Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice: A Case Study of ...

• Cycle ofhypothesis and theory building
In this type of enquiry, developing a theory is a process. As new data emerge,
existing hypotheses may prove inadequate, the ethnographer's sense ofwhat
needs to be looked at and reported on may change, and explanations ofwhat is
going on may be supplanted by ones which may seem to fit better. This is a
process that is 'consonant' with that ofemergent design.
• Intention and outcome
The ethnographer aims to discover how people in the study area find meaning in
activities they care about in life, and how they engage in processes in which they
individually and collectively define their situations. No attempt is made to
generalise the findings beyond the case itself. The intention is to develop some
kind ofunderstanding ofa specific case, whether it is cultural, people or research
setting.
The outcome ofthis kind ofresearch is to 'tell a story' . Ethnography contains
descriptions oflocal places, snapshots ofpeople's lives and relationships, their
inner thoughts and feelings, their outward appearances, anecdotes ofpersonal
triumphs and disasters, rules, contradictions and meanings. Through a judicious
blend ofempirical experience, systematic activity and appropriate theory, the
ethnographer hopes to construct a coherent theory that takes the reader into a
deeper understanding and richer appreciation ofthe people who have been studied
(Walford 2001:7).
While the above seven features are not meant to provide an exhaustive definition of
ethnography, they do give an indication ofthe more specific focus ofethnography
compared with the features ofqualitative research in general. This study to a large extent
meets the above requirements to be considered ethnography.
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