Non/participant Observation

Question 1

(Participant) practical advantage

Answer 1

Allows sociologist to gain verstehen through experience which may result in data being more accurate

Question 2

(Participant) practical disadvantage

Answer 2

May only be suitable for certain groups e.g. deviant subcultures

Question 3

(Participant) ethical advantage

Answer 3

If people are aware of the researcher it is more likely that the researcher would have gained informed consent

Question 4

(Participant) ethical disadvantage

Answer 4

Can be very distressing and dangerous for the researcher

Participants may be unaware, making the research unethical

Question 5

(Participant) theoretical advantage- Strauss

Answer 5

Strauss: flexibilty helps to produce valid data and allows researcher to modify ideas to create a ground theory (a theory grounded in reality)

Question 6

(Participant) theoretical disadvantage

Answer 6

Positivists: unscientific because it is not objective e.g. sociologists may become too attached to the group resulting in the data lossing credibility

Unrepresentative data

Question 7

(Non participant) practical advantage

Answer 7

Unlike participant observations, the researcher does not need a high level of social skills

Question 8

(Non participant) practical disadvantage

Answer 8

Timeconsuming which reduces sample sizes/ representativeness of data

Question 9

(Non participant) ethical advantage

Answer 9

No contact reduces risk of upsetting participants

Question 10

(Non participant) ethical disadvantage

Answer 10

Tends to be covert observations which are unethical

Question 11

(Non participant) theoretical advantage

Answer 11

Positivists: more objective

Question 12

(Non participant) theoretical disadvantage

Answer 12

Interpretivists: Uninvolvement means a lack of understanding