Participant Observation

Question 1

What is non participant observation?

Answer 1

The researcher observes the group or event without taking part. The sociologist is open about what they are doing

Question 2

What is participant observation?

Answer 2

The researcher takes part in the group

Question 3

What is overt observation?

Answer 3

Their true identity and purpose is known to those being studied

Question 4

What is covert observation?

Answer 4

‘Under cover’. Their real identity and purpose are kept concealed. False identity, usually posing as a genuine member of the group.

Question 5

What is GISIGO

Answer 5

Getting in, staying in, getting out

Question 6

Making contact

Answer 6

May depend on personal, the right connections, or even chance. James Patrick was able to join a Glasgow gang because he looked young and had taught one of the members

Question 7

Acceptance

Answer 7

To gain entry they must win their trust and acceptance. Griffin tanned his skin to research racism in the Deep South

Question 8

What is the observer’s role?

Answer 8

Do not disrupt the groups normal patterns

Offer a good vantage point from which to make observations

Question 9

What is going native?

Answer 9

By over identifying the researcher becomes biased. They may have stopped being an observer and become a member of the group. Eg Jock Young labelling Notting Hill smoking weed

Question 10

Getting out

Answer 10

James Patrick found the gang violence too much and abandoned the study abruptly. Hard to re enter normal life. Loyalty may prevent them from disclosing all that they have discovered

Question 11

What are the advantages of overt observations?

Answer 11

Avoids ethical problem of obtaining information by deceit and, when studying deviant groups, that of being expected to join in their activities
Allows the observer to ask naive questions
The observer can take notes openly

Question 12

What are the two major disadvantages of overt observation?

Answer 12

A group may refuse the researcher permission- may prevent from seeing everything.
It risks creating the Hawthorne effect which reduces validity

Question 13

What are the practical issues of covert observation?

Answer 13

Advantage- reduces risk of altering people’s behaviour
Disadvantage- requires them to keep up an act. May lead to physical harm if if they are found out if it is a criminal group
Cannot take notes openly so must rely on memory
Cannot ask naive questions

Question 14

What are the ethical issues of covert observation?

Answer 14

Immoral to deceive people. No consent can be gained.
Some may lie or leave the group without explanation like Patrick which is unethical
They may participate in immoral or illegal activities
Witnesses to such activities

Question 15

What are the advantages of participant observation?

Answer 15

Valid
Best way to get a true understanding or verstehen
Very flexible- Whyte ‘I learned answers to questions that I would not have the sense to ask’

Question 16

What are the disadvantages of using participant observation?

Answer 16

Practical -
Time consuming
Researcher needs to be trained
Personally stressful and demanding if it is covert
Requires observational and interpersonal skills that not everyone posses
Many may not wish to be studied so access is difficult
Ethical-
Deceiving people and getting involved in immoral activities

Not representative
Unreliable - qualitative and unique
Studies lack objectivity - going native, loyalty, sympathises the underdog eg Paul Willis romanticising

Question 17

What are the practical issues of structured non participant observation?

Answer 17

Can be quantifiable - FIAC pupil and teacher interaction
Quick
Cheap
Require less training

Question 18

Are structured observations like FIAC reliable?

Answer 18

Yes, easy to apply in a standardised way

Question 19

Are structured observations valid?

Answer 19

Criticised for its lack of validity because making it quantifiable ignores meanings

Question 20

What kind of observations do interpretivists favour?

Answer 20

Less structured, more flexible qualitative methods. Does not have assumptions.

Question 21

What are the practical issues with unstructured observation?

Answer 21

Schools are time consuming and complex
Easier to gain permission to observe rather than interview
Limited by school timetable, holidays, Health and safety etc
Busy place so it is hard to covertly make notes

Question 22

What are the ethical issues with unstructured observations?

Answer 22

Vulnerable people mean that a covert approach is not appropriate.
‘Guilty knowledge’ teacher is obliged to report the wrongdoing but it also breaks the trust that pupils have so they will no longer cooperate or confide

Question 23

Are unstructured observations valid?

Answer 23

Yes, main strength for interpretivists.
However they may create a false image with the observer
Teachers might be skilled at disguising their feelings and altering their behaviour when being observed
There may be language differences between pupil and observer

Question 24

Hawthorne effect in unstructured observations

Answer 24

Hard to carry out covert observations in classrooms because you can’t blend in so it means there may be the Hawthorne effect

Question 25

Structured observations and representativeness?

Answer 25

They are small scale so are not representative. Eg Paul Willis studied 12 boys
Takes a long time to get acceptance and get the trust and carry it out

Question 26

Unstructured interviews and reliability

Answer 26

Lack reliability because the data is unsystematic and hard to replicate