Insider ethnography: tinker, tailor, researcher or spy?

Simmons, Mark A.

doi:10.7748/nr2007.07.14.4.7.c6039

Cited by 47 publications

(45 citation statements)

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“…Conducting social research as an insider also involves a number of challenges, some that are specific to the researchers’ insider status (Simmons, 2007; Kanuha, 2000), yet it is an accepted form of investigation and has been shown to reveal aspects of communities that may not be possible using more traditional forms of research (Contreras, 2012). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Was Not Sick and I Didn't Need to Recover”: Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) as a Refuge from Criminalization

Frank

2017

Substance Use & Misuse

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Background: Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) in the United States (U.S.) has been undergoing a shift towards conceptualizing the program as recovery-based treatment. Although recovery is seen by some as a means to restore MMT to its rightful position as a medically-based treatment for addiction, it may not represent the experiences, or meet the needs of people who use drugs (PWUD), many of whom who use the program as a pragmatic means of reducing harms associated with criminalization. Objectives: To examine alternative constructions of MMT in order to produce a richer, more contextualized picture of the program and the reasons PWUD employ its services. Methods: This paper uses semi-structured interviews with 23 people on MMT (either currently or within the previous two years). Results: Most participants linked their use of MMT to the structural-legal context of prohibition/criminalization rather than through the narrative of the recovery model. Responses suggested the recovery model functions in part to obscure the role of criminalization in the harms PWUD experience in favor of a model based on individual pathology. Conclusions/Importance: In contrast to the recovery model, MMT cannot be understood outside of the structural context of criminalization and the War on Drugs which shape illegal drug use as a difficult and dangerous activity, and consequently position MMT as a way to moderate or escape from those harms.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Was Not Sick and I Didn't Need to Recover”: Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) as a Refuge from Criminalization

Frank

2017

Substance Use & Misuse

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“…Feelings and reactions were therefore monitored and recorded as an integrated element of the field notes. This approach allowed the FA to be conscious of her subjectivity and reflect on it during the study (Bradbury-Jones, 2007; Peshkin, 1988; Simmons, 2007). We considered this especially important because the FA was investigating peers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practices and Attitudes Concerning Endometriosis Among Nurses Specializing in Gynecology

Bach

Risoer

Forman

et al. 2016

Global Qualitative Nursing Research

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Endometriosis is a chronic disease affecting approximately 10% of fertile women. These women often have negative health care experiences. This study adds new knowledge about endometriosis care in a hospital setting and nurses’ attitudes toward the disease. To explore how the personal attitudes of gynecological nurses, their specialized knowledge, and their clinical experiences influenced the way they conceptualized and cared for women with endometriosis, participant observations and semistructured interviews were conducted. Categorization of patients into certain kinds, with more or less legitimate needs, provided an important framework for practice. Specialized knowledge qualified the nurses’ views of their patients and seemed to be conducive to sustained patient involvement. However, the organization of care based solely on medical specialization restricted a holistic approach. An important goal is, therefore, to investigate patients’ perspectives of health and illness and to create participatory relationships with patients, regardless of their diagnosis.

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“…Kawulich (2005) suggested that having existing personal contacts, being recognisable to the participants and 'hanging out' at the site can develop trust and rapport. Novice observers who do not already have relationships with their observation sites should spend some time making themselves known, explaining their projects and, if possible and appropriate, helping with participants' workloads in some way (Simmons 2007). Not only will this provide an alternative perspective of the behaviour that is to be observed, it could enable the participants to become more familiar and comfortable with the researchers' presence.…”

Section: Achieving a Constructive Relationship With The Observation Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

A beginner’s guide to ethnographic observation in nursing research

Conroy¹

2017

Nurse Researcher

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Background Observation is mentioned in most ethnographic textbooks, but specific details about how it should be conducted and the practicalities to be considered in ethnographic nursing research are not always explicit. This paper explores the experiences of and challenges faced by a novice nurse researcher who used observation to collect data.Aim To provide a novice researcher's perspective of observation in ethnographic nursing research and to highlight the associated challenges.Discussion Challenges that arose in observation began with determining which perspective to take, followed by rehearsing observation, developing and maintaining a constructive relationship with the observation site, being aware of the influence of the observer, managing interactions between the observed and the observer, and responding to ethical issues.Conclusion Novice nurse researchers considering using observation to collect data should be aware of the potential challenges they might encounter.Implications for practice The information presented in this paper will enable novice researchers to anticipate these issues and develop strategies to prevent or address them.

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Insider ethnography: tinker, tailor, researcher or spy?

Abstract: Maxine Simmons reflects on her experiences as an 'insider' ethnographer - a senior manager undertaking research with nurse consultants within her own employing organisation - and the issues that arose as a result.

Cited by 47 publications

References 0 publications

“I Was Not Sick and I Didn't Need to Recover”: Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) as a Refuge from Criminalization

“I Was Not Sick and I Didn't Need to Recover”: Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) as a Refuge from Criminalization

Practices and Attitudes Concerning Endometriosis Among Nurses Specializing in Gynecology

A beginner’s guide to ethnographic observation in nursing research

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