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Participant observation report methods
Introduction on participant observation
Is participant observation effective
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Kevin Roose grew up in the ultimate liberal, non-religious home and went to Brown University, an ivy league school known for its left-sided politics and nude parties. However, during his sophomore year at Brown University, he got the urge to experience something new while his friends studied abroad. Kevin decided to enroll as a transfer student at Liberty University, a conservative Baptist school in Lynchburg, Virginia for young evangelical Christians. Kevin must transition from a life of drinking fair-trade coffee, singing in a male a cappella group, and fitting in with Brown's ultra-liberal student body to taking courses like Evangelism 101 and following a code of conduct that monitored every aspect of his life. Kevin went as an
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undercover writer with the intention of learning about his Christian peers by living among them while pretending to be one of them. Upon his arrival at Liberty, Kevin found himself surrounded by students that quoted the Bible like the back of their hand, prayed relentlessly, and managed to live by a strict moral code. Outside of class, Kevin sang in the choir at Liberty’s mega-church, received spiritual guidance, attended a Christian rap concert, and even took a mission trip to Daytona beach to convert non-believers. As the semester goes on, Kevin managed to transition from an agnostic Quaker to a half-convinced believer with an active prayer life. Methodology: Fundamentalist Christians isolating themselves from the secular work sparked Kevin’s interest in what makes them tick.
Kevin's primary goal was to experience college life as an evangelical Christian from the inside. This form of study is known as participant observation, in which the researcher joins a certain group of people and takes part in their routine activities to observe them within that context. In order to get the full experience, Kevin had to be aware, open-minded, and accurately write down his observations. Being an observer required Kevin to partake in all of the events and activities that other Liberty students participated in, regardless of his comfort level. Several of the things typical Liberty students did, such as Bible studies and prayer groups, were completely new to Kevin. He simply wanted to observe and learn more about evangelical …show more content…
Christians. Kevin's willingness to be in a completely new and different environment demonstrated a lot of courage. Kevin was hopelessly unprepared for what his semester held at Liberty, where students bombarded him with the question, “Do you know Christ?” When Kevin stepped foot onto Liberty, he had no idea how accepting the students would be, what the classes would be like, or how the rules would affect him. Prior to his semester at Liberty, Kevin barely knew any evangelical Christians. He never had to live under a strict set of rules. Kevin's experiment forced him to jump off the deep end and adapt to an unfamiliar lifestyle. Since Kevin's main objective was to gain insight about the lives of young evangelical Christians, I cannot think of a better method than living among them to witness their daily lives.
Observing them from the outside looking in would only give Kevin a taste of the lives of evangelical Christians, and he craved hands-on experience. If I was, for example, curious about living in a third world country with little to no income, then what more effective way to experience that than being among those who live that lifestyle? I think that Kevin's approach was the most beneficial way to answer his questions about the behavior and customs of fundamental
Christians. While I support Kevin's experimental approach, I do not think it was scientifically rigorous. As I mentioned previously, he did this project out of curiosity, not to gain scientific results or knowledge. Kevin's experiment consisted primarily of observation and what sociologists refer to as field research, or gathering information from a natural environment without conducting a lab experiment or survey. The types of research Kevin used suited an interpretive framework rather than the scientific method. Although Kevin's approach was not scientifically rigorous, it was ethical. Kevin did what he needed to do to get the results he was looking for. If he had told the students at Liberty, "Hi, I am a student from Brown University doing a project about the lives of evangelical Christians", then they would have acted completely differently. Living among them and pretending to be one of them allowed Kevin to witness them in their natural environment. Kevin also protected the students' identities by changing their names when he wrote the novel. While some may argue that he deceived his friends by lying to them about his life, Kevin refrained from harming anyone or disclosing personal information about the people he met, so I do not think that his project was morally wrong. Key Ideas on Culture: Fundamentalist Christians frown upon many of the common behavioral practices of modern-day college students, such as drinking, drug use, and engaging in sexual intercourse. Throughout his semester at Liberty, Kevin frequently mentions how faculty members, pastors, and even his Christian peers refer to the behaviors of typical college students as "disgraceful" and "sinful", and that Liberty students would never act in such a way. Liberty University practices what is known as counterculture, meaning that the students, teachers, and pastors reject and oppose widely accepted cultural patterns in society. Before transferring to Liberty, Kevin had never picked up a Bible, prayed, or even talked to an evangelical Christian. His transition required him to go from a life of freedom and partying to following a 46-page rule book, taking theology classes, and spending his Friday nights at a Bible study. During the first few weeks of his transfer, Kevin lived in fear of breaking a rule or saying the wrong thing. When a cuss word accidentally slipped from his mouth, the people around him went silent, giving him shocked and judgmental glares. Kevin’s undercover status often held him back. For example, while his friends discussed their