Participant Observation

Question 1

Participant Observation Evaluation

Answer 1

•P - Can study groups that wouldn’t participate otherwise. Data is hard to record if covert. Time consuming and expensive.
•E - Can be issues if a covert study
•R - Only small groups can be accurately studied, may not be representative.
•V - Gains 1st hand knowledge (verstehen) and are less likely to be misled. More likely to have Hawthorne if overt and group behaviour may be unintentionally influenced.
•E - Data tends to be qualitative - detailed and hard to analyse. Can be quantitative in some cases but this is easier in non-participant observations.
•R - Hard to replicate (particularly in hard-to-access groups including schools) and the researcher may find it hard to be neutral once studying information.
•T - Interpretivists favour it over non-participant as it gives otherwise unobtainable Verstehen. Positivists are generally critical as data is argued to be unreliable and un-quantified.