Participant observation4/15/2023 ![]() Participant observation has historically been associated with field research in which the researcher stays in a small community for extended periods of time. Characteristics Of Participant Observation The researcher can also collect qualitative data through various types of interviews as well as quantitative data through surveys and different quantitative observation techniques. This enables them to make more credible interpretations based on their observations. Thus you let researchers know if the people with whom you are conducting a study act differently from what is described.Īdditionally, it enables the researcher to better understand what is happening within a given group and its cultural context. Participant observation helps you understand what people do and compare it to what they say. Participant observation, or ethnography, is a primary research method used by qualitative sociologists around the world today. This research method was adopted as a primary research method by many sociologists affiliated with the Chicago School of Sociology in the early 20th century. In order to conduct participant observation, the researcher often lives within the group, becomes a member of it, and lives as a member of their community for an extended period of time, gaining access to intimate details and happenings within the group.Īnthropologists Bronislaw Malinowski and Franz Boas pioneered this research method. ![]() The group is often a subculture within a larger society, such as a religious, occupational, or community-based group. Participant observation is aimed at gaining a deeper understanding and familiarity with a certain group of individuals, their values, beliefs, and lifestyles. Sometimes, but not always, the group is aware that the sociologist is studying them. In participant observation, the researcher plays two separate roles at the same time: subjective participant and objective observer. This is in order to collect data and understand the phenomenon. The participant observation method, also called ethnographic research, is when a sociologist actually becomes a member of the group they are studying. ![]() These are things you can put into practice during your next study session. As a way to give you a broad overview of this methodology, we have compiled the most significant characteristics, its importance, and some types of participant observation.
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