stances on issues such as gender, race, and sexual orientation, Kevin avoided questioning their beliefs in a way that could disclose how religion can justify acts of hate. Since he lacked the theological training required to express his viewpoints, Kevin normally remained silent to maintain his cover. Kevin initially experienced culture shock, a feeling of personal disorientation when faced with an unfamiliar way of life. Liberty's strict code of conduct and high expectations of students attempt to create an environment that, in their eyes, pleases the Lord. Liberty students must abide by a 46-page rule book called “The Liberty Way”, which forbids drinking, smoking, R-rated movies, contact with the opposite sex, and witchcraft. With every broken rule comes reprimands, a fine, and community service hours. Following these rules and living up to these standards steers Liberty students away from sin and temptation. If a student frequently struggles with temptation to sin, Liberty provides multiple resources to prevent that student from following through on that sinful act. By implementing strict rules and high expectations, Liberty aims to create an ideal culture, consisting of standards they wish to embrace and live up to. When Kevin asks his friends and classmates about their view of “The Liberty Way”, many admit to admiring the structure it gives their lives. Even though a majority of Liberty students accepted and lived out the rules and religious parameters, there were a few who challenged them. Kevin and his roommates managed to sneak R-rated movies, talk about sex, smoke cigarettes and complain about “The Liberty Way”. Liberty provides students the framework to become "Training Champions for Christ". Students learn how to become more Christ-like and strengthen their relationship with God through daily prayer and scripture reading. Rituals such as praying and reading the Bible are commonly referred to as folkways, a traditional behavior or lifestyle practiced by a particular community or group of people. Prior to his semester at Liberty, Kevin's prayer life was nonexistent, but within the first few months at Liberty, prayer became part of his everyday routine. Liberty engrains in the students' minds that these daily rituals are essential in their walk with God and in their path to salvation. Bible studies and prayer groups assist Liberty students in incorporating these practices into their daily routine. Like many other Christian universities, Liberty uses the Bible to determine societal morals. However, Liberty's ultra-conservative viewpoints make it more extreme than other Christian colleges. Every teacher, pastor, and faculty member at Liberty, for example, is a republican. Being a democrat at Liberty is like being a black goat in a herd of white sheep. Jerry Falwell, the founder of Liberty, was known for his support of segregation, belief in creationism, and assertive view of purity. Many of Liberty's stances of controversial issues stem from politics rather than Biblical principles. Several of Kevin's classes discussed the conservative viewpoint on topics such as abortion, homosexuality, and gender roles. Liberty uses the Bible and right-wing politics to determine their values, or standards for deciding what they believe is good and just in society.
No college wanted anything to do with Chris Herren, except coach Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State University. Chris got a chance to start over, however was reluctant to leave his family and friends and move over three thousand miles away. His fiancé Heather talked him into the offer,...
When I conducted the advisor interview with Mr. Ted Mashburn, the survey asks for him to answer three questions, such as (1) What advice would you give to help me integrate Christian faith with my academic coursework? (2) Which of the following models of faith and learning Integration most closely represents your approach in the classroom? (3) What resources (books, journals, articles, films, etc.) Do you recommend me to consult in order to write a paper on Integrating Christian faith into this academic major? When Mr. Mashburn was asked these questions, he answered them truthfully. First, he was asked what advice would you give to help me integrate Christian faith with my academic coursework. His answer was, “I think of life, work, studies are part of the work of the gospel in a person’s life. One who professes faith in the gospel will be constantly looking at everything using the values of mercy, grace, forgiveness, justice, and love. To be Christian is to be about the task of integration. It is not a particular action one takes, rather, it is who we are.” The second question he was asked was which of the following models of faith and learning integration most closely represents your approach in the classroom? His answer was, “I have long believed that where one finds God, one finds truth; and where one finds truth, one finds God. Obviously, as a Christian, I believe that in Jesus we find the ultimate revelation of God. So constantly, I am drawn back to the mission, massage, and spirit of Jesus. I should add that God is above religion, books, institutions, etc. whenever we try to encapsulate God, we demonstrate a lack of understanding.” The third question he was asked what resources (Books, journals, articles, films, etc.) Do you recommend me to consult in order to write a paper on integrating Christian faith into this academic major? His answer was,
After his high school graduation he enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. There he "discovered his Blackness" and made a lifelong commitment to his people. He taught in rural Black schools in Tennessee during summer vacations, thus expanding his awareness of his Black culture.
Knowing the truth pushes people to understand reality and to have a meaningful purpose in life. However it is only a small portion of the world that is brave enough to take on the obscene verity of life. These few do not accept what they are told, the crave to know what is beyond each wall, over each mount, and across each ocean. They want their reality to be their own wild and true experiences in nature. Chris went out into the world to seeking truth. Instead of being told or given what he sought, he wanted to find the answers to his own questions. For example, Chris wanted an answer about his...
