What is participant observer?

noun. a technique of field research, used in anthropology and sociology, by which an investigator (participant observer ) studies the life of a group by sharing in its activities.

What is a participant observer in research?

Participant observation (PO) is a research methodology where the researcher is immersed in the day-to-day activities of the participants. The objective is usually to record conduct under the widest range of possible settings.

What is participant observation and example?

Examples of covert participant observation include studies in which researchers observe and even interact with people in public places, such as restaurants, transportation hubs, stores, and online chat rooms, but do not introduce themselves as researchers or inform people that they are being studied (Sharf 1997; …

What is participant observation and why is it useful?

Participant observation helps us to see and understand what people are doing, which we can compare to what people are saying. It helps us to see if people are doing something different from what they say that they do.

What is the process of participant observation?

Participant observation is the process of entering a group of people with a shared identity to gain an understanding of their community. This is achieved by gaining knowledge and a deeper understating of the actors, interaction, scene, and events that take place at the research site.

When should participant observation be used?

This type of research methodology is used in circumstances where an individual wants to observe a group to which they do not belong without altering the behavior of the group because of their involvement.

Where is participant observation used?

Participant observation is a type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology, but also sociology, communication studies, and social psychology.

What is participant observation and non participant observation?

The primary difference between participant and non- participant observation is that in the former the researcher joins the group being studied and actively takes part in their activities, thereby collecting data from first-hand empirical experience, whereas, in the latter the researcher may be physically present in a …

Which of the following is the defining feature of participant observation?

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION – is a method in which natural social processes are studied as they happen in their natural setting and are left relatively undisturbed.

What are the types of participant observation?

The approaches used while conducting participant observation typically change over time. There are three types of observation: (1) descriptive, (2) focused, and (3) selective.