Participant Observation Paper

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Participant observation is a vital contribution to communication research. It is when the researcher actually participates in the interaction and records their findings at the same time. They actually experience the social setting in hopes to understand the social world. In the case of participant observation, there are four skills that one can develop that will help with the possibility of success when performing this research.

Starting off with Tolerance for marginality, researchers must keep in mind that what they say and how they react will curve how the other participants respond. It is important for researchers to keep their biases out of the conversation, to stay in a neutral role in the group. As said by Lindlof and Taylor (2011), …show more content…

Lindlof and Taylor (2011) states, “distinctive experiences of embodiment may be exactly what fieldworkers should appreciate in documenting a scene” (p138). The colors in the room, the scent, light and others all contribute toward the research because even these little things have an affect on people.

Spontaneous Decision Making is essential to taking part in participant observation. The observer notices the little things and is able to see them as evidence of why one is saying or acting how they do. Being able to quickly establish this is decide what course is to be taking because what was said or done might not happen again, and it is important to establish whether it was important or not.

Lastly, it is important to be an ethical person while performing participant observation or any kind of research for that matter. However, there is always a tension that is there between the researchers and participants. It can be easy to take it one step too far in the sake of research. “First, do no harm” is what all researchers and observers should keep in

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