ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the development of microethnographic research methods, the characteristics and findings of current microethnographic studies, and the overall state of the art of this field as it relates to education in multicultural settings. The field of microethnography has developed as a logical extension of the new ethnography; it has been influenced by sociolinguistics, sociology, cognitive psychology, and, to a lesser extent, the ethnography of the schools. Sociologists and cognitive psychologists working in the late sixties and early seventies made other important contributions to the method and theory of microethnography. Although microethnography is a continuation of ethnographic efforts, it differs drastically in its specificity of focus, its rigor of analysis via linguistic methods, and its emphasis on establishing relationships between inferences and observed behavior. The ultimate test of microethnography as a useful research tool in educational research will be its capacity to influence the nature and quality of the educational process.
