Calling on a decade of participant observation at a residence for mentally retarded adults, anthropologist Michael V. Angrosino's riveting and de-mystifying account offers an insider's picture of the lives of the inhabitants of Opportunity House. Using the narrative device of a dozen fictional short stories told in the voices of various community members as well as that of the researcher, Angrosino weaves a life-histories approach to ethnography together with an innovative culture concept to tackle the complexities of representing marginalized subgroups. As opposed to traditional clinical or...

Observation is one of the foundational methods of qualitative inquiry--but only if it is conducted in a systematic fashion that allows for the careful recording of data and the consistent retrieval of those data for purposes of analysis. To that end, this book features a brief how-to guide to conducting observations in naturalistic settings. The history of observational research, ongoing questions of its epistemological status, the impact of new technologies, and its major ethical concerns are also treated. Replete with examples of observation-based research, questions for class discussion, a...

Observation is one of the foundational methods of qualitative inquiry but only if it is conducted in a systematic fashion that allows for the careful recording of data and the consistent retrieval of those data for purposes of analysis. To that end, this book features a brief how-to guide to conducting observations in naturalistic settings. The history of observational research, ongoing questions of its epistemological status, the impact of new technologies, and its major ethical concerns are also treated. Replete with examples of observation-based research, questions for class discussion, a...