On developments in ethnographic research. The case of two Swedish universities

• Our earlier research has identified that ethnographic approaches developed gradually in Nordic education research following the emergence of a strong turn towards qualitative research in the 1970s, a steady growth period in the 1980s and a more extended development from the late 1990s and the establishment of a funded research network. The present paper summarises the development but then asks a new research question: what happened after the establishment phases? Developments in Sweden are considered. Choices of methodology in all dissertations in educational research at two universities have been examined and a quantitative calculation was made of the ones where qualitatively interpreted observations were at least a part of the method used and concepts like ethnography/ic, case-study, participant observation were forthcoming. The result confirmed the earlier studies. There was an absence qualitatively interpreted observation research until the 1990ies followed by a relatively stable growth. Evidence of the emergence of a methodological specialisation is suggested to exist already in the late 1990s early 2000s and some details are given and discussed in the article, which then goes on to look more closely at the characteristics at one university using a qualitative bibliographic co-citation method. Evidence of new specialisations is provided and we tentatively argue that there are two methodological specialisations corresponding to different knowledge interests.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Ethnography

Research specialisation

Lärarutbildning och pedagogisk yrkesverksamhet

Teacher Education and Education Work

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)