxiliary work processes in a hospital in Barcelona, Spain. We argue that incorporating CSR logic and principles in the FEM produces a better form of inquiry, as this combination improves the quality of data and the ability to make comparisons in addition to enhancing the transferability of findings. These better outcomes are achieved because the characteristics of the case study methodological design reinforce many of the strengths of the FEM, such as its thematic concreteness and its targeted data collection. The role played by the theoretical framework of the study thus makes it easier to focus on the key variables of the initial theoretical model and to introduce a logic of multiple case comparison. </jats:p>

A Review of the Participant Observation Method in Journalism: Designing and Reporting

“…While the field of journalism may be urged to head in a more macro direction related to defining a field, outside ethnographers argue that a more microscopic approach is emerging in which researchers take on the role of detailing a particular phenomenon or a concept in need of theoretical specification by identifying the multiplicity of meanings associated with a concept (Geertz, 1973;Emerson, 1987;Verd et al, 2021). The substantial periods of time and labor involved with one research project may require professional sacrifice due to counter pressures such as high publication numbers and teaching requirements that academics face when trying to earn tenure or career advancement.…”

“…The substantial periods of time and labor involved with one research project may require professional sacrifice due to counter pressures such as high publication numbers and teaching requirements that academics face when trying to earn tenure or career advancement. These tenure-track scholars or applied researchers may employ a more focused approach in which data collection is constrained by some preidentified conceptual lenses or they may implement a rapid participatory appraisal if they plan to spend shorter times in a space in comparison to the years that are suggested for a conventional ethnography (Verd et al, 2021). participants (or keep a distance from them and minimize interactions), whether they will communicate their research objectives to participants (or hide them), and whether they will try to adopt participants' beliefs, attitudes, and points of views (or maintain an outsider perspective).…”

Tenant perspectives on the implementation of the community homes for opportunity: a focused ethnographic study in Southwestern Ontario

“…The research looked at the outcomes of CHO clients as well as a review of the process to modernize the HSC program in Southwestern Ontario. The focused ethnography design was deemed to be a methodology fit for examining the nature and experience of tenants of the CHO program in response to changes being implemented since this study design, in contrast to classical ethnography, facilitated a timely investigation of health problems within a relatively short period [9,10,13,14,25] without the researchers necessarily having to be on the field for a prolonged period. A focused ethnography methodology allowed the involvement of persons with experiences, tenants benefiting from the CHO program, to identify relevant insights concerning policies and practices that foster or interfere with clinical intervention [4,9,10,26], which in this case were changes being implemented, under the modernized program.…”