Observations

Question 1

Types of observations

Answer 1

Non participant and Participant
Covert and overt
Structured and unstructured

Question 2

William Whyte and semi covert observation

Answer 2

Revealed his real purpose to a key member of the group, but not to the others which makes him semi-overt

Question 3

Getting in a participant observational study

Answer 3

To gain entry to the group in which some can be harder than others. Eg. Getting into a football crowd is easier than a criminal gang to join.

Question 4

Making contact in a participant observational study

Answer 4

Getting in may depend on personal skills and having the right connections.

Question 5

Ned Polsky and James Patrick and making contact in participant observational studies

Answer 5

Found his skill of playing pool useful in gaining entry to a poolroom hustler.

Able to get in a gang due to his appearance and connections. (Age and new a member of the gang)

Question 6

Acceptance and participant observational studies

Answer 6

Have to gain the groups trust and acceptance.

Question 7

Sarah Thornton and acceptance in participant observational studies.

Answer 7

Made friends with Kate in her study of clubbing and raving however her age was a barrier. She was met with suspicion by her friend Kate’s brother.

Question 8

Whyte and observers role in participant observational studies.

Answer 8

He refused leadership roles, and with one exception of secretary of the community club, a position that allowed him to take notes and guise during meetings.

Question 9

Griffin and acceptance in participant observational studies

Answer 9

He was a white man who used medication and sunlamp treatments to change his skin colour and pass as black. He travelled around south America and experienced first hand impact of racism.

Question 10

The observers role

Answer 10

You have to not disrupt the groups patterns and offer a good vantage point. However you need to be unobtrusive and not to take sides in conflicts

Question 11

Staying in participant observational studies.

Answer 11

Once your accepted you have to stay in the group and fully remain detached while also being objective and unbiased.

Question 12

Going native in participant observational studies
Staying in

Answer 12

One danger of staying in the group is becoming too involved or by over, identifying with the group. Or the opposite danger is becoming to detached to where you don’t understand events. You may also spend too much time much time to where you stop noticing things unusual

Question 13

Maurice punch and the study of Amsterdam police
Staying In a participant observational studies

Answer 13

By being accepted by the tightly knit patrol group, he over identified with them, even acting like a policeman. Holding suspects and searching houses.

Question 14

Getting out participant observational studies.

Answer 14

The researcher can simply halt and leave and others can leave more gracefully. Re-entering a group can be difficult and made worse if the research is conducted on and off over a period of time.

Question 15

James Patrick and getting out of a participant observational study.

Answer 15

He was sickened by the violence of the gang, and he abandoned the study abruptly.

Question 16

Whyte and re-entering a participant observational study

Answer 16

Found it difficult when he returned to Harvard. After his research, he was tongue-tied and unable to communicate with fellow academics.

Question 17

Advanatges of Overt observation and conducting participant obersational studies.

Answer 17

This method avoids ethical problems, allows the observer to ask questions that can be naïve but important and the observer can take notes openly.

Question 18

Disadvantages and overt observation and conducting a participant observational study

Answer 18

The group may refuse the researcher permissions and it risks the Hawthorne affect.

Question 19

Maurice Punch and overt observation and participant observational studies

Answer 19

Two of the Amsterdam police officers told punch “when you were with us, We only let you see what we wanted you to see”.

Question 20

Covert observation and conducting a participant observational study.

Answer 20

Raises practical and ethical issues.

Question 21

Practical issues of covert observation

Answer 21

Reduces risk of altering people’s behaviour, done where people are engaged in activities they would rather keep a secret. It preserves naturalness of people’s behaviour

Question 22

Laud Humphrey and practical issues of covert observation

Answer 22

Studied gay men’s sexual encounters in public toilets. found that they’d preserve their naturalness if they knew they were being observed.

Question 23

Practical problems of covert observation

Answer 23

Risk of cover being blown and requires the researcher to have personal skills to keep up the act.

Question 24

James Patrick and practical problems of covert observation.

Answer 24

Was almost found out when he bought his suit with cash instead of credit, things that the gang would have never done. This is likely to bring the research to an abrupt end and may lead to physical harm.

