Participant Observation

Types of observation; non-P, P, covert, overt a structured observational schedule may be used Eg how often a girl uses a certain toy A P observation 1 Getting in; Making contact whihc may depend on personal skills having connections or chance Eg Fairhurst was hospitalised +conducted a study on being a patient Acceptance-making friends though age, gender, race etc may be a barrier but some have overcome these Eg Griffin painted himself black Observer's role should be one that doesn't disrupt the group's patterns+ offer a good vantage point

Overt observation avoids ethical problems Eg deceit It allows naive q's to be asked The observer can take notes/use interviews However the group may refuse permission/prevent them from seeing everything It risks creating the hawthorne effect

Advans of P observation; rich+detailed =valid data, gives researcher insight+ empathy, very flexible, a researcher can produce a grounded hypothesis, this open mindedness allows the researcher to discover things other methods may miss, this may be the only method for studying certain groups+ it enables the researcher to build rapport

Used to study classroom interactions Structured observations; Eg Flanders system of interaction analysis categories, which is used to measure interactions quantitatively-quicker, cheaper, requires less training+easily repliacted=reliable but it lacks validity