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Gangs as a social problem
Ethnology observation
Introduction to gangs
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Questionnaire is defined as “a printed/written form used to retrieve data from an individual”. Ethnography can be defined as “a study of an entire social setting through extended systematic observation. Covert Participation Observation is a popular method of collecting data on gangs and other large and sometimes dangerous social group. The main principles that make sociology a science are it is Empirical, Theoretical, Cumulative, Objective and Value Free. Primary groups are small social groups whose members share close, personal, enduring relationships. Secondary groups are large groups whose relationship are impersonal and goal oriented their relationship are temporary. Ethnography Ethnography is a description and interpretation of a …show more content…
Participant observation involves a researcher joining the group he or she is studying, and in the case of covert observation, the researcher's status is not made known to the group. Participant observation requires studying of individuals in their natural environment by connecting their daily activities. However the researcher tries not to be open minded, in order to seize the actuality of the issue. The researcher can inform the individuals that are being calculated or keep his / her identity hidden. Questionnaires A questionnaire is as set of questions that are present which are used to gather open-ended, fixed choice or a combination of both types of questions. When the questionnaire is made the researcher may decide to test it first before the survey is conducted. This is called a pilot study, in which a small group of people with similar characteristics of those who are targeted to answer the questions. Based on the responses the researcher can determine some facts about the …show more content…
It is done through social contact which is intimate and personal. Within the primary group, such as families, clique, a group of close friends the relationship tends to be informal and relaxed. They share experiences, gossips and fill the need of intimate human companionship. In the secondary group social contacts are impersonal and segmental; one is not concerned with the other as a person. Personal qualities are not important; the secondary group may be a labour union, P.T.A. or trade association or club. The group existence is to serve a specific limited purpose involving the members. The primary group function may be the provision of food, shelter and clothing. The secondary group purpose is to fulfil a specific goal. Primary groups are judged by the satisfying human response they supply, secondary groups are judged by their ability to perform a task or achieve a particular goal. Primary groups are relationship oriented, while secondary groups are more of a goal oriented group. Primary and secondary groups are different, in a primary group persons tend to find to show love, kindness, sympathy etc., while in a secondary group one tend to discover a mechanism that is effective to achieve certain purposes. Some characteristics of primary group
Participant observation is a method of collecting information and data about a culture and is carried out by the researcher immersing themselves in the culture they observing. The researcher becomes known in the community, getting to know and understand the culture in a more intimate and detailed way than would be possible from any other approach. This is done by observing and participating in the community’s daily activities. The method is so effective because the researcher is able to directly approach the people in the community in a natural context as opposed to taking the participant out of their environment. The aim of participant observation is to gain an understanding the subject’s life from their perspective, with the purpose of collecting more detailed information about a community’s habits, opinions, relationships and issues.
The primary roles that were incorporated into group were defined by the leaders of group. Those leaders included the social workers and group psychologists, as well as students when appropriate. The leaders focused on task and maintenance roles, such as; coordinator, elaborator, evaluator, information seeker, initiator/contributor, opinion giver, procedural technician, encourager, gatekeeper, harmonizer, and standard setter. The individual roles was primarily the dominator. Due to the dominator portion of group, it changed the atmosphere and will be discussed later.
Ethnography within its wider field of research is described as the study of people’s behaviour in terms of social contexts, with emphasis on interaction in everyday situations (Lindsay, 1997). It is further defined as research that constitutes the art and science of describing a group or culture (Fetterman, 1989). However, the specific definition that will be used throughout this work, is that of its role within qualitative research, which is summarised by Wainwright (1997) in his paper in The Qualitative Report, stating that ethnography can be distinguished as:
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Participant Observation as a Research Method This essay will examine how participant observation is used as a research method. In the main body of this essay, this idea will be addressed by pointing out advantages and disadvantages of participant observation. I will give examples to support my argument. Participant observation is the main research method favoured by interpetitivists.
The informal leader, member of the primary group, members who have only fringe status, and members who have out status compose the four status positions of the informal group. The group leader is whom the primary members of the group closely associate with. The group that closely associates with the leader is considered the nucleus of the group. Newcomers to the group are usually new employees to the organization. Newcomers remain on the fringe on the group while their being evaluated. The newcomers are either accepted into the primary or fringe groups or moved into the...
