Ethical and methodological challenges in conducting institutional ethnography within South African long-term care facilities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19224643 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Naomi Hlongwane (0000-0003-3045-6407, Stellenbosch University, corresponding author), Lieketseng Yvonne Ned (0000-0001-9844-7828, Stellenbosch University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Qualitative Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1468-7941 • E-ISSN: 1741-3109 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/14687941261445804 |
| OpenAlex | W7160339848 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 51 |
Institutional ethnography offers a critical framework for examining how institutional structures coordinate everyday experiences, yet its application in long-term care settings introduces unique ethical and methodological challenges. This paper reflects on the first author's experiences in conducting an institutional ethnographic study in five South African government-subsidized long-term care facilities, where the quality of life of older residents is coordinated by complex social and ruling relations. Using a triangulated approach that combines in-depth interviews, participant observation, and institutional text analysis, the study identifies key methodological and ethical tensions: navigating ethical complexities, negotiating institutional gatekeeping, managing multiple data sources, and maintaining researcher reflexivity and positionality. Practical strategies to address these challenges are proposed, contributing to the methodological discourse on conducting research in resource-limited and structurally constrained environments. These reflections underscore the necessity for methodological flexibility, ethical responsiveness, and critical reflexivity in resource-limited and structurally constrained environments. The insights provided herein offer valuable guidance for researchers aiming to employ institutional ethnography in similar social care contexts
Critical ethnography · Ethical issues · Ethnography · Negotiation · Participant observation · Qualitative research · Reflexivity · Participatory Visual Research Methods · Qualitative Research Methods and Applications · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
Institutional Ethnography as Practice
Institutional Ethnography
Simply Institutional Ethnography
Ethnography
Institutional Ethnography as a Method of Inquiry
The Social Organization of Quality of Life of Older People in Long-Term Care Facilities
Methods, discourse, activism
Institutional ethnography and data analysis
Power Dynamics in Care-Full Research
Institutional Ethnography
Observation and Institutional Ethnography
The Influence of Organizational Systems on Information Exchange in Long-Term Care Facilities
Wider institutional research cultures and their influence on patient and public involvement and engagement in health research - An institutional ethnography
Informed Consent as Process
Gaining access to the field in medical ethnography
Reflections on Applying Institutional Ethnography in Participatory Weight Stigma Research with Young Women
Conducting Analysis in Institutional Ethnography
Institutional Ethnography Research in Global South Settings
Transnational Institutional Ethnography
A Delicate Balancing Act
Implementing continuous consent in qualitative research
On the Social Relations of Research
Taking sides with patients using institutional ethnography
Long-term Care for Older People in South Africa
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |