Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTS
Drawing organizational charts—of a program, department, library, or kibbutz—
is a useful analytic tool, as discussed in Chapter 2 under “Structure and Function.”
It tests the ethnographer's knowledge of the system, much as drawing a map or a
flowchart does. Both formal and informal organizational hierarchies can be
charted for comparison. In addition, organizational charts can measure changes
over time, as people move in and out or up and down the hierarchy. Organizational
charts clarify the structure and function of any institutional form of human
organization.
MATRICES
Matrices provide a simple, systematic, graphic way to compare and contrast
data. The researcher can compare and cross-reference categories of informa-
tion to establish a picture of a range of behaviors or thought categories.
Matrices also help the researcher identify emerging patterns in the data.
The construction of a matrix was valuable during the first stage of my study
of state-funded art programs. Art programs fell into various categories, such as
music, dance, theater, painting, and sculpture; these categories became column
titles on a spreadsheet. The rows consisted of other categories: geographic
location, size, funds, consortia, and other relevant variables. I located the spe-
cific programs in the appropriate boxes or cells. This exercise provided an
immediate picture of the range of variation across programs, the types of
programs in each category, geographic clusters, and many other valuable
pieces of information. In addition, these data helped me select a smaller, strat-
ified sample within the population for in-depth fieldwork.
Similarly, a matrix helped identify themes across sites during the dropout
study. Rites of passage were noted in the appropriate cell. By designing the
matrix according to academic calendar years, I could record changes. The
researcher can develop a matrix by hand on paper, on a spreadsheet (paper or
software), or with the assistance of a database software program. (See
Handwerker, 2001, p. 222; Miles & Huberman, 1994, for a detailed presenta-
tion of the use of matrices in qualitative research.)
CONTENT ANALYSIS
Ethnographers analyze written and electronic data in much the same way
that they analyze observed behavior. They triangulate information within
