Table 1.

Comparison between focused ethnography and traditional ethnography derived from the study by Andreassen et al [78].

Characteristic	Focused ethnography	Traditional ethnography
Subject matter	Episodes in social fields Clear research focus Familiar cultures Background knowledge before data collection Applied research	Entire social fields Broad research purpose Foreign cultures Gaining knowledge from engagement in the field Basic research
Data collection	Relatively long planning phase Intermittent visits with particular time frames Focused exploration Video or audio recordings or detailed, focused field notes Often multi-sited Time intensity	Relatively short planning phase Full-time participant observation over a longer period Open exploration Extensive and in-depth written field notes Often single sited Time extensity
Researcher role	Alterity Observer as participant Selected informants who hold a specific knowledge serve as key participants	Strangeness Participant as observer Participants are often those with whom the researcher develops close relationships
Data analysis	Analysis intensity Collective data analysis sessions	Experiential intensity Solitary data analysis