Ch. 13: Participant Observation

Convenience sampling

the researcher talks to people who are available and willing to interact

Snowball sampling

used when an informant is asked to refer the researcher to other people with whom s/he could or should contact

The "cool down" period

-A researcher knows she/he has been in the field long enough when saturation has been achieved -i.e., additional data do not add additional insights -Since saturation hinges on analysis of observations, field notes are analyzed as data is gathered -Once the researcher leaves the field, data is analyzed in a more comprehensive way

The "warm-up" period: self-reflection

-An important activity of the participant observation researcher -The researcher often initiates a reflexive journal (i.e., a diary of the entire research process) -At the conclusion of the study, the reflexive journal provides an "audit trail" of the research process

Limitations of participant observation

-Because it is qualitative, it is not appropriate for a statistical description of a larger population -Much of the field note data collected by the researcher is not readily accessible to the reader of the published findings of the study

Triangulation

-Can involve the use of multiple and different sources of data -Can involve the use of multiple and different methods of research -Can involve the use of multiple researchers

___ ___ ___ is an important part of the "floor exercise" period.

-Constructing field notes • Field notes are the experiences and observations of the researcher reduced to a written record

The active-member form of participation

-Involves the researcher in the central or core activities of the group, but they refrain from adopting the group's goals and values -Most frequent type of participant observation

Participant Observation

-Participant observation research is also called field research, naturalistic inquiry, naturalism, or field studies -Method where the researcher participates in the events under study -Participating and observing -Participant observation is well suited to the study of communication processes over time

The "floor exercise" period

-Participant-observation involves sampling participants, activities, and scenes -Sampling should seek out participants, activities, or scenes that will increase the researcher's understanding of the field setting in some way -Participant-observation research is often characterized by an emergent sampling strategy in which multiple sampling techniques are used over the course of data gathering

What are the stages of participant observation?

-The "warm-up" period -The "floor exercise" period -The "cool down" period

Strengths of participant observation

-The chief strength of this method is the depth of understanding it permits -Flexibility is another advantage of participant observation -Participant-observation research can be relatively inexpensive -The key strength of this method is the comprehensive perspective it gives researcher -As opposed to the "artificial" settings of experiments and surveys

The "warm-up" period: literature review

-The literature review is the second activity in the warm-up period -The literature review fosters the theoretical sensitivity of the researcher -By doing adequate background reading, the researcher is being sensitized to what might be going on with the phenomenon under study -The literature review functions to enable the researcher to enter the field open minded, but not empty-headed

The "warm-up" period: selection of the field site

-The selection of the field site is an important decision -Finding where one is going to do their research -Some recommend researchers conduct a "reconnaissance" mission to check out prospective sites before making a selection -Seeing if someone is willing to let you observe for your research (i.e., teacher asking the senator if he can observe his communication through communication with his-the senator's-constituents)

The "warm-up" period

-Very early stages -The researcher must first determine the general question(s) that will guide the research -The research question(s) that guide qualitative researchers are more general in nature and they may change as the study progresses

The "floor exercise" period is ___, ___, and ___.

-evolving, emergent, and dynamic

Once access has been gained to a ___ ___, researchers then must sustain that access. Important to build a ___ ___ with key group members.

-field site -Researchers exert a great deal of time and energy building trust and rapport with participants so they will feel comfortable interacting -sponsorship relationship

___ refers to the use of multiple kinds of data and/or multiple methods in studying a given phenomenon

Triangulation

-Identifying the ___ ___ procedure is an important step in securing approve from most IRBs (institutional review board)

informed consent

The peripheral-member

involved in participation in some of the group's activities, but the researcher refrains from participating in the most central activities of the group

The complete-member form of participation

involves the researcher as an actual member of the group

Maximum-variation sampling

seeks out people, activities or scenes that will add a different, contrasting perspective on the phenomenon