Discuss these possible subjects for a participant observation study and decide which would be more suitable for a covert observation study and which for an overt study. Explain your reasons. a religious sect a class of university students football fans company directors drug addicts workers on an assembly line a rural community prisoners … [Read more...]
Carrying out Observation in School
Inform a group of students that you are going to observe their behaviour at break (friends will be best). Carry out the observation for about 10 minutes. You should write down some notes about the observation during a part of this time. When you have finished the observation, inform the other students that you are no longer observing and ask them for feedback. During your … [Read more...]
Participant Observation : Answers to QuickCheck Questions
Empathy (understanding that comes from putting yourself in another person’s place). It allows the sociologist to start with an open mind rather than with a fixed hypothesis or questions. As new situations are encountered new explanations can be formulated and followed up there and then. Re-entering one’s normal world can be difficult; loyalty may prevent the researcher from disclosing what … [Read more...]