Nathan took much of her data from small samples of bathroom wall writing from the floor on which she lived and time diaries from ten students. The size of the samples seems too small to give such great emphasis. Another major weakness in Nathan’s mini-studies involved her analysis of eating patterns. She used apparent ethnicity to classify who students ate with on campus. While she acknowledges that appearances can be problematic but that she was interested in appearances, this study seems flawed in its design. One should not assume a person is a certain ethnicity based on their skin color or physical features as Nathan does. A more accurate way to conduct this study would have been asking the students their ethnic background. Her first chapter “Welcome to AnyU” focuses on her orientation to life as a college student. Kuh and Whitt’s (1988) ritual is on display in this chapter. A ritual is “a standardized, detailed set of techniques and behaviors that manage anxieties but seldom produce intended technical consequences of practical importance” (Kuh & Whitt, 1988, p. 18). Nathan’s ritual is Welcome Week, a week intended to orient students to college life. For Nathan, this
In the book Young Lonigan, James T Ferrell, we spend the summer with William “Studs” Lonigan pondering if he will follow his parent’s wishes and attend high school, or follow his own ambitions to be the toughest young man in pants on the streets of Chicago, or at least Indiana Avenue. Like William Lonigan, many new students at Mount St. Mary’s spent their summer pondering a similar transition to college. When accepted to Mount St. Mary’s, we committed to the tenets of the University’s mission statement and it guides us as we grow. William Lonigan, struggled with many of these tenets, leading to the question, could Studs Lonigan be a good fit for
The Unlikely Disciple is about a Brown University journalist student, Kevin Roose, who decides to spend one semester at Liberty University. He chooses to take this semester in order to order to get better insight on the evangelical community. Although originally Roose only wanted to shallowly integrate into the Christian community to gain a better perspective, by the end of the novel he realizes that you cannot pretend to be something you are not without being a little affected by it. One of the struggles Roose faces is dating Ana who is a female student at Liberty University. Even though there is clearly chemistry between the two, Roose opts out of dating Ana as he does not want to start a relationship based on the false pretenses he has created to fit in at the university. The students at Liberty University are subjected to a great deal of rules that most college students would vehemently disregard. These rules are reinforced by students who are RAs. The author describes being an RA at Liberty as “one of the most grueling jobs on the planet” (174). The college students are forbidden to smoke, drink, and curse. There is great variation in the rules as the students are also prohibited from watching R-rated movies, dancing, hugging more than three seconds, or having any sexual interaction with the opposite sex. For example, the guys on Roose’s dorm hall were caught watching the gory R-rated movie 300 and their punishment was to get “twelve [reprimands] to each person present,” “fined a combined $350,” and “the DVD was confiscated” (172). Some of the rules are implemented to stop activities that will lead the students into further sinful behavior, such as the movie and hugging restrictions. As any ...
Karen applied a more reality based approach while engaging Mike in conversation of what his believes were and then providing a reality definition of his believes. James engagement style was based more on Anthony’s strengths and what Anthony enjoys. It appeared that Anthony was able to trust James allowing him to be honest and open about his likes, dislikes, behaviors, and issues.
Equally important, the author describes the Christian life as a “dynamic faith journey” (p.224) which remind us that is not just a linear process but a never-ending lifestyle that is constantly changing. It is like the worldview, described in Why College Matters to God, “continuously subject to growth and revision as we encounter new people, ideas, and experiences” (Ostrander, 2012, p. 28). That is why she claims that even during the adulthood people can keep building their knowledge in a different but excellent way. Adults have built their personal perspectives of situations in life, so she emphasizes that during this process, there are going to exist changes and that is how people acquire new information. That is why Marmon reaffirms: “Adult learning is tricky; grown men and women often must unlearn
Through the transformation of our life, Wright is showing that the life of a Christian is learned. He is showing what is learned is; life in Christ, Worship to the Father, and the daily walks.
Nichols, James. "Campus Pride Releases 2013 "Top LGBT Friendly Universities and Colleges." The Huffington Post (2013): n. pg. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
In their book Lead Like Jesus Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges encourage readers to ask themselves three key questions:
So I would say being a pastor or church leader is the epitome of transformative learning. Throughout the Chapter I the authors make reference to Mezirow 's (1991) Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning and Fostering Critical Reflections in Adulthood (Mezirow and Associates.) These earlier textbooks weighed heavily upon psychotherapy, psychology, sociology and philosophy. It is Mezirow that opines that meaning exists within the individual person rather than in an external form such as a book. And the meaning we develop is crafted and shaped by human interaction and experience.
However, I did not choose this college because it identifies as Lutheran. In fact, I was not entirely sure what made a Lutheran College different from any other college. I have found myself reading in the IS reader about the purpose of a Lutheran college. As Hanson put it, the purpose of Lutheran Colleges is “to plant deep within students a lifelong unquenchable curiosity about God, the meaning of life and being human, and the centrality of faith.” This did not fit with my original thoughts of a Lutheran College. Personally, I believe that the purpose of Lutheran universities is for people to discover their vocation. Previously, vocation was used exclusively to describe religion, but society today views it as the calling to serve one’s neighbors. This seems more fitting because it is not exclusive to only Lutheran Christians but to all students who study at the college. My goal is to discover my vocation here at Wartburg College. Along with that, I want to extend my knowledge about the Christian faith and deepen my understanding of the ideas within the Bible. Because I have doubted the Bible before, I want to look deeper into stories from if that have no logical scientific explanation such as Adam and Eve or Noah’s Ark. I personally believe that many of these stories have a deeper meaning and cannot necessarily be translated literally. This exploration can be accomplished both
... worldview, just simpler beliefs. This course has increased my knowledge about certain beliefs that I already had.