Topic 6: participant observation

• Types of observation

  Non-participant observation- researcher observes a group without taking part in it e.g. may use a two-way mirror to observe kids playing

  • Participant observation- research it takes part in an event or in the everyday life of the group whilst observing it
  • Overt Observation- research and makes their identity known to groups as well as the purpose, sociologist is open with what they’re doing
  • Covert observation- study carried out undercover, research is real identity and purpose. He kept hidden from the group and they take on a false identity.
• Conducting a participant observation study

  Getting in

  • Making contact- making initial contact made depend on having connections, personal skills or pure chance
  • Acceptance- researcher must win their trust and acceptance, it may help to make friends with the key leader
  • The observers role- should be a role that doesn’t disrupt groups normal patterns, and must be one the offers a good vantage point to make observations
• Conducting a participant observation study

  Staying in

  • Going native- by over identifying with a group, the research and may become biased, they stop becoming an objective observer and simply become a member of the group
  • getting out- poses less problems than getting in, they can just halt and leave (Patrick use this in his study of a Glasgow gang) or when using overt observation they can leave more gracefully. Research is may find loyalty presents them from fully disclosing everything they’ve learnt which may reduce the validity of the study
• Conducting a participant observation- overt observation

  Overt-

  + sociologist tend to pick overt as it avoids ethical problems of getting information by deceit, it allows the observer to ask questions that only an outsider could ask ask a member why they rob/steal. Can take notes openly.

  — group they refuse the research as permission, risks Hawthorn effect whether their knowledge of being observed causes them to act different differently
• Conducting a participant observation- covert observation

  Practical issues- Reduces the risk of altering peoples behaviour and as sometimes the only way to obtain valid information. But theres risks of the cover being blown Which could result in harm. they can’t take notes openly and can’t ask open but naive questions. The addition of a new member can still change the group behaviour reducing validity
• Conducting a participant observation- covert observation

  Ethical issues- it’s immoral to deceive people, may have to participate in legal activities due to their cover role, they have to lie about leaving the group, when witnessing illegal activities they may have a moral or legal duty to intervene or report them
• Advantages of participant observation

  Validity- people may lie in questionnaires but in participant observation we can obtain rich qualitative data that provides a true picture of how they live

  • Insight- allows researcher to gain empathy through personal experience by actually living as a member of the group. We can see their values, viewpoint, and problems. The closeness to peoples live reality means participant observation can gain a uniquely valid authentic data.
• Advantages of participant observation

  Flexibility- rather than starting with a hypothesis (as in questionnaires) allows the sociologist to enter a situation with an open mind about what they will find. As new situations are encountered, explanations can be found and sociologist can change the direction to follow this up, this open-mindedness allows researcher to discover things other methods may miss.

  • Practical advantages- allows sociologist to build, successful for studying gangs, drug users and criminal activity
• Disadvantages of participant observation


  Practical- time consuming, needs trained researches, stressful and requires certain skills, personal characteristics e.g. race, age, gender restrict groups that can be studied

  • Ethical- covert participant observation raises serious ethical issues due to lying
  • Representativeness- Partisan observation studies have a very very small sample size which is often selected haphazardly e.g. by a chance encounter which doesn’t provide a sound basis for making generalisations
• Disadvantages of participant observation

  Reliability- unlikely another investigator could repeat the study as it all depends on personal characteristics and skills meaning it isn’t overly reliable. Positivists reject participant observation as an unsystematic method as it cannot be replicated.

  • Bias and lack of objectivity- risk of becoming involved (going native) makes it difficult to remain objective, loyalty to the group can mean some sociologist conceal sensitive information
• Disadvantages of participant observation

  Validity- intereprtivists argue it’s valid as it gives an authentic account of the actors world. Positive argue isn’t valid as the studies are subjective and bias impressions of the observer (researches own interpretation) also Hawthorn effect
• Disadvantages of participant observation

  Lack of a concept of structure- interaction lists favour the use of participant observation as they see society as constructed through the small scale face-to-face interactions of its members. They see as useful for examining micro level interactions.

  • Structural sociologist such as Marxist and functionalist see this as inadequate as it focuses on micro level of actors and ignores the west structural forces that shape our behaviour such as class, inequality or the norms and values in which were socialised