Download Participant observation

Participant observation
Participant observation refers to a form of sociological research methodology in which the
researcher takes on a role in the social situation under observation. The social researcher
immerses herself in the social setting under study, getting to know key actors in that location in
a role which is either covert or overt, although in practice, the researcher will often move
between these two roles. The aim is to experience events in the manner in which the subjects
under study also experience these events. Sociologists who employ participant observation as a
research tool aim to discover the nature of social reality by understanding the actor's
perception, understanding and interpretation of that social world. Whilst observing and
experiencing as a participant, the sociologist must retain a level of objectivity in order to
understand, analyze and explain the social world under study.
What is the researcher role?
















Take responsibility for finding out what is expected
Take the initiative in raising problems or difficulties
Help the supervisory team to ensure consistency
Discuss with the supervisory team how to make guidance more effective, including disability
related concerns
Agree, organize and attend mutually convenient meetings, contribute to their agenda and
circulate work in advance
Undertake research training as agreed and where need is identified
Undertake recommended reading
Produce written work as agreed
Comply with reporting procedures and inform supervisors of the progress of your research
Tell supervisors about difficulties you encounter in your work
Arrange for informal sharing of information and practice
Generate your own ideas
Set realistic deadlines
Ask when you don't understand
Decide when to submit the thesis and ensure that it is submitted on time
Ensure that the thesis complies with regulations.
What are the procedures?


Thematising is to answer the question of what is going to be studied, why this is going to be
studied, and how this is going to be studied. The answers to these questions will become the
background for carrying on with fieldwork, analysis and reporting. [14]
The design stage constitutes the step where the methodological procedure is planned and
prepared. What is the time schedule and how do the different steps interrelate? When the





chosen technique is interviews, designing the research project will be to determine which kind
of interviews to use—personal, collective (focus group), expert, etc.—and how many interviews
to perform. [17]
Interviews are structured according to an interview guide made by the researcher, which
outlines themes to be covered during the interview. The interview guide is typically without
specification of how to formulate exact questions, and questions will be open-ended to
encourage the respondents to give long elaborated answers. [20]
The next step of the research process is transcription of recordings—often done by assisting
personnel. Different kinds of instructions will be given to assistants according to the researcher's
preferences. Such standards for transcription can be conceptualized as a continuum—from a
transcript incorporating (almost) every sound or silence recorded (breaks, sighs, stammer, etc.)
to a transcript restricted to sentences of relevance to specific research questions
The word coding is often used to refer to the first part of the analysis that concerns the naming
and categorizing of phenomena through close examination of data (STRAUSS & CORBIN 1990).
Coding of data might be done using one of the computer-based analysis program packages (e.g.
NUD*IST or Atlas.ti). However, whether one chooses to use a computer program or not, it is the
researcher who defines and names the categories of data.
Verification of the data analysis concerns the generalizability, the reliability, and the validity of
findings. Generalizability means that findings can be generalized; reliability refers to the
consistency of findings/results, whereas validity questions if the study in fact investigates what
was intended.
It goes without saying that reporting covers the part of the research process where the
researcher writes a report to present his findings. As KVALE points out this report is not to be
seen solely as a representation of data "seasoned with" the researcher's comments and
interpretations: "The interview report is itself a social construction in which the author's choice
of writing style and literary devices provide a specific view on the subjects' lived world.
What are the advantages of participant observation?
2 Types of observation:
Covert observation involves:


The social researcher participating fully without informing members of the social group of the
reasons for her presence, thus the research is carried out secretly or covertly.
Contact with a 'gatekeeper', a member of the group under study who will introduce the
researcher into the group.
Advantages of this type of covert participant role are:

The researcher may gain access to social groups who would otherwise not consent to being
studied.

The avoidance of problems of observer effect, the conception that individuals' behavior may
change if they know they are being studied. However, there are problems of recording data.
Overt observation involves:


The researcher being open about the reason for her presence in the field of study since the
researcher is given permission by the group to conduct her research.
The use of a 'sponsor', who is an individual likely to occupy a high status within the group,
therefore lessening any potential hostility towards the researcher.
Advantages of the use of overt observation include:




The avoidance of problems of ethics in that the group is aware of the researcher's role.
The group is being observed in its 'natural setting'.
Data may also be openly recorded.
Problems of 'going native' are avoided.
What are disadvantages of participant observation?
Problems of covert observation include:





The researcher having to become involved in criminal or dangerous activities, particularly where
the research is studying a 'deviant' social group.
Problems of negotiating and having to act out forms of behavior which the researcher may
personally find unethical or distasteful.
The researcher having to employ a level of deceit, since the researcher is essentially lies about
the nature of her presence within the group.
Close friendships are often resulting from connections with members of the group under study
and the covert nature of the research can put a tremendous strain on the researcher, both in
and out of the fieldwork setting.
The problem of 'going native', which refers to the fact that a researcher will cease to be a
researcher and will become a full-time group participant.
Problems with overt observation include:

Observer effect, where the behavior of those under study may alter due to the presence of the
researcher.