Comparer des méthodes

	Recherche ethnographique	Recherche-action	Notes de terrain
Domaine	Recherche qualitative	Recherche qualitative	Méthodologie d'enquête
Famille	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Année d'origine	1920s–1970s	1946	Late 19th century (formalized in 20th century)
Auteur d'origine	Anthropology (Malinowski, Boas); applied in health and sociology (Geertz)	Kurt Lewin; expanded by Kemmis, McTaggart, Reason & Bradbury	Rooted in 19th-century anthropology and sociology; systematized by ethnographers such as Bronislaw Malinowski and later Robert Emerson et al.
Type	Method	Method	Qualitative data collection and recording technique
Source fondatrice	Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays. Basic Books.	Lewin, K. (1946). Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 2(4), 34–46.	Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (1995). Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 978-0226206813
Alias	Ethnography, Participatory Observation, Field Research	Participatory Action Research, PAR, Collaborative Inquiry	fieldnotes, observational notes, ethnographic notes, jottings
Apparentées	4	1	6
Résumé	Ethnographic research is an immersive qualitative methodology in which researchers spend prolonged time in a community, organization, or social setting, combining participant observation, interviews, and document analysis to develop a rich, contextual understanding of a group's beliefs, practices, and social structures. Grounded in anthropology and refined for health, organizational, and social research, ethnography produces 'thick description' (Geertz 1973) that reveals the meaning and context underlying observable behavior.	Action research is a collaborative research methodology in which researchers work with practitioners and community members to investigate a problem, implement change, and evaluate outcomes, cycling through reflection, action, and learning. Developed by Kurt Lewin (1946), action research bridges research and practice, aiming simultaneously to produce knowledge and practical improvement.	Field notes are detailed written records created by researchers during or immediately after direct observation in a naturalistic setting. They capture what is seen, heard, and experienced — including behaviors, interactions, physical environments, and the researcher's own analytic impressions — forming the primary data source for ethnographic and observational studies.