ABSTRACT
This chapter provides recent examples of research that are illustrative of the various research designs. The roots of ethnography come from anthropology and sociology. Although participant observation is often used to gather data, new ways of doing ethnographies have expanded the range of strategies researchers use. There are several research designs that are related to ethnography. Sheila Rector wrote her dissertation about middle school students who were struggling with poverty. In the title, she refers to it as an ethnographic study. Kirk Anderson (2021) finds it unusual that there are few ethnographic studies of post-secondary education compared with widespread use in primary and secondary school settings. David McCormack et al describe how he became involved in autoethnography in adult education. During the pandemic of 2019—2022, scholars looked for ways to accommodate social isolation and distancing.
