Core Concepts
Ethnography Essentials
Coding & Grounded Theory Category Name
Invisible Work & Ethics
Artifacts, Awareness & Coordination
100

What does CSCW stand for?

What is Computer-Supported Cooperative Work?

100

What kind of setting does ethnography prioritize for observation?

What is a natural setting?

100

What is the first step in grounded theory coding called?

What is open coding?

100

What kind of labor is critical but often goes unrecognized in systems?

What is invisible work?

100

What is a coordinative artifact?

What is a tool that helps people align, coordinate, or share work (e.g., whiteboards, dashboards)?

200

This concept describes “coordination behind the scenes.”

What is articulation work?

200

Ethnography focuses on whose point of view?

What is the member’s point of view?

200

What type of coding involves building links between codes and categories?

What is axial coding?

200

What study revealed that caseworkers refuse to document morally sensitive distinctions?

What is Petersen et al. (2021)?

200

Give one example of a coordinative artifact used in hospitals.

What is a whiteboard showing patient status or location?

300

What kind of work becomes unrecognized due to technological design?

What is invisible work?

300

Name one key principle of ethnography.

What is holism, natural settings, descriptive before prescriptive, or member’s view?

300

Which kind of logic builds theory from data, inductive or deductive?

What is inductive reasoning?

300

Why is ethical reflexivity essential in ethnographic research?

What is to reflect on your role, assumptions, and impact on the field?

300

What does awareness refer to in CSCW?

What is knowing who is doing what, where, and when?

400

What does "formal vs. informal" highlight in CSCW studies?

What is the gap between prescribed workflows and real-world practices?

400

What is the purpose of memo writing in ethnographic research?

What is to reflect and interpret emerging patterns and meaning?

400

What is the purpose of selective coding?

What is to identify a core category and link other categories to it?

400

How does digital classification risk erasing human judgment?

What is formal classifications fail to capture tacit or moral distinctions?

400

What kind of coordination happens silently, through posture or glances?

What is cooperative work through embodied awareness?

500

What term refers to systems shaped by both social and technical actors?

What are sociotechnical systems?

500

Which famous theorist emphasized situated action in her ethnographic work?

Who is Lucy Suchman?

500

In grounded theory, what does the phrase “constant comparison” refer to?

What is comparing data fragments across incidents to develop themes?

500

What does it mean when ethnographers say, “What’s missing is as important as what’s visible”?

ethnographic attention to absences reveals power, bias, or institutional silences?

500

Which CSCW concept refers to managing interdependencies in complex work environments?

What is coordination?