The Application of Participant Observation in Research - Essay Example

?The Application of Participant Observation in Research Participant Observation Participant observation is a sociological research methodology that entails the researcher taking position and taking part in the social condition under observation (Macionis and Plummer 1997, p1). Tischler (2010, p34), states that participant observation involves the researchers engaging in the group activities and observing the members of the group. Participant observation is common among social scientists and anthropologists. It involves the researcher taking part in the day-to-day activities, interactions, events, and rituals of a group of individuals. This way, they learn the tacit and explicit aspects of their culture and life routines. In this context, explicit culture is a section of what individuals are capable of articulating about them (DeWalt and DeWalt 2002, p1). Among sociologists, participant observation provides an interesting and a unique way through which they are able to gather data and study the society. In sociology, participant observation is a form of qualitative research. In this method, two functions are played concurrently, that is, the role if the objective observer and that of the subjective participant. Generally, the group knows that they are being studied by the sociologist, but not all the time. The group can be a religious sect, young gang, gamblers or a group of drinkers in a bar. Participant observation is also referred to as field research. The term field research is common among the anthropologists. Just like anthropologists, sociologist participant observers to the areas where the research participants are found and to some extent, they adopt their ways (Andersen and Taylor 2007, p37). Participant observation links subjective knowledge acquired through objective knowledge and personal involvement gained through disciplined recording of what an individual has seen. The subjective component offers a dimension of information that is entirely absent in the survey data and related techniques. The effectiveness it adds to “interpretations of human interaction has proved to be well worth the burden of managing the rich and sometimes subjective raw material” (Andersen and Taylor 2007, p37). Participant observers attempt to identify all the group members being studied to the best level possible. This form of research method is usually used to study small groups over a long period. The aim of the method is to get a comprehensive portrait of the day-to-day activities of the group, to observe the group and individual behaviour, and to interview chosen informants. The success of participant observation relies on the relationship developed between the research participants and the researchers. More information (specifically the form of information that is important to the success of the research) is disclosed to the researcher when the relationship is more trusting and closer (Tischler 2010, p34). The Importance of Participant Observation Irrespective of the field of study, participant observation offers several advantages. Firstly, it improves the quality of the data or information obtained in the fieldwork. Secondly, it improves the quality of the data interpretation, regardless of whether the information was collected through participant observation or other research methods. Thus, it is imperative to note that participant observation is both an analytic and a data collection tool. Thirdly, it promotes the formulation of new hypotheses and research questions based on the observation at the scene (DeWalt and DeWalt 2002, p8). Observation methods are important to the researchers in various ways. They offer the researchers with means to establish who interacts with whom, to check for non-verbal cues of feelings, understand how the research participants communicate with one another, and check for the time spent on a variety of activities. Participant observation permits the researchers to verify the definitions of terms that the research participants utilize in interviews. Participant observation allows them to recognize the events that the informants may be unwilling or unable to share which when done would sound impolite, insensitive or impolitic. It also permits them to observe situations in which the informants have described in interviews thus, making them attentive to the inaccuracies and distortions in description offered by the informants (Kawulich 2005, par. 8). It is important to note that the main purpose of participant observation is to create a holistic understanding of the situations under study. The study should be as accurate and objective as possible given the method limitations. Participant observation can be used as a means through which validity of the study can be increased. This is because the observations can assist the researcher to have a clear understanding of the phenomenon and context under study. Validity is made stronger when additional strategies are used together with observation. These additional strategies include document analysis, questionnaires, surveys, interviewing or other quantitative techniques. Participant observation can assist in answering descriptive research questions, building theory, or even generating test hypotheses (Kawulich 2005, par. 9). In designing the research study and when determining if observation can be used in data, the researcher must consider the site under study, the type of questions to guide the study, the chances available at the research site for observation, “the representatives of the participants of the population at that site, and the strategies to be used to record and analyze the data” (Kawulich 2005, par. 10). Advantages and Disadvantages of Participant Observation Participant observation affords the access to backstage culture. In other words, it permits for richly comprehensive description of the intentions, events, situations, and behaviours as understood by the informant. It offers a chance for participating or viewing unscheduled events. As stated before is enhances the data collection and interpretation quality and it facilitates the creation of new hypotheses or research questions (Kawulich 2005, par. 13). There are several disadvantages of using participant observation as a data collection method. At times. the researcher may not be concerned with what is happening behind the public eye and thus, he or she must depend on the information given to him/her by the key informants. The researchers can get different understanding of what they view or observe and this is dependent on the main informants used in the research. Issues linked to events representation and consequent interpretations may happen when the informants are marginal participants or community leaders or when the researchers choose key informants who are like them. To avoid this potential bias issue, it is suggested that there be pretesting of the informants or choosing research participants who are culturally fit in the