Question 25

Jason Ditton and practical problems of covert observation.

Answer 25

Studying theft among the bread delivery man, and had to use the toilets as a place for recording their observations. This aroused suspicion.

Question 26

Ethical issues of covert observation.

Answer 26

Immoral and deceptive, involves lying to leave the group and they may have to do illegal and immoral activities as part of their cover role. As well as witnessing illegal activities.

Question 27

Advantages of participant observation

Answer 27

Validity
Insight
Flexibility
Practical

Question 28

Validity and advantages of participant observation.

Answer 28

Obtain rich qualitative data that provides a picture of how they truly live.

Question 29

Insight and advantages of participant observation

Answer 29

“Verstehen” is an Understanding that comes from putting yourself in another persons place. The researcher gains empathy through personal experience, and by lives as a member of a group to get an insight of their life and meanings.

Question 30

Flexibility and advantages of participant observation

Answer 30

The researcher can develop new hypothesis and ideas during the observation. The researcher has a relatively open mind.

Question 31

Whyte and flexibility of participant observation

Answer 31

noted that by observing, he had learnt answers to questions that he wouldn’t have had the sense to ask if it had been an interview.

Question 32

Practical advantages of participant observation

Answer 32

Groups who take part in deviant and disreputable behaviours may be suspicious of outsiders who are asking questions. Observation allows the sociologists to build a rapport with the group and gain trust. Also used in areas where questioning is inefficient.

Question 33

Lewis Yablonsky and practical advantages of participant observation

Answer 33

Pointed out that teenage gangs are likely to see sociologists as unwelcome and the representatives of authority.

Question 34

Aaron cicourel and practical advantages of participant observation

Answer 34

Studied how police and probation officers categorise juveniles by making assumptions about the ‘types’ of criminals. They are unaware of their unconscious assumptions so the only way to get them is by observing the police directly in their work environment.

Question 35

Practical disadvantages of participant observation

Answer 35

Time consuming and requires training, can be stressful and requires interpersonal skills. Personal characteristics can also stand in the way (age and gender). Many groups also choose to not be studied.

Question 36

Ethical problems with participant observation

Answer 36

Deception and participating in illegal or immoral activities in the course of sociological research.

Question 37

Representativeness and disadvantages of participant observation

Answer 37

Small samples and participants can often be observed by chance. Doesn’t provide a basis for making generalisations.

Question 38

Downes and rock and the representative disadvantages of participant observation

Answer 38

Participant observation may provide valid insights into the group being studied, it is doubtful how far the internally valid insights are externally valid that can be generalisable to the wider population.

Question 39

Reliability and disadvantages of participant observation

Answer 39

Rely on much deeper personal skills and characteristics of researcher which is unlikely to be replicated by another researcher. Produces qualitative data so it doesn’t produce reliable data.

Question 40

Bias and lack of objectivity disadvantages of participant observation

Answer 40

Risks of becoming to involved or to detached. Loyalty to the group can lead to sociologist concealing sensitive information and observation often attracts sociologists whose sympathies lie with the underdog.

Question 41

Validity and disadvantages of participant observation

Answer 41

Positives argue that the findings from studies are subjective and biased as observation is told how the observer sees it. researchers also only record what they think is needed of recording and may leave out major points. Also risks of the Hawthorne effect.

Question 42

Lack of a concept of structure and participant observation.

Answer 42

Marxists and functionalists argue that because it focuses on the micro level of actor meanings and society as a whole, participant observation tends to ignore the wider structural forces that shape our behaviour.

Question 43

Observations to investigate education
Practical issues
Structured

Answer 43

Positivists favour the flankers system of interaction analysis categories, used to measure pupil-pupil and pupil-teacher interaction. Observer records interactions In categories based of behaviour This method is quicker and cheaper, require less training and less structured methods

Question 44

Observations to investigate education
Flanders and practical issues
Structured

Answer 44

And found that in the typical American classroom, 68% of time is taken up by teacher talking 20% by people talking and 12% in silence or confusion.

