observation

Question 1

what is participant observation

Answer 1

when the researcher takes part in the behavior being studied

Question 2

what does weber (1922) say about participant observation

Answer 2

it’s allows the researcher to experience what the participants are going through and the reasons they attach to their behavior

he termed this as verstehen- to understand by experiencing

Question 3

who is participant observation highly favored by

Answer 3

interpretivists

Question 4

what is covert participant observation

Answer 4

participants are not aware that they are being studied

Question 5

what is overt participant observation

Answer 5

participants are aware that they are being studied

Question 6

what are the strengths of participant observation

Answer 6

• for interpretivists the researcher is able to establish the meanings people attach to their behaviour
• allows for the collection of detailed in depth data.

-if done covertly there’s no researcher/observer effect

-high in validity because it takes place in a natural setting
-might be the only method for gaining access to certain groups

Question 7

what are the disadvantages of participant observation

Answer 7

• its time consuming
  -low in reliability - it would be impossible for another researcher to replicate it
• unrepresentative because they are accessed through snowball sampling.
• if done covertly it might break ethical guidelines since the participants do not know they are being studied and cannot give informed consent

Question 8

what is non-participant observation

Answer 8

this is where the researcher observes without taking part in the activities of the participants

Question 8

state one limitation and one advantage of covert participant observation

Answer 8

• limitation- breaks ethical guidelines…
  -Practical issue - it’s hard to record data you have to rely on your memory

advantages ;
-high in validity because people are observed in natural settings and are unaware that they are being observed which avoids hawthorne effect

Question 9

what are the strengths of non-participant observation

Answer 9

• if done covertly there will be no observer effect since the participants don’t know that they are being observed
• it produces in depth data

-if done overtly there is less risk for the researcher to be involved in unethical or dangerous situations.

-covert non-participant observation may be the only way to conduct research in some cases

Question 10

what are the limitations of non-participant observation

Answer 10

-if conducted covertly it may suffer from lack of ethical consideration

• when conducted overtly there is observer effect , the participants may know that they are being observed and change
  their behaviour.

-they amount of data obtained makes it difficult to analyse

Question 11

examples of participant observation in real life

Answer 11

Goffman covertly studied the patients in a mental institution to understand how nurses labelled patients