| Session Title: What Counts as Ethnography?: Valuing Ethnographic Methods in Evaluation |
| Think Tank Session 734 to be held in Oceanside on Friday, Nov 4, 2:50 PM to 4:20 PM |
| Sponsored by the Qualitative Methods TIG |
| Presenter(s): |
| Eve Pinsker, University of Illinois, Chicago, epinsker@uic.edu |
| Mary Odell Butler, University of Maryland, maryobutler@verizon.net |
| Michael Lieber, University of Illinois Chicago, mdlieber@gmail.com |
| Discussant(s): |
| Jacqueline Copeland-Carson, Copeland Carson & Associates, jackiecc@aol.com |
| Rodney Hopson, Duquesne University, hopson@duq.edu |
| Abstract: Although ethnography is used in multiple disciplines, evaluation anthropologists view ethnographic tools as a central part of their toolkit as they seek to develop a methodology that effectively combines the strengths of evaluation and anthropology to address evaluation questions. Yet ethnography is both a valued asset and a challenge for evaluators. We value ethnographic methods because of their utility for addressing questions of meaning, including the relationship of program activities to consciously intended and unintended outcomes. However, traditional ethnographic approaches must be adapted to evaluation timelines and client's needs for specified kinds of information. We will discuss the challenges in adapting ethnography for evaluation anthropology using rapid assessment, participant observation and open-ended questioning in ways that will allow us to meet client needs while protecting the scientific integrity of evaluations. Discussing this issue with both anthropologists and evaluators will, we trust, generate new perspectives on applying ethnography in evaluation. |