Participant observation

name the stages to a participant observation

getting in staying in getting out

explain getting out

-Getting out can pose issues such as leaving the group without damaging relationships and becoming detatched enough to write an impartial and accurate account. e.g Patrick whilst covertly researching a Glasgow gang was so disturbed by the violence he abandoned the study abruptly. -some observers feel that they are prevented from disclosing everything about the group as of loyalty and fear they may harm the group they were observing. (criminal groups)

explain staying in

-Going native; researcher may become too involved with the group=over identify with them so the research becomes biased. EVIDENCE Punch whilst tying to be accepted by Amsterdam police found himself acting as a policeman himself- chasing and holding suspects and searching houses/people. -Staying in can lead to the observer being involved in unpleasant acts or criminal behaviour. EVIDENCE Venkatesh 'the black kings' took part in beating up the boyfriend of an abused teenager. -Another problem of staying in is that the behaviour of the group appears less strange=researchers don't notice as much as they would at the start

explain reliability as a disadvantage

-as so much depends on the personal skills and characteristics of the researcher its unlikely any other investigator would be able to replicate the original study -therefore positivists reject P.O as they cant be replicated and they aren't scientific.

explain validity as a disadvantage

-as you are open with your participants there is a chance of them changing their behaviour (hawthorne effect) which would threaten validity of research. -evidence: whilst studying 'street corner society' Whyte admits his presence in the group may have changed the individuals behaviour

explain practical problems

-can be very time consuming e.g Whyte's study took him 4 years to complete -researcher needs to be trained to recognise aspects of the situation which are sociologically significant, so needs specific observational skills =expensive -can be stressful and demanding especially if covert observation is used -personal characteristics can restrict the kinds of groups which can be studied e.g age,gender and ethnicity. As Downes and Rock explain 'not everyone would pass uneventfully into the world of punk rockers or hells angels' -many groups don't wish to be studied this way and some have the power to make access difficult

explain practical advantages of participant observations

-could be the only way to study certain groups especially for those deviant,disreputable groups -Yablonsky: points out a teenage gang is likely to see researchers who come armed with questionnaires as unwelcome representatives of authority -researhers can build a rapport with participants so its been successful in studying football hooligans/thieves/drug users/outside groups

explain representativeness as a disadvantage

-group studied is usually a very small sample and the group is often selected by chance -this doesnt provide a sound basis for making generalisations. whilst findings might be internally valid its doubtful they will be externally valid and generalisable to the whole population

explain can be used in situations where questioning would be effective

-participant observations can be used in situations where questioning would be ineffective -evidence: Cicourel: studied how the police and probation service categories juveniles by making unconscious assumptions about whether they're criminal 'types'. As they were unaware of their assumptions it would have been pointless to question them

outline the disadvantages of participant observations

-practical problems -ethical problems -representativeness -reliability -bias and lack of objectivity -validity

explain flexibility as an advantage of participant observations

-questionnaires/structured interviews require a hypothesis and pre set questions -participant observation allows researcher to enter the situation with a relatively open mind: new areas can be explored and new explanations formulated -allows observer to discover things which other methods may of missed

explain ethical problems

-raise ethical concerns including deceiving people to gain information or participating in illegal/immoral activities

explain validity as an advantage of participant observation

-researchers can build a relationship of trust (rapport) therefore more valid data produced -by actually observing people we can obtain rich qualitative data providing a picture of how they really live -Interpretivists: best way to understand something fully is to experience it ourselves, they call this verstehen: a german word meaning empathy, or an understanding that comes from putting yourself in another shoes

explain bias and lack of objectivity

-risk of becoming too involved and 'going native' makes it difficult to remain objective = researcher could end up presenting a one sided view -loyalty to the group/ fear of reprisals could lead to the sociologist concealing sensitive information,denying those reading the research an objective account - participant observation attracts sociologist whose sympathies lie with the 'under dog' =might be biased in favour of their subjects viewpoint. for example in Wills study he was accused of presenting a romanticised account of the 'lads'

Outline the advantages of participant observations

-validity -flexibility -practical advantages -can be used in situations where questioning would be ineffective

explain getting in

Entry: some groups will be easier to join than others e.g joining football fans will be easier than joining a criminal gang. Making contact:this can depend on personal skills,having connections or chance. Fairhurst found herself hospitalised and used the opportunity to conduct a study on being a patient. Acceptance: researcher needs to win the trust and acceptance of the group.sometimes the researchers age,gender ethnicity and class can become a problem. EVIDENCE : griffin overcame this problem by using medication and sun lamp treatments to change his skin colour whilst researching white racism in the deep south of the USA.

define participant obsv

researcher joins the group and participates in the activities over a period of time and tries to become accepted

define non participant obsv

researcher observes the group without taking part e.g using a 2 way mirror to observe children playing. Often participants will not be aware they are being observed.