Strengths

• Theoretical Validity

  Particioant observations dong require participants to reflect on their social experiences as researcher views such events as they actually happen.

  Means researcher gains a truthful representation of behaviour even if members of group do change their behaviour as a result of being observed , hard for whole group to put an act on all the time
• Theoretical (V) 2

  Because PO usually take place over a significant period of time whether overt or covert after a while the group gets used to the researchers presence and sees them as a peer ; more likely to reveal intimate details about their live

  • Whyte in his study “Street corner society” used overt observations to understand experiences of Italian American gang. Became so involved he actually moved to cornerville
• Theoretical Verstehen

  • PO enables researcher to take viewpoint of participants and see world through their eyes . Leads to verstehen which is empathetic eyesight. Can therefore understand what it’s like to be a part of the group (fresh insights)
  • Griffin used covert PO in his study black like me , was a white journalist who dyed his skin black to discover what it was like go live as a black man in southern states 1950s and gained verstehen
• Practical Flexibility

  PO techniques allow researcher to be flexible when something emerges that’s unexpected ( change their focus and follow interesting ideas that emerge ) . Particularly useful as PO are used to explore social phenomena that ppl are unlikely to be honest about

  flexibility is therefore crucial so they can go with the glow of group activity
• Practical- Allows for study of groups (antisocial) - when acts are criminal or deviant participants in thses activities are unlikely to reveal the full extend of their involvement when asked directly (interviews/questionnaires)

  • observation techniques allow researcher to study these groups . Whyte was able to study the criminal and deviant behaviours of his Boston gang through PO. Patrick used covert role to study violent delinquents over 4 months