What is the difference between emic and etic view

Ethnographers and qualitative evaluator oftentimes keep journals throughout their research, to help them understand how their own state of mind might impact data collection. As a qualitative researcher and evaluator, we embrace that the data we collect is filtered through ourselves, and we find ways to mitigate our own biases and interpretations in trying to understand the emic.

Schensul and LeCompte discuss some of the skills that we need to be good ethnographers. These are also important for us as evaluators as we use qualitative data collection techniques to gather emic data. You are never going to be a full member of another culture, but you can gain skills to help you to fit in and understand the emic. The authors give us some important advice:. It takes practice and time to develop the skills to be a good listener and emic researcher.

It can be hard for some cultures to watch other cultures do things that are seen as damaging when to the culture itself it has a purpose and a meaning.

Studies done from an emic perspective often include more detailed and culturally rich information than studies done from an etic point of view. Because the observer places themselves within the culture of intended study,they are able to go further in-depth on the details of practices and beliefs of a society that may otherwise have been ignored.

However, the emic perspective has its downfalls. Studies done from an emic perspective can create bias on the part of the participant,especially if said individual is a member of the culture they are studying, thereby failing to keep in mind how their practices are perceived by others and possibly causing valuable information to be left out.

First let us pay attention to the emic perspective. Let us examine this further. When the researcher is conducting research on a particular topic, he enters the field. Let us look at an example. In a particular society, there are special rituals conducted by the people. If the researcher is approaching the field with an emic perspective, he attempts to comprehend the subjective meanings that people give to these practices. He refrains from engaging in an objective study but tries to make sense of the rituals through the eyes of the research participants.

A key feature in emic perspective is that the researcher gives prominence to the data themselves rather than to the theoretical understanding of the conceptual frameworks. This, however, can be very difficult to attempt as all researchers have preconceived ideas and biases. Its goal is to focus on measurable data that can be compared to that from other cultural settings. With this approach, a gender role study would more likely apply observed cultural data to previously recognized concepts of masculine and feminine.

A study of cultural tattoos would similarly collect information about tattoos from a specific cultural environment and then try to determine meaning based on tattoo theories established from studies of other cultures.

World View. Since it is based on former research, this method can discourage new concepts. More From Reference.