This part of the course introduces the methodological approach used in MIDAS. It aims to provide you with a starting point for exploring and understanding ethnographic and multimodal approaches to research.

Learning objectives:

• Engage with an example approach to studying methodological innovation from MIDAS
• Explore ethnographic approaches to research
• Explore multimodal approaches to research
• Engage with some practical related research challenges

Overall study questions:

1. What are the opportunities and challenges of ethnographic approach to studying methodological innovation across different research sites?
2. What are the opportunities and challenges of a multimodal approach to understanding methodological innovation across different research sites?
3. What are the practical challenges in ethnographic/multimodal research?

Exercises: 

Exercise 1: Engaging with an example methodological approach to researching methodological innovation

a) Read about the methodology used in MIDAS: Methodology for the MIDAS project

Exercise 2: An introduction to ethnographic approaches

a) Take a look at this powerpoint presentation giving an introduction to ethnographic research by Martyn Hammersley: Hammersley, Martyn (2008) What is Ethnography? In: NCRM Research Methods Festival 2008.

And his talk on Ethnography given in the Qualitative Research Methodology Seminar Series, January, 2005, organised by School of Nursing and Midwifery and the School of Education, University of Southampton, and sponsored by the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods.

b) Take a look at Barry Brown’s work on mobile media for ethnographic data collection and read this article on mobile devices as a methodological tool

c) Identify some related work around ethnography that you are familiar with/in your research context

d) Think about the following questions:

• How are ethnographic approaches adopted in research?
• What are the challenges of using this approach in different research contexts?
• How might you apply this approach to your own work – do what degree is this a good fit?

Exercise 3: An introduction to multimodality

a) Read this introduction to multimodality from the SAGE Handbook of Digital Technology Research pdf

b) Watch this video by Carey Jewitt and Jeff Bezemer on ‘What is multimodality’

c) Identify some related work around ethnography and multi modality to extend your acquaintance with these methodological approaches [e.g. Dicks, B., Flewitt, R., Lancaster, L. & Pahl, K. (2011) Multimodality and ethnography: working at the intersection. Qualitative Research, 11(3) p.227-238.]

d) Think about the following questions:

• What are the key benefits of taking a multimodal approach to digital technology research?
• What are the key challenges to this approach
• How might you apply this approach to your own work – do what degree is this a good fit?

Exercise 4: Practical challenges

Research in all fields requires attention to methods of data collection. Consider the following questions:

a) Identify some research examples using an ethnographic and/ multimodal approach to the research, paying specific attention to the data collection methods

b) What are the key challenges for data collection when taking an ethnographic approach?

c) Read Carey and Anna’s blog about taking collaborative field notes 

d) Read Anna’s blog on visual ethnography – what role might visual methods play in your work?

e) Take a look at these example template and think how they might be used as a basis for your work:

field work template – how you might need to modify it for your needs?

consent forms – examine how they manage ethical tensions around anonymity vs recognition of people’s work, especially in arts/creative contexts.