Three advantages of cross-national comparative ethnography – methodological reflections from a study of migrants and minority ethnic youth in English and Spanish schools

Clara Rübner Jørgensen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper discusses the strengths of using ethnographic research methods in cross-national comparative research. It focuses particularly on the potential of applying such methods to the study of migrants and minority ethnic youth in education, where large-scale quantitative studies or single-sited ethnographies are currently dominant. By linking findings and methodological reflections from a research study into the schooling experiences and life projects of migrants and minority ethnic youth in England and Spain, the paper shows how cross-national comparative ethnographies enable researchers to (1) contextualise and compare topics identified by research participants in the course of the fieldwork, (2) analyse topics, which only appear in one research setting and (3) explore and challenge how concepts and categories are employed by research participants in different settings. This, it is argued, makes such research methods particularly well placed to identify issues, which young people themselves find important to their schooling, and explore how these interlink with local practice.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-16
Number of pages16
JournalEthnography and Education
Volume10
Issue number1
Early online date23 Jun 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • comparative ethnography
  • education
  • England
  • friendships
  • migrant and minority ethnic youth
  • Spain

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Gender Studies
  • Cultural Studies
  • Education

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