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Cited by 22Qualitative Research Methods and EthicsAnthropological Studies and InsightsQualitative Research Methods and Applications

The Problem of Time in Ethnographic Health Care Research

Willis, Eileen M.·2010·Qualitative Health Research
DOI 10.1177/1049732310361243
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Abstract

Drawing on the ideas outlined by anthropologist Fabian and feminist scholars Halford, Savage, and Witz, in this article I make two arguments that challenge ethnography's claim to theoretical inference and empirical generalization, particularly for research examining contemporary health care practices. For Fabian, the dilemma arose out of ethnography's origins in the secularization of time. Accounts of the subject's experiences using present tense assume no progress; accounts using past tense freeze the subjects in the past. For Halford and her colleagues, the methodological problem was reversed. Their respondents were engaged in a battle with health systems in constant change that resulted in the loss of memory of a corporate past. The problem now for the ethnographer, as in many other research approaches, is one of verification of observations and reliability of interpretations. The ethnographer now becomes frozen in time as is his or her account of events in the field. Drawing on ethnographic research in hospital workplace change, in this article I examine these time-based implications for truth claims.

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  • This research study's findings might not apply to other contexts, situations, times, and populations, as GenAI tools' views can differ from other subjects in their opinions as well as in their contextual conditions or circumstances, leading to different results and interpretations.

    “Regarding transferability, as generalizability, this research study's findings might not apply to other contexts, situations, times, and populations, as GenAI tools' views can differ from other subjects in their opinions (for example, they might not answer the same) as well as in their contextual conditions or circumstances, leading to different results and interpretations [63].”

    From Using Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools to Explain and Enhance Experiential Learning for Authentic Assessment (2024) · cites this paper as [63]

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Authors
Willis, E. M.
Affiliations
Flinders University (AU)
Corresponding author
Willis, Eileen M.
ORCID
Willis, Eileen M.
Venue
Qualitative Health Research
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2010-02-08
Volume
20
Issue
4
Pages
556-564
ISSN
  • 1049-7323 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-7557
DOI
10.1177/1049732310361243
OpenAlex
W2136647838
Cited by
22
References
40
Citations by year
2024: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
FWCI
9.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Qualitative Health Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Flinders Academic Commons (Flinders University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Anthropological Studies and Insights
  • Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
Keywords
problem of time, Fabian, feminist anthropology, savages, Witz, present tense, past tense, empirical generalization, truth claims, health care practices, memory
MeSH terms
Anthropology, Anthropology, Cultural, Health Services Research, Humans, Time Factors

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Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

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