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. It involves the researcher participating in a
social group to observe and experience the
world as a participant while still observing the group for future
analasys of their behaviour from the researchers point of view. The
researcher must decide how he will approach
the group he wishes to join. He may decide to become an 'overt'
participant observer, in which the researcher will join the group as a
participant and does not hide the fact
that he is observing, or he may decide to become a 'covert' particpant
observer, in which he becomes a normal participant in the setting
while conseali...
The participants were invited to a university building made aware of the 20-minute videotaping was to be recorded of a communication situation. They were then introduced for the first time by their first name when entering the observation room. The participants were free to choose a topic for their discussion provided it was about something serious and personal. The dyads were in the room by themselves for the first time being aware of the pre-installed camera pointing in the direction of their chairs. After their 20 minutes on camera there would be a knock on the door to end the session. Once the recording had been finished, the participants filled in a questionnaire to check on the legitimacy of the arrangements and to cover the participant’s subjective outlook of the situation before the purpose of the study was disclosed to them. They were guaranteed the tapes would stay confidential and the statistics used they will not be recognized also they can withdraw the consent to use their data at any time. At this time any question was answered as openly as the participants demanded before they were asked to give consent for their videotape to be used in the
Observation is very important in young children because that is how you get to know a child better. While observing how a child interacts with their peers, adults, and how they behave in different settings, you are getting to know the child without speaking to them.
Most people just complain about the wickedness and the corruption of society, and they do not realize that they are contributing to the problem by doing nothing to stop it and just being mere bystanders. Bystanders are those individuals that do not take part in events despite being present during those times. In spite of the consequences that it entails being a bystander, this kind of behavior is usually driven by the desire to avoid problems. In order to avoid this misleading mentality, many philosophers and social activists have advocated against people being bystanders. An individual should not be a bystander because being a bystander is morally incorrect, inhuman, and harmful.
Culture is beautifully complex. Cultural practices naturally, therefore, are made up of intricate implicit and explicit thoughts and behaviours. Participant-observation is at the centre of anthropological research because it allows the anthropologist to experience rather than read. Bronislaw Malinowski, regarded as the father of participant-observation, created a scientific framework for how research could be conducted in the field. This framework has evolved as anthropology has changed over the ages. In this essay, I will compare and contrast the central premises of Malinowski’s 1922 book Argonauts of the Western Pacific and a contemporary anthropologist Nancy Kalow’s article Living Dolls which reflects on the participant-observation she carried
The recent debate on whether or not animal experimentation should be allowed has sparked uproar. When scientists think they have what they claim to be a “wonder drug,” they need a way to test the safety of the drug before it is safe for human use. At this point scientists turn to animals, because of their close resemblance to humans. With drug companies reducing experimentations and using alternatives, some people may wonder why animals undergo experimentation in the first place. While there are advantages to animal experimentation, it does not ensure success in human clinical trials, there is no law protecting any animal from cruel experimentation, and some animals should not have to live in cruel facilities.
An experiment is done which includes a few test subjects. They are supposedly supposed to
Children are brought the child care development center to provide daycare for the working parent. Upon arrival, an assessment is performed on the children. Their hair is checked for the presence of lice. Their eyes, ears, nose, and mouths are checked for redness or discharge. The presence of a cough should also be noted. General appearance is assessed for cleanliness. Their shoes should be closed toes to protect their feet from injury. The children can be dismissed from the center for lice or presence of infection to prevent the spread to others. If lice are present, the child should obtain treatment and return to school the day after treatment was received (Bohl, Evetts, McClain, Rosenauer, & Stellitano, 2015, p. 231). The parents of toddlers
Human medical experiments are also known as human subject research. The Department of Health and Human Services describes a human research subject as a living person whom a researcher obtains data from. Human subject research is basically an experiment that is conducted to be used as research or clinically oriented that involves the use of humans for the experimentation. It involves both the gathering and evaluation of the information collected to answer a specific question. Some examples of clinically oriented studies include the analysis of biological specimens, epidemiological and behavioral studies. Some examples of research oriented studies include surveys, interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires. Human subject studies are used in various fields, including research on basic biology, clinical medicine, nursing, psychology, sociology, political science, and anthropology.
The management of knowledge within the context of organizational processes is a determining factor of its effectiveness and level of performance. Hislop (2013) stated, "One of the key distinctions in the knowledge management literature relates to epistemology" (p. 8). In an attempt to acquire an in-depth understanding of key aspects of knowledge management I will analyze a key organizational job position that possesses valuable experience and traits of fulfilling responsibilities. My analysis will include a description of the organization and position, a review of the perspectives and types of knowledge, as described by Hislop (2013), as they relate to the job position, and the challenges encountered in transferring
Observation allows researchers to experience a specific aspect of social life and get a firsthand look at a trend, institution or behaviour. It promotes good communication skills, improves decision making and enhances awareness.
For this assignment I had to observe a child between the age range of 0-6 for an hour and half to note their motor and physical development. Before I go in to detail about my observations of the child I must first define what motor and physical development means. Motor development can be broken down into two subcategories. One subcategory would be the gross motor skills development that use large muscle groups to complete task. Then there is the second subcategory deals with, “ Skills that involve large-muscle activities”.( Santrock, J. (2015). Children (13th ed.). Madison, Wis.: Brown & Benchmark. ) The second subcategory would be fine motor skills that, “ involve finely tuned movements” and it known as fine motor skills. Fine motor skills
If life teaches anything, it's that the human race has a superabundance of individual stories. Living in a densely populated city provides the choice atmosphere to partake in one of my favorite pastimes; People-watching. In doing so, I can observe different aspects and details of each respective personage that idly passes by, unaware that they are the object of my observations. Every human being has a distinctive cognizance of history, style, specific preference, belief, and defining characteristics that compose their personality. Although, these human factors make it difficult to judge people simply by a passing observation, I wonder what one would conclude by observing me. Would they rest on my outer details; my black, curly hair, my toffee-colored
I visited the Body Exhibition, which is located in Buena Park, California. This exhibit allows a person to get a deeper look the inside the systems of a human body and it anatomy. It includes the skeletal system, muscular system, nervous system, respiratory system, digestive system, urinary system, productive system and fetal development, circulatory system, and lastly the threatened body. This exhibit contains more than 200 actual human bodies that have been dissected and preserved. During my visit I saw many things that changed my perspective. While visiting bodies I observed the exhibit itself, observed the people around me and asked the tour guide questions regarding the bodies.
In the classroom I am observing in I have watched how the teacher and the students start and end their day by following different procedures for ex: attendance, portfolios, grades, and class rituals like morning meeting, transitions and end of the day procedures. All of these procedures and rituals contribute to the classroom culture and are parts of instructional practices. So when the students come first in, in the morning they have morning circle where they do attendance, weather, lunch choices, how I feel today chart and much more. Each student has a job during morning circle which rotates every day so not every student has the same job. So attendance is kept and done at morning meeting everyday which is important for the teacher to keep
The antecedent for Sam is being told “time to brush your teeth”. This functions of Sam’s desired behavior. When Sam is instructed he will come to the bathroom to brush his teeth. The material Sam needs is his Batman cup, toothbrush, and toothpaste. The setting is Sam’s bathroom and the environment is Sam’s house. One specific step that can be observed and measured is Sam brushing his teeth. His parents/grandparents set the timer for two minutes and are present observing Sam brush his teeth.