New Waves - Educational Research & Development, Vol 11, No 3 (2007)

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Researcher Roles, Relations, and Representations in Ethnographic Studies of Asian American Students

Annette B Hemmings

Abstract


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This paper discusses the roles of researchers, relations with research participants, and representations of findings in ethnographic studies of Asian American students. It examines, in particular, the formal and latent roles of ethnographers studying Asian American students; how relations between ethnographers and research participants are shaped by contextualized interpersonal dynamics; and how fieldwork experiences and self-presentations influence representations of Asian American students in reports of findings. An example of ethnographic research involving a high-achieving Taiwanese high school student is used to illustrate difficulties related to roles, relations, and representations and how they can be addressed.


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