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Capturing Actions of Communities: Towards Virtual Ethnography and Digital Tools in Researching Organizations and Workplace Learning

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Methods for Researching Professional Learning and Development

Part of the book series: Professional and Practice-based Learning ((PPBL,volume 33))

Abstract

In this chapter, we introduce the ethnographic research methodology as a starting point in organisational and workplace learning research. In approaching learning at work as a practice-based and communal phenomenon, this strategy has been found suitable for studying its nature and practices. We focus on new and innovative ways to conduct ethnography—especially virtual ethnography and digital tools. In this chapter, we first briefly describe the background of ethnographic methodology. We then move on to consider why workplace learning should also be studied in virtual environments and how digital tools, such as subjective cameras, can be utilized in conducting ethnographic research. Then, we present two empirical case examples. The first case illustrates the study of informal learning using ethnography in a virtual environment. The second case illustrates the use of subjective cameras in a subjective, evidence-based ethnographic process. Using these case examples, we show how the basic principles of ethnography can be strengthened and applied in virtual environments and with the help of digital tools in workplace learning research. We also consider some potential ideas for further ethnographic research on workplace learning alongside ethical matters related to ethnographic and virtual ethnographic research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Soila Lemmetty, Kaija Collin & Susanna Paloniemi

  2. Department of Psychology and Counselling, Webster University Geneva, Bellevue, Switzerland

    Vlad Glăveanu

Authors
  1. Soila Lemmetty
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  2. Kaija Collin
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  3. Vlad Glăveanu
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  4. Susanna Paloniemi
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Correspondence to Soila Lemmetty .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Educational Science, Paderborn University, Paderborn, Germany

    Michael Goller

  2. Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Eva Kyndt

  3. Department of Education, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Susanna Paloniemi

  4. Department of Education, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway

    Crina Damşa

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Lemmetty, S., Collin, K., Glăveanu, V., Paloniemi, S. (2022). Capturing Actions of Communities: Towards Virtual Ethnography and Digital Tools in Researching Organizations and Workplace Learning. In: Goller, M., Kyndt, E., Paloniemi, S., Damşa, C. (eds) Methods for Researching Professional Learning and Development. Professional and Practice-based Learning, vol 33. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08518-5_18

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