POL 2156 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Participant Observation, Verbal Behavior, Proxemics
13 Dec 2013
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Document Summary
In order to avoid a situation where subjects alter their behavior because they know they are being observed, the research has 2 options: (1a) to conduct research covertly (1b) overtly try to blend in by taking few notes. For structured observation, use an observation schedule, which is a (2) participant observation. The research becomes part of the community that they are observing. Advantage of participant over direct observation is that it allows for greater understanding of context. Context driven & less structured than direct observation, making it useful for descriptive & explanatory research. Field notes are detailed descriptions of events & their subjective meaning. They are examined for emerging groups, categories or patterns. Participant observation may be done prior to other data collection, as well as simultaneously with other methods and during data analysis. For example, researchers might follow up on mention of a neighborhood with a high immigrant population by going there to do structured observation.
