Cover not available
Part of
Ethnographies of Academic Writing Research: Theory, methods, and interpretation
Edited by Ignacio Guillén-Galve and Ana Bocanegra-Valle
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 1] 2021
► pp. 1–20

Chapter 1
Methodological reflections on and participatory episodes of ethnographic academic writing research

| University of Cadiz
| University of Zaragoza

This chapter presents the current state of ethnographic research as applied to academic writing. First, we articulate the significance of ethnography as a methodological approach for the study of writing in academic settings. Next, we provide a critical exploration of the current state of research in terms of key methodological issues which feature prominently in ethnographically-oriented academic writing studies: thick description, deep theorizing, methodological alignment with ethnography, participatory research, research reflexivity, and ethics and trustworthiness. In the final two sections, we give an overview of the volume and showcase its contribution to existing disciplinary and methodological debates.

Keywords: academic writing, ethics, ethnography, reflexivity, thick description
Article outline
  • An introduction to ethnography and academic writing research
  • Key methodological issues in ethnographically-oriented academic writing research
    • Situating the book in relevant scholarship
    • Thick description and deep theorizing
    • Methodological alignment with ethnography
    • Participatory research and researcher reflexivity
    • Ethics and trustworthiness
  • Organisation of the book and chapter summaries
  • Contribution of the book to current methodological debates
    • Thick description, thick participation, and deep theorizing
    • Participatory research and researcher reflexivity
    • Ethics and trustworthiness
  • The book in a nutshell
  • References
Published online: 26 October 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.1.01boc
References
Allwright, D.
(2005) Developing principles for practitioner research: The case of exploratory practice. Modern Language Journal, 89, 353–366. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Androutsopoulos, J.
(2008) Potentials and limitations of discourse-centred online ethnography. Language@Internet, 5, article 9. Retrieved on 2 June 2021 from [URL]
Atkinson, D.
(2005) Situated qualitative research and second language writing. In P. K. Matsuda & T. Silva. (Eds.), Second language writing research. Perspectives on the process of knowledge construction (pp. 49–64). Routledge.Google Scholar
Blommaert, J.
(2007) On scope and depth in linguistic ethnography. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 11(5), 682–688. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Canagarajah, A. S.
(2011) Codemeshing in academic writing: Identifying teachable strategies of translanguaging. The Modern Language Journal, 95(3), 401–417. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013) Negotiating translingual literacy: An enactment. Research in the Teaching of English, 48(1), 40–67.Google Scholar
Cintron, R.
(1993) Wearing a pith helmet at a sly angle or can writing researchers do ethnography in a postmodern era? Written Communication, 10(3), 371–412. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Copland, F., & Creese, A.
(2015) Ethical issues in linguistic ethnography. Balancing the micro and the macro. In P. De Costa. (Ed.), Ethics in applied linguistics research: Language researcher narratives (pp. 161–178). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Corcoran, J. N., Englander, K., & Muresan, L. -M.
(Eds.) (2019) Pedagogies and policies for publishing research in English: Local initiatives supporting international scholars. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Creese, A.
(2012) Introduction. Part VI. Building researcher-researched relationships. In M. Martin-Jones, & S. Gardner. (Eds.), Multilingualism, discourse and ethnography (pp. 285–287). Routledge.Google Scholar
Cressey, G.
(2012) Diaspora youth, ancestral languages and English as ‘translation’ in multilingual space. In M. Martin-Jones, & S. Gardner. (Eds.), Multilingualism, discourse and ethnography (pp. 131–144). Routledge.Google Scholar
Curry, M. J., & Lillis, T.
(2010) Academic research networks: Accessing resources for English-Medium publishing. English for Specific Purposes, 29, 281–295. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Costa, P. I.
(2014) Making ethical decisions in an ethnographic study. TESOL Quarterly, 48(2), 413–422. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2015) Ethics in applied linguistics research. In B. Paltridge, & A. Phakiti. (Eds.), Research methods in applied linguistics: A practical resource (pp. 245–257). Bloomsbury. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
De Costa, P. I., Sterling, S., Lee, J., Li, W., & Rawal, H.
(2020) Research tasks on ethics in applied linguistics. Language Teaching, 54(1), 1–13. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dressen-Hammouda, D.
(2013) Ethnographic approaches to ESP research. In B. Paltridge & S. Starfield. (Eds.), The handbook of English for specific purposes (pp. 501–517). Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Flowerdew, J.
(2002) Ethnographically inspired approaches to the study of academic discourse. In J. Flowerdew. (Ed.), Academic discourse (pp. 235–252). Routledge.Google Scholar
Geertz, C.
(1973) The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.Google Scholar
Gibb, R., Tremlett, A., & Danero Iglesias, J.
(Eds.) (2019) Learning and using languages in ethnographic research. Multilingual matters.Google Scholar
Hammersley, M.
(2007) Reflections on linguistic ethnography. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 11(5), 689–695. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Harklau, L.
(2005) Ethnography and ethnographic research on second language teaching and learning. In E. Hinkel. (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (Vol. 1, pp. 179–194). Routledge.Google Scholar
(2011) Approaches and methods in recent qualitative research. In E. Hinkel. (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (Vol. 2, pp. 175–189). Routledge.Google Scholar
Hornberger, N.
(2006) Negotiating methodological rich points in applied linguistics research: An ethnographer’s view. In M. Chalhoub-Deville, C. A. Chapelle, & P. Duff. (Eds.), Inference and generalizability in applied linguistics (pp. 221–240). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kubanyiova, M.
