A Research On Ethnographic Sense Of Classroom Observation

As a common educational research method, classroom observation is widely used in microscopic field of educational research, and it has gained more and more attention from front-line educators and education researchers. In 1950's, the American social psychologist, R.F.Bales developed "12 categories of interpersonal behavior codes", which is the prototype of quantitative research framework of the classroom observation. Later in the 1960's, N.A.Flanders, an expert on classroom observation research from the U.S., developed the "interactive classification system". Following the advances made in science and technology, classroom observation researches showed a strong quantitative atmosphere. After the qualitative research method was introduced into classroom observation studies, the researchers can use words to describe and explain teachers and students'behaviors and activities according to their own experiences. However, subjective feelings and understandings are different by individuals. Therefore, purely qualitative researching methods imprisoned the classroom observation researches into the observers' speculation behind closed doors, and classroom observation findings were not convincing enough to be applied for the lack of necessary objective data. This article stands on the point of view of the ethnography, tries to integrate the quantitative and qualitative research methods in the classroom observation research process, and makes full use of both advantages and avoids their weaknesses. This article elaborates and analyzes the constructing process, theory and operation strategies of the ethnographic classroom observation, hoping to make the ethnographic classroom observation research method deserve attention, and use our limited power to do a little for carrying out classroom observation researches truly and effectively.The basic framework and content of this paper are as follows:The Introduction: the five parts of the content include the brief explanation of the question, the significance of this research, the contents of the research, the researching methods and the literature review. The second part reviews the construction process of the ethnographic classroom observation, respectively introducing the empirical classroom observation and the scientific classroom observation and their limitations, analyzing the meaning and enlightenment of ethnography and its methodology in making up the limitations of the two mentioned types of classroom observation. The Third part describes the theory of ethnographic classroom observation, defining the two concepts of "ethnography" and "classroom observation", analyzing the characteristics of ethnographic classroom observation from the perspective of classroom observation elements and educational research methodology, illustrating the three basic principles which the ethnographic classroom observation researches should follow. At last, it makes classifications for ethnographic classroom observation according to three different standards, namely, treating the ethnography as a research method, the text results of a study and activities among research subjects. The fourth part is about the operational strategies of the ethnographic classroom observation. It introduces the four ethnographic classroom observation research methods and two issues need to be noted, giving the work needs to be done during the three procedures of before class, in class and after class. It also briefly displays two kinds of tools and techniques of collecting information in the classroom, as well as seven ways of recording and analyzing data materials. The latter two parts integrate the quantitative research method and the qualitative research method effectively. Finally, it sets the qualities of ethnographic classroom observation researchers. The last part summarizes the limitations of ethnographic classroom observation research, and makes some suggestions for further researches.