SCS 2150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Participant Observation, Focus Group

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Social Sciences
• Course: SCS 2150
• Professor: Stephanie Mullen

Document Summary

Enables researchers to develop a familiarity with the cultural milieu. Data obtained through participant observation serve as a check against participants" subjective reporting of what they believe and do. Researchers can uncover factors important for a thorough understanding of the research problem that were unknown when the study was designed. Participant observation may be done prior to other data collection, as well as simultaneously with other methods and during data analysis. Researchers might consult previously collected data that detail interactions between men and women in a public space, in order to shed light on a male focus group discussion about how men met their partners. Frequent consultation of participant observation data throughout a study can inform instrument design, save time, and prevent mistakes. In applied research, participant observation is almost always used with other qualitative methods, such as interviews and focus groups; it is an integral part of the research process.