Topic 6- Participant Observation

Question 1

give the types of observation

Answer 1

covert
overt
participation
non participation

Question 2

explain what non participant observation is

Answer 2

• researcher observes the group without taking part

Question 3

explain what participant observation is

Answer 3

• researcher takes part in what they are researching

Question 4

explain what covert research is

Answer 4

• researcher is undercover and identity is kept secret
• takes on as being a member of who they are researching

Question 5

explain what overt research is

Answer 5

• researcher makes it known who they are when they are studying them

Question 6

what are the 4 steps of a participant observation study

Answer 6

1. making contact
2. acceptance
3. staying in
4. getting out

Question 7

explain what ‘going native’ is

Answer 7

• in order to stay in people may over identify with the group
• they also have to act in a way they won’t get caught

Question 8

what are the 3 advantages to overt research

Answer 8

• avoids ethical problem of informed consent and deceit
• allows observer to ask naive questions as they don’t have to pretend they are part of a group
• can openly take notes

Question 9

what is a practical advantage of covert research

Answer 9

• reduces risk of hawthorne affect as they won’t change their behaviour
  *

Question 10

give 3 practical issues of covert research

Answer 10

• requires researcher to keep an act
• cannot openly take notes
• cannot ask naive and important questions

Question 11

why is participant observation valid?

Answer 11

observing people can give you rich qualitative data that provides an insight to how someone truly lives

Question 12

how can you gain an insight from participant observation?

Answer 12

• allow researcher to gain empathy from their experience
• by living as someone in their group can have an insight to their life and understand them as a result

Question 13

how is participant observation flexible?

Answer 13

researcher has an open mind before research so have no limit on what area they research and can see new explanations as the study goes on

Question 14

what is a practical advantage of participant observation

Answer 14

• can be the only method to gain information from people as they are less suspicious

Question 15

6 practical disadvantages of participant observation

Answer 15

• time consuming
• researcher needs to be trained
• personally demanding and stressful- especially covert
• requires personal skills like observation and interpersonal that not everyone has
• characteristics like age race or gender may restrict what you study
• alot of groups may refuse to be studied so accessibility is difficult

Question 16

how is participant observation less representative?

Answer 16

observations are usually with a small group of people and the participants can be haphazardly gathered. this means you cant make generalisations and what you observe might not be valid to other people in a group like that.

Question 17

how is participant observation less reliable?

Answer 17

• not standardised
• relies on researcher’s skills so hard to replicate them in another person
• produces qualitative data less reliable

Question 18

how can participant observation be seen as less valid?

Answer 18

doesnt show the opinion of others but merely what an observation of them shows
doesn’t give actual opinions from those you are researching