Experimental ethnography: The marriage of qualitative and quantitative research

Lawrence W. Sherman*, Heather Strang

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    41 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Experimental and ethnographic research methods are often described as mutually exclusive. This article suggests how they could be combined in the method of "experimental ethnography." Building ethnographic methods into the separate branches of randomized controlled trials could substantially increase the range of conclusions that can be produced by experimental research designs, as well as by ethnographic methods. Experimental designs offer greater internal validity for learning what the effects of a social program are, and ethnographic methods offer greater insight into why the effects were produced. The prospects for such integration depend on the capacity of two different communities within social science to work together for the common goal of discovering truth.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)204-222
    Number of pages19
    JournalAnnals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
    Volume595
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2004

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