The degree of commitment of researchers to these groups varies. In this way, researchers converse with their subjects and participate in the daily life of the groups they study, including their activities, c ustoms, rituals, routines, etc. Many of the studies that use this form of participant observation are studies in which researchers observe people’s behavior and communications in public places, such as restaurants, coffee shops, transportation hubs, and even on the Internet through innovative methods such as netnography. Researchers observe and record the behaviors of their subjects in their own environment without conversing or interacting with them in any way. Now that you know what this method is and what its most common characteristics are, we will introduce you to the types that exist. The use of technology to document observations, including mapping, photography, and video and audio recording.The changing nature of the researcher’s roles and relationships with the studied group over time.They may also differ from the ethical principles followed by the host government, non-governmental organizations in the area, or agencies funding the research. There may be different ethical codes between the groups studied and those of the researcher’s country or institution of origin.In many cases, research takes place in settings unfamiliar to the researcher, which will make her presentation and interaction with others especially sensitive.The variety of settings, from close interpersonal interactions to observing public gatherings and actual participation in social events.Differences in power can have their origin in gender, social class, health and other aspects. A wide range of relationship dynamics that it studies, such as differences in status between the two parties, differences in power and educational differences, as well as degrees of formality.The long-term nature of the interaction between the researcher and the participants as part of the fieldwork process.But it is usually characterized by the following points: Today, this methodology is used in a wide variety of settings and for widely varying periods of time, from a single interaction to many years. Participant observation has historically been associated with a form of field research in which the researcher resides for long periods of time in a small community.
Characteristics of participant observation In addition, it allows the researcher to collect qualitative data through various types of interviews and quantitative data through surveys and different quantitative observation techniques. It also allows the researcher to better understand what is happening in a given group and its cultural environment, giving greater credibility to their interpretations of the observation. In this way, you help researchers know if the people with whom you are conducting a study act differently from what they are described. Participant observation is a method that helps you see and understand what people are doing and compare it with what they say. However, this information is filtered through the perspective of researchers who, by using this method, run the risk of losing their objectivity and altering with their presence the behavior of the groups they study. It offers researchers the opportunity to collect honest and intimate information about people. Thanks to the immersion in the study place, the researchers can observe the daily life of the people: their exchanges with each other, their formal and informal conversations, habits, etc. In this qualitative observation methodology, the researcher immerses himself in the daily activities of the participants in order to record the behavior in as many scenarios as possible. Participant observation is a qualitative research methodology in which the researcher studies a group not only through observation, but also by participating in its activities. To help you get a broad overview of this methodology, in this article we have compiled its most important characteristics, its importance, and some of the types of participant observation that you can put into practice for your next study. Participant observation has been widely used in disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, communication studies, political science, social psychology, and even in market research.
0 kommentar(er)