(2008) Rethinking research ethics in contemporary applied linguistics: The tension between macroethical and microethical perspectives in situated research. Modern Language Journal, 92(4), 503–518. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lea, M. R., & Street, B. V.
(2006) The “Academic Literacies” model: Theory and applications. Theory Into Practice, 45(4), 368–377. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Leeds-Hurwitz, W.
(2015) Thick description. In K. Tracy, C. Ilie, & T. Sandel. (Eds.), International encyclopedia of language and social interaction (Vol. 3, pp. 1515–1520). John Wiley & Sons. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lillis, T.
(2008) Ethnography as method, methodology, and “deep theorizing”: Closing the gap between text and context in academic writing. Written Communication, 25(3), 353–388. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lillis, T., & Curry, M. J.
(2010) Academic writing in a global context. The politics and practices of publishing in English. Routledge.Google Scholar
Martin-Jones, M., & Gardner, S.
(Eds.) (2012) Multilingualism, discourse and ethnography. Routledge.Google Scholar
Miller, T., Birch, M., Mauthner, M., & Jessop, J.
(2012) Ethics in qualitative research (2nd ed.). Sage.Google Scholar
Muresan, L. -M., & Orna-Montesinos, C.
(Eds.) (2021) Academic literacy development: Perspectives on multilingual scholars’ approaches to writing. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Nunan, D., & Choi, J.
(2011) Shifting sands. The evolving story of “voice” in qualitative research. In E. Hinkel. (Ed.), Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning (Vol. 2, pp. 222–236). Routledge.Google Scholar
Ortega, L.
(2005) For what and for whom is our research? The ethical as transformative lens in instructed SLA. Modern Language Journal, 89, 427–443. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Paltridge, B.
(2004) The exegesis as a genre: an ethnographic examination. In L. J. Ravelli & R. A. Ellis. (Eds.), Analysing academic writing (pp. 84–103). Continuum.Google Scholar
(2008) Textographies and the researching and teaching of writing. Ibérica, 15, 9–24.Google Scholar
(2014) What motivates applied linguistics research? AILA Review, 27, 98–104. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Paltridge, B., & Starfield, S.
(2016) Ethnographic perspectives on English for academic purposes. In K. Hyland & P. Shaw. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of English for academic purposes (pp. 218–229). Routledge.Google Scholar
Paltridge, B., Starfield, S., & Tardy, C. M.
(2016) Ethnographic perspectives on academic writing. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Prior, P.
(1995) Redefining the task: An ethnographic examination of writing and response in graduate seminars. In D. Belcher & G. Braine. (Eds.), Academic writing in a second language: Essays on research and pedagogy (pp. 47–82). Ablex.Google Scholar
(1998) Writing/disciplinarily: A sociohistoric account of literate activity in the academy. Routledge.Google Scholar
Ramanathan, V., & Atkinson, D.
(1999) Ethnographic approaches and methods in L2 writing research: A critical guide and review. Applied Linguistics, 20(1), 44–70. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Reeves, S., Kuper, A., & Hodges, B. D.
(2008) Qualitative research methodologies: Ethnography. BMJ, 337, 512–514. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Richardson, S., & McMullan, M.
(2007) Research ethics in the UK: What can sociology learn from health? Sociology, 41(6), 1115–1132. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Roozen, K.
(2010) Tracing trajectories of practice: Repurposing in one student’s developing disciplinary writing processes. Written Communication, 27(3), 318–354. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sarangi, S.
(2006) The conditions and consequences of professional discourse studies. In R. Kiely, P. Rea-Dickins, H. Woodfield, & G. Clibbon. (Eds.), Language, culture, identity in applied linguistics (pp. 199–220). Equinox.Google Scholar
Scott Jones, J.
(2010) Origins and ancestors. A brief history of ethnography. In J. Scott Jones & S. Watt. (Eds.), Ethnography in social science practice (pp. 13–27). Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Silverman, D.
(2005) Doing qualitative research (2nd ed.). Sage.Google Scholar
Starfield, B.
(2004) Word power: negotiating success in a first-year sociology essay. In L. J. Ravelli & R. A. Ellis. (Eds.), Analysing academic writing (pp. 66–83). Continuum.Google Scholar
Starfield, S.
(2011) Doing critical ethnographic research into academic writing: The theory of the methodology. In D. Belcher, A. M. Johns, & B. Paltridge. (Eds.), New directions in English for specific purposes research (pp. 174–196). University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
(2013) Researcher reflexivity. In C. Chapelle. (Ed.), The encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 4931–4937). Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Street, B. V.
(2009) “Hidden” features of academic paper writing. Working papers in educational linguistics, 24(1), Article 1. Retrieved on 2 June 2021 from [URL]
(2015) Academic writing: Theory and practice. Journal of Educational Issues, 1(2), 110–116. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Swales, J. M.
(1998) Other floors, other voices. A textography of a small university building. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
(2019) Ethnographies of academic writing: The writing on the wall? Plenary presented at Ethnographies of Academic Writing Conference, University of Zaragoza (Spain), 16–17 May.
Tagg, C., Lyons, A., Hu, R., & Rock, F.
(2016) The ethics of digital ethnography in a team project. Applied Linguistics Review, 8(2–3), 271–292. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tusting, K., McCulloch, S., Bhatt, I., Hamilton, M., & Barton, D.
(2019) Academics writing. The dynamics of knowledge creation. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Warriner, D. S., & Bigelow, M.
(Eds.) (2019) Critical reflections on research methods. Power and equity in complex multilingual contexts. Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Yang, G.
(2003) The Internet and the rise of a transnational Chinese cultural sphere. Media, Culture & Society, 25(4), 469–490. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yi, Y.
(2013) Multiple identities and access to academic writing: A case study of a Jogi Yuhak student in a US high school. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 69(2), 207–231. DOI logoGoogle Scholar