unstructured participant observation

Question 1

what is unstructured participant observation

Answer 1

researcher joins in with the group activities

Question 2

who favours it

Answer 2

interpretivists

Question 3

t - advantage - validity
example

Answer 3

. produces data high in validity
. subjects are studied in their natural environment
. research shows what people do rather than what people say they do
e. wright saw how teachers negatively labelled asian pupils while claiming otherwise

Question 4

t - advatage - flexibility

Answer 4

. allows for flexibility
. validity increased

Question 4

t - advantage - qualitative

Answer 4

. produces in depth detail qualitative data
.researcher provided with valid data concerning feelings, motives, emotions and meanings of people being studied

Question 5

t - adantage - rapport
example

Answer 5

. rapport and trust built up with the people being studied
. therefore more likely to act naturallly
. validity likely to increase
e. important when studying school students who may consider researchers authority figures -
Devine only sat on low cahirs, went into the playground at break times and never disciplined children to gain their trust

Question 6

t = advatnage - verstehen and validity
example

Answer 6

. verstehen can be achieved
. therefore validity can be achieved
e. Mac an Ghaill were able to adopt a black student’s perspective and understand underachievement as a response to the racist education system

Question 7

t - disadvantage - reliability

Answer 7

. lacks reliability
. flexibility and interpersonal skills needed in the approach means it is difficult to retest and gain similar results

Question 8

t - disadvantage - sample size
example

Answer 8

. small sample size due to time and money needed
. sample may not be representative and reduces the researcher’s ability to generalise to target population
e. willis’ anti-school subculture research was based on only 12 boys
. reliability is lowered

Question 9

t - disadvantage - objectivity
example

Answer 9

. not objective
. subject to bias in the implementation and recording of the method
e. Mac An Ghaill socialised with students he studied and their friends, they even visited his home, he admits himself his research was not value free

Question 10

t - scientific - disadvantage

Answer 10

. results of po are unscientific - difficult to control variables occurring in the ‘field’
. reliability lowered

Question 11

p - disadvantage - personal characteristics
example

Answer 11

. personal characteristics such as age, gender and ethnicity may restrict what groups can be studied
e. wright found that her afro-carribean background produced negative reactions from some white teachers but helped her gain respect from some black pupils
. power difference between young pupils and adult researchers may place a barrier to uncovering the real attitudes and behaviours of students.
e. Hey found her feminist stance caused some resentment amongst male staff and pupils

Question 12

p - disadvantage - gaining entry
examples

Answer 12

. can be difficulties gaining entry . eg criminal gangs
. need right connections and good personal skills
e. patrick (CPO) was able to gain access to glasgow gangs as he looked young and knew one of the gang members
e. Mac An Phail able to gain entry as he taught in institutions he researched in and also lived in the area, he was seen as a local
e. observational work in schools can be limited by school timetables and holidays

Question 13

p - disadvatnage - acceptment
example

Answer 13

. problems getting accepted into the group being studied
e. Griffin took medication and received sun lamp treatments to change his skin colour to pass as black when studying racism in the deep south of the usa

Question 14

t - disadvantage - going native

Answer 14

. danger of going native - by staying in the group the researcher may over - identify with the group and become biased
. stopped being objective
. lowers validity

Question 15

p - disadvantage - readjustment
example

Answer 15

. can be problems leaving the group - readjusting to normal life
e. Whyte found that when he returned to Harvard he was tongue tied and unable to communicate with other academics
. information may not be disclosed by the researcher because of loyalty to the group - may feel that they’re harming members of the group

Question 16

p - disadvantage - cost and time
examples

Answer 16

. can be expensive and time consuming
e. it took lacey two months to familarise himself with the school he wanted to research and his fieldwork took him 12 months
e. patrick (cpo) spent 120 hours in the field