Question 45

Observation to investigate education
reliability
Structured

Answer 45

FIAC methods are likely to be easily replicated as there are only 10 categories making it easier to apply is a standardised way. Generates quantitative data making finding easier to compare

Question 46

Observation to investigate education
Validity Sara Delamont
Structured

Answer 46

Argues that simply counting classroom behaviour and classifying it into a limited number of predefined categories, ignores the meanings that peoples and teachers attach to it.

Question 47

Observation to investigate education
Practical issues
Unstructured

Answer 47

Schools are complex and time consuming, can be easier to gain permission to observer lessons. Observations in schools is limited by school restrictions like timetables. Schools are busy places so hard to find privacy.

Question 48

Observation to investigate education
Lacey and Eggleston, practical issues
Unstructured

Answer 48

It took Lacey two months to familiarise himself of the school and Eggleston needed over three months just to set up his cover role for his observations.

Question 49

Observation to investigate education
Fuller and practical issues
Unstructured

Answer 49

The headteacher fuller studied, decided that it would be good for pupils to have a non-teaching adult, and that parental consent was not required.

Question 50

Observation to investigate education
Wright and practical issues
Unstructured

Answer 50

Carried out research In a school and there were a few black teachers and she found that her African Caribbean ethnicity produced antagonistic reactions from white teachers.

Question 51

Observation to investigate education
Hammersley and practical issues
Unstructured

Answer 51

Found the Notting down staff room conversations had to be done covertly. as he had to note them after he left the staffroom, he acknowledges that he may have made mistakes or relied on his own interpretations of what they said.

Question 52

Observation to investigate education
Ethical issues
Unstructured

Answer 52

The Covert approach is not appropriate for pupils as their greater vulnerability and limited ability to give informed consent means that the overt observation is appropriate. Researcher also has to deal with ‘guilty knowledge’

Question 53

Observation to investigate education
Delamont and ethical issues
Unstructured

Answer 53

Points out that every observer in schools season, hears things that could get the people into trouble. harm that can be done to pupils, teachers and schools additional care should be taken to protect their identity.

Question 54

Observation to investigate education
Validity
Unstructured

Answer 54

Observation gives an authentic understanding of the world views of social actors. However, the power difference between young people and adults is a barrier to uncovering real behaviour of pupils. There’s an opportunity for researcher to gain acceptance from pupils. Glad you were there. Teachers are also good at disguising their feelings and ultra behaviour.

Question 55

Observation to investigate education
Hawthorne effect
Unstructured

Answer 55

Most classroom observation has to be over, but this makes it difficult to avoid the Hawthorn effect where the presence of the research influences the behaviour.

Question 56

Observation to investigate education
Ronald king and Hawthorne effect
Unstructured

Answer 56

Tried to blend in the background of an infant schools by spending a small amount of time in the classroom to allow the pupils to become familiar with their presence. Refuses help and avoids eye contact in attempt to become unobtrusive.

Question 57

Observation to investigate education
Representativeness
Unstructured

Answer 57

There are around 4000 secondary schools and 30,000 primary schools, so there is a huge amount of educational activity.

Question 58

Observation to investigate education
willis and representativeness
Unstructured

Answer 58

Studied only 12 boys and the small scale of such studies results from the fact that it takes time to become familiar with setting, gain and trust of teachers and pupils, and to carry out the observations.

Question 59

Observation to investigate education
Hammersley and representativeness
Unstructured

Answer 59

Considered that data he collected in the staffroom was more open to sample bias, then classroom data as he sought a wide range of contacts among teachers, he found many treated him with suspicion.

Question 60

Observation to investigate education
Reliability
Unstructured

Answer 60

Lack reliability as data recording is often unsystematic and hard to replicate the personal characteristics of different observers may evoke differing responses.

Question 61

Observation to investigate education
Hammersley and reliability
Unstructured

Answer 61

Found that one occasion he had to write his own notes on the back of the newspaper, as he was observing staff room conversations covertly

Question 62

Observation to investigate education
Wright and reliability
Unstructured

Answer 62

Found that as a black female she was met with hostility by white teachers, but was readily accepted by black pupils.