Non-participant observation

• What is non-participant observation?

  Watching an individual's actions and behaviours without joining in. It can produce quantitative data, using structured observation. It can also produce qualitative data by using unstructured observation.
• Structured observation: preferred by positivists

  • Using pre-categorised observational schedules.
  • Strengths: Able to identify patterns in behaviour, highly reliable data, quick and cheap to collect data, requires little training/skills.
  • Weaknesses: Data lacks meaning, observer effect may change behaviour.
• Unstructured observation: preferred by interpretivists

  • More flexible and is a qualitative observation
  • Strengths: not constrained by checklists, research is not based on assumptions, allows meaning to be uncovered (data is more valid).
  • Weaknesses: Difficult to analyse and replicate (unreliable), observer may impose own values, results in observer effect.
• What is Participant observation?

  When a researcher immerses themselves into a way of life of group and becomes one of them to understand their behaviour, 'going native'.

  Relative key concepts: 'Getting in, staying in, getting out' - practical and ethical considerations that the researcher must consider before the research (getting accepted, getting out safely & ethically).
• Overt participant observation:

  • Researcher becomes one of the group, group are fully aware of the researcher, consent gained from the group.
• Covert participant observation:

  • Researcher becomes one of the group, the group is unaware, no permission or consent gained, ethically controversial.
• PET advantages of Overt participant observation:

  Practical: Flexibility, researcher can explore areas of interest, researchers can take notes.

  Ethical: Gains informed consent, right to withdraw and no deception.

  Theoretical: Gains verstehen, high validity as long as trust is gained.
• PET disadvantages Overt participant observation:

  Practical: Need a skilled researcher with social skills, very costly, time consuming, requires careful planning, language barriers.

  Ethical: Possible risk of harm and distress to the group at end of research, health & safety of researcher, cultural differences may be offensive.

  Theoretical: Validity could be compromised with observer effect, unrepresentative, only focuses on small group of tribe.
• Example of Overt participant observation: 'Tribe' Bruce Parry; BBC Investigate Journalist
• PET advantages of Covert participant observation:

  Practical: Some groups are more easily accessible, permission doesn't need to be gained, flexible as researcher can explore different topics, data can't be gained in other way.

  Ethical: Anonymity can be ensured for the group, researcher outcomes can be ethically justified.

  Theoretical: High validity as it's undercover, gains verstehen as you are gaining an empathetic understanding.
• PET disadvantages of Covert participant observation:

  Practical: Other groups are difficult to access, could cause suspicion, skilled researcher needed to stay in, costly, time consuming.

  Ethical: No gained consent, deceiving the group, risk of harm to researcher if they're found out, legal issues.

  Theoretical: risk of overinvolvement, reduces objectivity, small scale research, less representative.
• Example of Covert participant observation: 'My week as a Muslim' (Katie Freeman)