Researchers

Dr Amanda Coffey, Dr Bella Dicks,
Bruce Mason, Dr Emma Renold,
Bambo Soyinka, Matthew Williams

Cardiff University, School of Social Sciences

October 2002 - January 2005

Context

The project is located within three contemporary sets of developments: the use of ICT in qualitative research; visual and multi-media methods for ethnography; and crises and innovation in ethnographic representation. The project draws upon hypermedia technology in order to explore the potential of ethnographic work for and in the digital age. The substantive fieldwork is being conducted in a science discovery centre.

Aims and Objectives

• To investigate the impacts of new media technology on all facets of the qualitative research process;
• To conduct a digital, ethnographic substantive study of science communication within a Science Discovery Centre;
• To present our findings in a scholarly rigorous hypermedia DVD that embraces the call for poly-vocalic, multi-semiotic ethnographic authoring.

Methodological aspects

The project is utilizing digital technology to collect, manage, analyse and represent ethnographic data. This will lead to the production and evaluation of an ‘Ethnographic Hypermedia Environment’. To undertake this task we are using a suite of advanced recording equipment to gather interview and observational data. These data will then form the basis of a hypermedia authored ethnography, using a package of software including StorySpace, Premier, Director and Dreamweaver.

Research Design

• Design an appropriate suite of hardware and software to conduct a thorough digital ethnography and to provide a reflective account of this process;
• Conduct sustained ethnographic fieldwork with a science discovery centre, focusing on the production and reception of knowledge;
• Fully digitise and store all data collected during the fieldwork;
• Experiment with innovative uses of hypertext/media to aid in multimedia data analysis and representation.

Outputs

• A hypermedia DVD and associated website detailing substantive and methodological findings;
• The development of web-accessible interactive training materials, piloted in Cardiff;
• Conference presentations (including International Visual Sociology Association, ACM-Hypertext, British Sociological Association, British Educational Research Association, Association of Internet Researchers);
• Peer-reviewed articles.