2.1 RM - Observations

Question 1

What is a participant observation?

Answer 1

Researcher becomes immersed in the everyday life of a group

Question 2

What is covert observation?

Answer 2

Where the participants are unaware they’re being watched

Question 3

What is overt observation?

Answer 3

Where the participants are unaware we they are being studied

Question 4

What are the strengths of overt participant observation?

Answer 4

You can ask questions and record data easily

Question 5

What are strengths of covert observation?

Answer 5

Can access hard to reach groups

Question 6

What are the weaknesses of overt participant observation?

Answer 6

The group may edit what you see

Question 7

What are weaknesses of covert participant observation?

Answer 7

Difficult getting in and out
Personal risk
Reliant on memory - can’t record data easily
Researchers characteristics determine who they can observe

Question 8

What is a weakness of both covert and overt participant observation?

Answer 8

Qualitative data is hard to analyse

Question 9

What is an ethical strength of overt participant observation?

Answer 9

Full informed consent
Right to withdraw
No deception
Confidential

Question 10

What are ethical issues of covert participant observation?

Answer 10

No consent 
No right to withdraw 
Deception 
Illegal activities 
Guilty knowledge

Question 11

Are participant observations reliable or representative?

Answer 11

No

Question 12

What are reliable weaknesses of participant observations?

Answer 12

Impossible to repeat - unstandardised
Relies on characteristics of researcher
Qualitative data is not comparable

Question 13

What are representative weaknesses of participant observations?

Answer 13

One group

Samples are small and non random

Question 14

What are valid strengths of participant observations?

Answer 14

• see firsthand behaviour and interactions
• interpretivists can develop verstehen
• covert no Hawthorne effect or social desirability
• insight into closed groups

Question 15

What are valid weaknesses of participant observations?

Answer 15

• overt- Hawthorne effect knowing they’re being watched
• covert - going native loosing objectivity
• positivists - subjective and biased views of researcher

Question 16

What is a non participant observation?

Answer 16

Where the researcher observes a group from the outside - without becoming immersed in the life of the group

Question 17

What are practical strengths of non participant observation?

Answer 17

• Easier to use record and analyse data than PO
• less issues getting in and out
• quantitative results - positivists, patterns

Question 18

What are practical weaknesses of NPO?

Answer 18

• limited data that lacks depth
• interpretivists can’t develop verstehen
• inflexible
• hard to ask questions

Question 19

What are ethical strengths of NPO?

Answer 19

Few issues

Question 20

What are ethical weaknesses of covert NPO?

Answer 20

Deception

No consent

Question 21

What are reliable strength of NPO?

Answer 21

• if structured it is repeatable using observation schedule

Question 22

What are reliable weaknesses of NPO?

Answer 22

Less structured

Question 23

What are representative strengths of NPO?

Answer 23

Can observe more groups than PO, more representative

Question 24

What are representative weaknesses of NPO?

Answer 24

Less representative than official stats and surveys

Small scale

Question 25

What are valid strengths of NPO?

Answer 25

Less chance of bias or going native

Objective and detached positivists like

Question 26

What are valid weaknesses of NPO?

Answer 26

• no firsthand understanding
• hard to develop verstehen
• Hawthorne effect if overt
• structured schedule means researcher is imposing view