Weakness

Some of the weaknesses of ethnographic research are as follows:

• In order for a researcher to immerse in a culture’s natural environment, the language needs to be learned, trust and respect of members of the culture needs to be gained, and permission needs to be obtained, which is time consuming. Some studies can last years and the researcher needs to be part of the culture/group for the duration of the study. This also leads the research to be more expensive, making it harder to fund.
• The ethnographer may have problem gaining access to particular group/culture, providing tensions on both sides.
• The researcher is at extreme danger if he/she does not understand the culture’s traditions and taboos. Also, considering the fact of being isolated from own environment, the researcher is placed in an alien environment, putting the researcher in a physical, psychological, emotional and social danger.
• As the members of a group will most likely present themselves and their group/culture in a good light, the results of a research may be affected by the interviewer effect as the researcher is an outsider. Due to the same characteristics, there might be inhibitions generated by the members of the group/culture and also the researcher, as an outsider. Furthermore, the ethnographer has two roles, the insider and the observer, which can place the researcher in a precarious position.
• Some research studies can invade the rights of participants, if privacy rights are not understood or upheld, due to language barriers or cultural differences. In order to prevent the interview effect, mentioned earlier, the research is more valid if the members of the group/culture are not aware that they are taking part in a study, which prevents an opportunity for informed consent, jeopardising the ethical considerations of the study.
• Due to the multiple perceptions of the participants, the presentation of results by the researcher will be diverse. With large scale of group/culture participants, the results can become too complex for the ethnographer to make sense of the study
• As the researcher is the only data collector, the study and results are often dependent on the skill and rigour of the ethnographer. The researcher’s objectivity and reactivity to the observation may affect the collected data.
• Transferability of ethnographic researches may be problematic.

information collected on this section is from sources listed in reference page