Two research methods for studying sexual diversity at school: ethnography and case study

Authors

  • Matías Sbodio (Universidad Nacional del Litoral (UNL) - Instituto de Humanidades y Ciencias del Litoral (IHuCSo), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14409/ie.2021.15.e0016

Keywords:

sexual diversity, school, case study, ethnography

Abstract

This article discusses and reflects on the methods selected for the development of a qualitative research work that explores school conflicts that affect sexual diversity. Four middle schools of Santa Fe, Argentina, become the scenario for grasping teachers and students’ − belonging or not to LGBT+ communities − perceptions of sexuality. First, research objectives and the case study method are presented. The case is addressed as a system with constraints (Stake, 1995). This method is so versatile that enables a simultaneous analysis considering multiple overlapping social aspects (Yin, 1989), which is highly convenient for school observations. Second, our work poses a reflection on the potentialities of ethnography to strengthen methodological design. During field work development, the researcher’s personal life story at school − determined by his sexual orientation − can act as both a motivation and a constraint. For that reason, two meanings of ethnography proposed by Rosana Guber (2001) (ethnography as an approach and as a method) were included with particular emphasis on the importance of the notion of reflexivity for field work development.

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Published

2021-12-15

How to Cite

Sbodio, M. (2021). Two research methods for studying sexual diversity at school: ethnography and case study. Itinerarios Educativos, (15), e0016. https://doi.org/10.14409/ie.2021.15.e0016

Issue

No. 15 (2021): Itinerarios Educativos

Section

Research

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