Ethnography's capacity to contribute to the cumulation of theory: a case study of differentiation-polarisation theory

Hillyard, S.

doi:10.1080/03054985.2010.503688

Ethnography's capacity to contribute to the cumulation of theory: a case study of differentiation-polarisation theory

Hillyard, S.

Authors

S. Hillyard

Abstract

The paper sets out to examine the role that ethnographic work can and should play in the development of sociological theory, focusing on the case study of differentiation–polarisation theory. It provides a detailed discussion of the work of Hargreaves (1967) , Lacey (1970) and Ball (1981) and assesses the degree to which their work was ethnographic in contemporary terms. It argues that the model of theory development they offer does not need to be understood in the manner adopted by Hammersley in his account of their work as a model for theory development and testing in the sociology of education. Rather it requires the ethnographer to be more attuned towards setting and maintaining a theoretical agenda, by (a) being more preoccupied with refining existing or established theoretical ideas and concepts and (b) retaining the capacity for the fieldwork setting to inform and direct the study.

Citation

Hillyard, S. (2010). Ethnography's capacity to contribute to the cumulation of theory: a case study of differentiation-polarisation theory. Oxford Review of Education, 36(6), 767-784. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2010.503688

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Sep 1, 2010
Deposit Date	Feb 2, 2012
Publicly Available Date	Apr 16, 2014
Journal	Oxford Review of Education
Print ISSN	0305-4985
Electronic ISSN	1465-3915
Publisher	Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	36
Issue	6
Pages	767-784
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2010.503688

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Copyright Statement
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Hillyard, S. (2010) 'Ethnography's capacity to contribute to the cumulation of theory : a case study of differentiation-polarisation theory.', Oxford review of education., 36 (6). pp. 767-784. © Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03054985.2010.503688