Strength and Limitation P.E.T - Participant and Non participant observation

Question 1

(PO- Unstructured) Practical- Strengths

Answer 1

• The only investigation possible- Covert PO may be the only available research method to gain a valid picture of what is going on, especially for deviant social groups such as criminal gangs or religious cults. Such groups may be hostile to and suspicious of people from outside so trying to use other sociological methods, such as social surveys may not be possible.
  Flexibility- Researchers can enter the situation a fixed hypothesis and keep an open mind to what they find. Basically you cant get answers to questions you are not asking- observing people can overcome this.
• Problem of documenting: It is difficult to document the data. A researcher will struggle to write down everything important while in the act of participating and observing. They researcher must therefore rely on their memory and own personal discipline to write down and expand their observations as soon and as completely as possible: because memory fades quickly, postponing the expansion of notes can lead to loss or inaccurate recording data. the quality of the data therefore depends on the diligence of the researcher rather than on technology such as tape recorders.

Question 2

Practical- limitations

Answer 2

Staying in- A real problem of remaining inside the group for covert PO is that it is not as easy as it may seem. You need to be constantly on your guard in order not to expose your true identity, especially over a long period of time, and be able to maintain the friendship established. This may require performing an act which may be morally wrong, criminal or even dangerous to secure your hidden identity.
Getting out - Leaving the group may also bring its own set of problems. Groups under observation react may feel lied or deceived of covert PO was used. The life of researcher may be in danger.

Question 3

Strengths- Ethical

Answer 3

• No ethical issues: The advantage of overt PO is that it does not have any of the ethical problems of covert PO,such as deception, lack of consent and invasion of privacy.
• Dangerous situations avoided- In overt PO, permission has been granted which prevents the researcher from putting themselves in a dangerous situation or becoming involved in illegal activities.

Question 4

Limitations- Ethical

Answer 4

• Lack of informed consent- Since the participants are deceived, they cannot have given consent to take part in the research study. This raises the issue of lack of informed consent and invasion of privacy. If either of these has occurred, the research should ensure the confidentiality of the data and anonymity if the participants
  -Illegal or immoral behaviour- If the group engages in illegal or immoral activities then the researcher may also have to engage in such activities, just to protect their covert identity. This can put them in ethical dilemmas as well as illegal positions.
  -Cover observations are highly unethical due to their deceptive nature and risk of participating in illegal/immoral acts.

Question 5

Theoretical- Strength

Answer 5

High validity- Interpretivists tend to find Po particularly because it produces valid data. this is because it takes place in a natural everyday setting, which means those being investigated will often behave as they would normally do, especially if covert PO is used. This allows the researcher to gather a deep insight into behaviour that reflects a true accurate picture of what they are investigating whereas when questionnaires and interviews are used, the respondent can lie or answer inaccurately, making the information incorrect.
- Generating new ideas- In other research methods such as social surveys, the questions have already been fixed by the researcher according to what they think is important to the investigation. The limitation of social surveys is that they limit the flexibility for new ideas and information to move research in new directions. In PO, the researcher enters the study with an open mind and no pre- fixed hypothesis, thus allowing new insights and ideas which they may not initially have considered.

Question 6

Theoretical - Limitations

Answer 6

Validity- Positivists have questioned the usefulness of PO for the following reasons:
- Subjective interpretation- The validity of result is based on the researcher own subjective interpretation and understanding of what they are observing. the researcher may have selected the information on what they thought of as important. This will inevitably be based on their own personal values, belief and opinions, leading to an imprecise recording of information.
- Hawthorne effect- the presence of the researcher, especially for overt PO, may influence the participants to act differently if they are aware of being watched, making the study pointless. This is known as the ‘Hawthorn Effect’. If this happens, the findings from the study may not be valid. Covert PO may also be influenced by the Hawthorne effect as the presence of new member in a group may make other alter their behavior initially.
- Reliability- The research findings from PO are viewed as unreliable because they are not carried out according to controlled and standardised procedures, like experiments. Because the observation takes place in the participant natural setting, it would be extremely difficult to replicate the same study again, under the same test conditions, to see if the research findings are consistent. This means it is difficult to check the validity of observational research.

Question 7

(NPO- structured observation)- Strength practical

Answer 7

• Relatively quick to complete as no researcher/participant rapport need to be developed.
• Doesn’t require too much training for the researcher

Question 8

Limitation - Practical

Answer 8

Access- May be harder in certain circumstances, for example by teachers/pupils within a school setting
-Non-participant observers bring their own perspectives, biases, and interpretations to the observation process. These personal biases can influence the way they perceive and interpret the behavior of the participants. Observer bias can undermine the objectivity and validity of the observations.

Question 9

Strengths- Ethical

Answer 9

• In many cases, non-participant observation does not require informed consent from the participants. Since researchers are not actively involved in the setting, individuals may not be aware of being observed, eliminating any potential biases or alteration of natural behaviors. This ensures that the observations are more authentic and representative of real-life situations.
• Non-participant observation reduces the risk of breaching confidentiality. Researchers can observe people in public spaces or settings where participants expect minimal privacy, such as public parks or streets. As long as individuals are not personally identifiable or their private information is not disclosed, confidentiality can be maintained.

Question 10

Limitations- Ethical

Answer 10

• Lack of consent & invasion of privacy- As PO is usually non-participated, the participants may be watched without their approval. This raises the issues of lack of consent and invasion of privacy. Ideally, where informed consent has not been obtained prior to the research, It should be obtained afterwards. Also the researcher should ensure the confidentiality of the data and anonymity of the participants they have observed.
  -Deception: In some cases, researchers may need to adopt a covert approach to avoid altering participants’ behavior. This involves not disclosing the true nature of the study, which raises ethical concerns related to deception. Deception can harm the trust between researchers and participants and may compromise the validity of the research.

Question 11

Strength- theoretical

Answer 11

• No Hawthorne effect- One of the main reasons a researcher may choose non-PO is that it provides a highly valid picture of the social group being investigated. the absence of the researcher eliminates the possibility that participant behaviour will alter in the presence of new members, be it covert or overt PO.
  -Behaviour quantified: Positivists tend to prefer SO ( NPO) as it tends to produce quantitative data which can put in numerical form and analysed statistically, to assess the existence of relationship between two variables.

Question 12

Limitations- theoretical

Answer 12

Validity- Researchers may be unable to discern groups true meanings as they aren’t able to ask them
Reliability- Each observation will be subjective, therefore unable to be repeated
Representativeness- Research is on a small scale and therefore cant be generalised.