Anthropology and Education Business: Areas of Application, Approaches and Methodologies

Abstract

The present study examines the convergence between anthropology and education business giving rise to the field of anthropology of education. The early works of Hewett, Boas and Montessori paved the way for the foundations of the application of anthropological contents and methods to the study and practices of educative processes and systems for better understanding and improvement of learning. School settings and classroom life provide relevant environment for anthropological inquiries. The application of anthropological contents and methods in various aspects of the study of education is significant. The business function of education in terms of the leadership and management of human, material and financial resources for optimal outcomes calls for anthropological insights and underpinnings in educational systems. Anthropological concepts and principles are applied in the areas of the foundations of education, curriculum development, culture studies, classroom interactions, multicultural education, business education, policy implementations, educational research and educational administration. Ethnographic methods have greatly contributed to the understanding of complex educational issues and challenges. Ethnographic methods of grounded theory, documentary content analysis, and action research are employed to study educational problems through the use of the techniques of purposive sampling, interview, observation, constant comparison, triangulations, key incident, narration, interpretive stance, and other tools of data gathering, interpretation and analysis.