Critical Ethnography and Ecological Psychology: Conceptual and Empirical Explorations of a Synthesis

Abstract

The authors present a conceptual analysis and a demonstration of the synthesis of two methodologies, set in two very different academic traditions, in a single research design used to investigate an academic department: Carspecken’s five-stage critical qualitative research (CQR) and Barker’s Behavior Setting Survey (BSS). They show that (a) conceptually, constructs associated with the BSS can be relocated within CQR as contributions to its theory of social systems, and (b) methodologically, procedures associated with the BSS contribute to the field studies of social systems. By employing features of both methodologies together, a broader, sharper methodological framework for research on human activities in relation to physical, social, and cultural contexts can be achieved.

Factors Influencing Breast Cancer Screening Practices Among Arabic Women Living in the State of Qatar: The Health Care Providers' Perspective

“…In critical ethnography, reality is distinct from knowledge about reality. Reality refers to more than what is known and constructed as knowledge by members of a cultural group (Georgiou & Carspecken, 2002;Harrowing, Mill, Spiers, Kulig, & Kipp, 2010). Critical ethnography is concerned with construction of reality and what/who controls and organizes the reality formation and how they do this (Savage, 2006).…”

“…Critical ethnography is concerned with construction of reality and what/who controls and organizes the reality formation and how they do this (Savage, 2006). It has strong emphasis on the ontological foundations of seeking reality through understanding the relationship of culture to systemic social structures that influence how people think and act (Georgiou & Carspecken, 2002). Explication of the social structures that might escape people's awareness is important in critical ethnography because lack of awareness results in repetitive routines of certain actions that contribute to mutual knowledge construction, asymmetric power relations, and the status of quo of what is taken for granted as truth (Georgiou & Carskpecken, 2002).…”

“…In this sense, the person is viewed as influenced by cultural conditions (ethics, norms, and conduct), social resources, constraints (Harrowing et al, 2010), and cultural power (Georgiou & Carspecken, 2002). There is no one truth or reality as reality is symbolically and intersubjectively mediated and is fallible over time (Georgiou & Carspecken, 2002;Harrowing et al, 2010).…”

“…There is no one truth or reality as reality is symbolically and intersubjectively mediated and is fallible over time (Georgiou & Carspecken, 2002;Harrowing et al, 2010). Culture is reconstructed through subjective interpretations of phenomena (Georgiou & Carspecken, 2002).…”

“…There is no one truth or reality as reality is symbolically and intersubjectively mediated and is fallible over time (Georgiou & Carspecken, 2002;Harrowing et al, 2010). Culture is reconstructed through subjective interpretations of phenomena (Georgiou & Carspecken, 2002). Thus, the goal of ethnography is to capture both a system of symbolic meanings and surrounding systemic social structures, document the existence of alternative realities, and describe a rich and wide-ranging landscape of human interaction in the language of the people studied (Speziale & Carpenter, 2007).…”