In writing the stories of integrated and Chinese specific social
care services in England, and that of Chinese people with learning difficulties
who use such services, I have been able to explore the implications for them (and
myself) when crossing cultural boundaries.
Observing in a Temple, China. |
The way I did this was by doing ethnographic research which
gave me an opportunity to gain an understanding of observed social
actions based on my reflexive experiences. Ethnography
is a word applied to both observing and producing thick written description of social
actions within context of a given social
group (Creswell, 1998; Marshall, 1998). Ethnography
then is ' …grounded in a commitment to the first-hand experience and exploration
of a particular social or cultural setting on the basis of (but not entirely by)
participant observation' (Atkinson, 2001, p.4).
This means that in
gaining deep understandings of what I observe, an immersion of myself for long periods of time through participant observations provided a better
understanding of social actions by observing what happened, listening to what
was said and by asking questions. Through
keeping a detailed written journal of what I observe, experience and of my
reflective thoughts, I have been able to provide interesting and detailed
accounts of what happens when we cross cultural boundaries.
Martin, a really impressive start in presenting your research to the wider blogosphere. I like the template, its really crisp and clean and visually attractive. Now you need to have a regular post at least once a week. Start one of your stories. The activities you include are spot on for promoting yourself and business. Have a great Christmas and New Year!
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