Sometimes researchers' research question requires greater benefit from a qualitative data collection approach than a quantitative approach as they explore groups of people, in these cases ethnographic designs are better suited to their needs. Ethnographic research is designed for qualitative data collection because its goal is to write about groups of people in a cultural context such as “language, rituals, economic and political structures, life stages, interactions, and communication styles” (Creswell , 2008, p.473). A project such as ethnographic research that requires researchers to observe and interact with the focus group or individuals opens new doors to understanding cultural groups and their characteristics as they appear over time. As schools become more diverse, the challenge is to understand cultural groups and the role they play in education. Although ethnographic studies fall into a variety of categories, the three clearly identified forms of ethnographic design include realist ethnographies, ethnographic case studies, and critical ethnographies (Creswell, 2008). The three types of ethnographic design vary in their characteristics, approach, and purpose. Therefore, researchers must analyze ethnographic design types to understand and identify the characteristics from which their research questions benefit most as a consideration in making a decision about which design to use. One form of ethnographic design is realistic ethnographies characterized by their focus on remaining objective, refraining from judgment, and simply presenting the facts as witnessed during data collection (Creswell, 2008). Writing objectively about human interactions within a cultural group helps the research...... middle of the paper ......individual differences and characteristics analyzed for each of the types of ethnographic research, understanding the purpose of the each person's approach prepares Researchers can make decisions about the approach they will use for their research. While identifying the need for a design that allows the researcher to collect data that facilitates understanding of human behavior in the context of culturally sharing groups, the researcher must also determine how to analyze the data and the purpose of the study. Only after a thorough evaluation will the researcher correctly identify the most appropriate ethnographic research design to address the research question and support the ideas presented in the statement of purpose. Works Cited Creswell, J. W. (2008). Educational research: planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Pearson 3rd ed.