Ethnography Ethnography is rooted firmly in the inductive approach. It emanates from the field of anthropology. The purpose is to describe and explain the social world the research subjects inhabit in the way in which they would describe and explain it. This is obviously a research strategy that is very time consuming and takes place over an extended time period as the researcher needs to immerse herself or himself in the social world being researched as completely as possible. The research process needs to be flexible and responsive to change since the researcher will constantly be developing new patterns of thought about what is being observed.
Groups can be defined as, any number of people with whom interact with each other, are psychologically aware of one an other and perceive themselves as a group. Effective groups are important as they endeavour to take care of each group member, get tasks done and strive to achieve their goals, whilst being stimulating, enjoyable and rewarding (Schein (1998), as cited in Fowler, Gudmundsson, & Whicker, 2011, p.16). Groups
1. A primary group is “a small group whose members share personal and lasting relationships”. The people involved are often emotionally invested in one another, providing encouragement and support for one another. The members are likely family and close friends. These tend to be more exclusive groups.
The developmental needs, social and emotional needs of the group are very important. Not everyone in a group has the same background and upbringing. Each person in a group has something different to offer to the group. Whether it be an experience they have had or something they are currently going through.
Anthropology delves into the complexities of human societies, with a holistic approach to their culture and development. In doing so, the anthropological researcher ethically focuses on all human aspects and favours an approach that is centred on collecting and analysing data which is mostly non-numerical and rich in accumulative detail. Unlike in other scientific disciplines which favour quantitative research methods, anthropological researchers prefer using participant-observation techniques, as well as an emic approach in order to gain insight into the lives of the people being studied.
Exploratory Research Generally conducted in order to identify the true nature of a problem, Exploratory Research is intended to explore the different elements present in the problem in order to properly pinpoint a source of the anomaly, but is less concerned with actually solving the problem. Most commonly seen as the open-ended questions in surveys, this category of research is used in the formative stages of creating a hypothesis, and is used in a variety of different methods such as trial and pilot studies, interviews, case studies and focus groups. Descriptive Research Unlike Exploratory Research, which tends to be more open-ended, Descriptive Research generally has a more quantitative nature to it, and is this much more conclusive in the data it represents. Used most commonly in the bulk of online surveys, Descriptive Research is most often carefully planned, and is structured to allow collected information to be statistically relevant to a certain population. Put in simpler terms, Descriptive Research is used to define the opinions and attitudes a certain group of people have on a certain subject.
Sociology describes many types of social groups, and each group is viewed differently. The first group is a primary group member that has a personal relationship with each other or face-to-face interaction. Secondary groups are the complete opposite of primary groups because they involve little to no knowledge of each other. Secondary groups also tend to have an impersonal relationship. In-group are what society use to help identify themselves. The out-groups are more of a minority in society, which are people who are different and don’t have the same interests as the in-groups. All of the social groups have a distinction between one another.
However, quantitative research might be incapable to investigate problem while respondents answer in closed-end survey questionnaires. Even though they are willing to share experience or view, their answers might not useful to researchers. In worse, misunderstanding or inaccuracy creates potential bias in the study. It is unlikely to discover new information but the important attitude, if any, can be overlooked. In case the research study involves a great amount of samples, it might be costly.
Researches are different in nature but in a number of aspects they do have some commonalities. One of the common aspects is the requirement to collect data. Qualitative interviewing methods help researchers to observe and record a subject's unique viewpoint or experience as it narrates a particular issue. Questions are open-ended and the discussion is conversational in nature. The methodology allows the subject to provide a firsthand, first-person account. This gives the interviewer insight into where a subject is coming from, rather than getting “yes” or “no” answers that provide incomplete feedback. Data collection can be resultant of a number of methods, which include interviews, focus groups, surveys, telephone interviews, field notes,
Groups can be defined as two or more people that interact on a frequent basis and share a sense that their identity is aligned with the rest of the group. Charles Cooley suggested that groups could be divided into two categories, Primary groups and Secondary