How time is experienced and conceptualised when conducting ethnography mapping NEET interventions in education settings

Russell, Lisa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7690-3060, Davey, Katherine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0340-4422, Thompson, Ron and Bishop, Jo (2025) How time is experienced and conceptualised when conducting ethnography mapping NEET interventions in education settings. Ethnography. 14661381251371899. ISSN 1466-1381

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Abstract

The importance of ‘time’ is well-established within ethnography, yet how time is experienced and conceptualised in specific research settings remains embryonic. Duncheon and Tierney’s (2013) theory of time is developed to understand how time is accepted, valued and recorded by both the ethnographer and the participants in a neoliberal, post-covid era where virtual means of communicating are fast developing. Data mapping interventions for young people vulnerable to becoming NEET illustrate how time is experienced differently according to the site, participants, research questions, the opportunity to explore emerging issues and the management of available stakeholders and resources. How the ethnographer manages time can sometimes come into conflict with neoliberal ways of working. Nevertheless, ethnographers must retain the value of spending time becoming immersed in the daily lives of people to gain trust, give voice to participants who may otherwise be muted and resist temptations to quickly plunder fields for data.