Participant observation

1. Participant
Observation
Jammu University
2 Year B.Ed.
Paper 202
Sem: II
Unit: I
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
License.

2. Participant observation
one type of data collection method typically
done in the qualitative research
widely used methodology in many disciplines,
particularly anthropology, sociology,
communication studies, human geography and
social psychology
aim is to gain a close and intimate familiarity
with a given group of individuals (such as a
religious, occupational, sub cultural group, or a
particular community) and their practices
through an intensive involvement with people in
their cultural environment, usually over an
extended period of time.

3. History and development
was used extensively by Frank Hamilton
Cushing in his study of the Zuni Indians in the
later part of the nineteenth century
emerged as the principal approach to
ethnographic research by anthropologists
relied on the cultivation of personal relationships
with local informants as a way of learning about
a culture
involving both observing and participating in the
social life of a group
By living with the cultures studied, researchers
were able to formulate first hand accounts of
their lives and gain novel insights

4. especially successful in the study of sub-
cultures or groups sharing a strong sense of
identity
development of participant-observation as a
research tool has practiced a great deal of
self-criticism and review
as a result become specialized

5. Method and practice
 involves a range of well-defined, though variable methods
 informal interviews
 direct observation
 participation in the life of the group
 collective discussions
 analyses of documents related to the group
 self-analysis
 results from activities undertaken off or online
 life-histories
 generally characterized as qualitative research, it can
include quantitative dimensions
 undertaken over an extended period of time
 several months to many years, and even generations

6.  extended research time period means researcher is able to
obtain more detailed and accurate information about the
individuals, community, and/or population under study
 Observable details (like daily time allotment) and more
hidden details (like taboo behavior) are more easily
observed and interpreted over a longer period of time
 researchers can discover discrepancies between what
participants say—and often believe—should happen (the
formal system) and what actually does happen
 or between different aspects of the formal system
 in contrast, a one-time survey of people's answers to a set
of questions might be quite consistent
 but is less likely to show conflicts between different
aspects of the social system or between conscious
representations and behavior

7. According to Howell (1972) four stages of
participant observation research are
establishing rapport or getting to know the
people
immersing oneself in the field
recording data and observations
and consolidating the information gathered

8. Howell's] Participant
Observation Phases
Description
Establishing Rapport
Get to know the members,
become friends, or at least be accepted in the community
In the Field
Do as the locals do
DeWalt & DeWalt (2011): “talking the talk” and “walking the walk”
must fit in with the population of study through moderation of language and participation
Recording
Observations and
Data
field notes
interviews
reflective journals: record personal thoughts and feelings about the subject of study
They are prompted to think about how their experiences, ethnicity, race, gender, sex, sexual
orientation, and other factors might influence their research, in this case what the researcher
decides to record and observe
 Researchers must be aware of these biases and enter the study with no misconceptions about not
bringing in any subjectivities into the data collection process.
Analyzing Data
Thematic Analysis: organizing data according to recurrent themes found in interviews or other
types of qualitative data collection and Narrative Analysis: categorizing information gathered
through interviews, finding common themes, and constructing a coherent story from data.

9. Types of participant observation
Type of Participant Observation Level of Involvement Limitations
Non-Participatory
No contact with population or field of
study
unable to build rapport or ask questions as
new information comes up.
Passive Participation Researcher is only in the bystander role
limits ability to establish rapport and
immersing oneself in the field.
Moderate Participation
Researcher maintains a balance between
"insider" and "outsider" roles
this allows a good combination of
involvement and necessary detachment to
remain objective.
Active Participation
Researcher becomes a member of the
group by fully embracing skills and
customs for the sake of complete
comprehension
This method permits the researcher to
become more involved in the population
There is a risk of "going native" as the
researcher strives for an in-depth
understanding of the population studied.
Complete Participation
Researcher is completely integrated in
population of study beforehand (i.e
he or she is already a member of
particular population studied).
There is the risk of losing all levels of
objectivity, thus risking what is analyzed
and presented to the public.

10. Limitations of Participant
Observation
observations are not full description
influenced by researchers' personal beliefs of
what is relevant and important
researcher's view influences how he or she
interprets and evaluates the data

11. When to use observation
 When the nature of the research question to be answered is
focused on answering a how- or what-type question
 When the topic is relatively unexplored and little is known
to explain the behavior of people in a particular setting
 When understanding the meaning of a setting in a detailed
way is valuable
 When it is important to study a phenomenon in its natural
setting
 When self-report data (asking people what they do) is
likely to be different from actual behavior (what
people actually do)
 When implementing an intervention in a natural
setting, observation may be used in conjunction with other
quantitative data collection techniques

12. Strengths:
Can develop greater understanding of sensitive
situations
Can be used before developing a consultation
program in cases where the nature of community
issues is not known to agencies
Can assist in the development of a more
thoughtful consultation program because
participant observation is usually conducted
incognito
Can allow the development of consultation
processes that suit the subject community

13. Weaknesses:
This method is limited, and needs to be used in
conjunction with other methods for collecting
information (e.g. surveys, public meetings,
and/or displays and exhibits)
Depends on the ability of the
researcher/consultant to correctly observe and
draw appropriate conclusions
Not recommended for use in isolation but in
conjunction with other tools and techniques, to
balance any bias or inaccuracy in the observer’s
conclusions
Takes a long time