topic being researched on (Kawulich 2005, par. 14). Limitations of Participant Observation This form of research requires expertise and time on the part of the researcher. This is because the research must be capable of becoming a participant and at the same time maintaining a considerable distance from those being observed. Interpretation of the results requires the researcher to distance themselves from the individuals whom they spent a lot of time with and with whom they created personal relationships in the process of the research project (Kendall 2010, p58). Majority of the participant observation activities are restricted to relatively small-scale studies done over a long period of time and the group under study is unlikely to be the social group representative. It is also unlikely that the research will be capable of generalising their findings from one study to the other (www.sociology.org.uk 2003, p3). If the researcher has to participate fully in the behaviour of the participants, he or she has to study the culture of the group under study. However, such a venture is not always possible or easy. Problems of participation may occur if the researcher is too old, too young, too female, or too male for the group being researched. If the researcher is taking part in a covert participant observation, their capability to intermingle seamlessly with the group is important to the research project success or failure. Participant observation requires significant commitment and skill from the researcher. The failure or success of the research depends on the factors such as the capability to blend in with the individuals being studied. It also depends on the capability of the researcher to communicate with the members of the groups on their terms and level. Participant observation at times may require clear, careful, and tact observation, and the ability to distinguish the role of the observer and that of the participant. In other words, before the researcher commits himself to participant observation, he or she needs to be certain about the money, skills, resources, and time needed to carry out this form of research (www.sociology.org.uk 2003, p4). Analysis of the Journal Article Selected The article selected to demonstrate the use of participant observation is “Participant and Non-participant observation in Gambling Environments.” The journal article talks about the use of participant and non-participant observation in the gambling environment (that is, among the slot machine gamblers). However, of great importance in this paper is participant observation within the gambling environment. Observational fieldwork (both participant and non-participant observation) is important in the study of small groups in the natural settings. The gambling environment is usually characterized by small groups which make observational fieldwork research methodology crucial for the study. In other words, it is ideal for the study of the social worlds. In this journal article, it has been argued that the slot machine gambler (in the UK, they are referred to as the fruit machine players) is a less studied social world (Griffiths and Parke 2008, p1). As indicated before, the purpose of the method is to get a comprehensive portrait of the day-to-day activities of the group, to observe the group and individual behaviour, and to interview the chosen informants (Tischler 2010, p34). All the elements of participant observation as described above are used in the article. The research involved looking at the possible types of environments and places where the fruit machines are housed and assistance from the preliminary informants. Thus, the researchers were able to select four types of settings for observation through the informants. The fifth category of where the fruit machines could also be played was selected. However, its settings were less common and popular. Site selection was based on the following factors; accessibility, unobtrusiveness, personal participation, and experience of a wide range of settings (Griffiths and Parke 2008, p5). Kawulich (2005, par. 10) states the researcher must consider the chances available at the research site for observation and the site under study. In the article, the social situation is the fruit machine gambling and the scenes chosen include amusement arcade, licensed betting offices, pubs and nightclubs, casinos, and other scenes such as fast food shops, transport services, motorway rest shops, and private clubs (Griffiths and Parke 2008, p5). In the research, time spent in each environment and location was recorded. Supervision and security had heavy influence in the amusement arcades and casinos in comparison to the licensed betting offices, pubs, and other forms of environments. Thus, the researchers spent most of their time playing the fruit machines or engaging in other consumer activities such as eating, drinking, playing video games, or playing pool to avoid being accused of loitering by the venue staff. In less restricted areas, the researchers were able to record responses in situ from the informants (Griffiths and Parke 2008, p6). This brings out an important element in participant observation; the researcher taking part in the daily activities, interactions, events, and rituals of a group of individuals as a method through which they can learn them better (DeWalt and DeWalt 2002, p1). In other words, the researcher blended in with the activities of the informants so as to get the information they required. Although the staff, players and the management were aware of the presence of the researchers, the novelty almost subsided immediately. There were cases where the researchers were disregarded as researchers by the staff and the players (Griffiths and Parke 2008, p6). Andersen and Taylor (2007, p37) state that the informants may know that they are being studied by the researchers but this does not occur very often. In the case of article, the informants, the management and the staff were aware of researchers’ activities but it diminished almost immediately. References Andersen, M. L. & Taylor, H. F. (2007) Sociology: Understanding a diverse society, Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. DeWalt, K. M. & DeWalt, B. R. (2002) Participant observation: A guide for fieldworkers, Walnut Creek, CA: Rowman Altamira. Griffiths, M. & Parke, J. (2008) Participant and non-participant observation in gambling environments. ENQUIRE, 1(1), pp1-14. Kawulich, B. B. (2005) Participant observation as a data collection method. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, [online], 6(2), 81 paragraphs. Available from: [Accessed 24 Feb. 2012]. Macionis, J. J. & Plummer, K. (1997) Sociology: A global introduction, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Tischler, H. L. (2010) Introduction to sociology, Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. www.sociology.org.uk (2003) Research methods: Participant observation [online], www.sociology.org.uk. Available from: [accessed 24 Feb. 2012]. Read More