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...
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
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.
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.
Human being spend much time observing the world in which they live in. observing the world is something were familiar with is just that we have not considered it as a way of doing formal research. Observation does not just involve vision, it includes interpretation of that same date, it’s not just recording of data from environment we observe, we are active our brains are engaged as well as our eyes and ears. In a social gathering where you don’t know people researcher can adopt participant observation where she has two roles to play that is being an observer and participant. In a hospital a nurse can pretend to be a patient in other to be admitted into the ward to enable her obtain adequate information because informant
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
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.
Thinking about normal social interactions and normal social behaviors, I think of comfortable. When I sit down with a friend, a usual routine is followed, “Hey, how are you, what’s new?” (e.g. My turn, your turn). These questions between my friend and I include eye contact, attention, and facial expression. Usually, I feel that I give my friend my undivided attention. Other normal characteristics include: remembering what the person has just said so a comment can be made, as well as each comment is appropriate and in relation to the current topic. Moreover, the duration between each question or comment is short.
Methods, which provide this type of data, include; interviews, observations as well as focus groups. The advantages of using Qualitative methods such as those listed previously is that they can produce “an extensive base of knowledge” to complex areas of research (Ulin et el. 2005, p.9) such as children’s behavior in school. Another advantage is it will often take place in a natural environment, thus making participants more likely to be more truthful and ther...
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
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
Qualitative research was designed as a way to be directly connected with the subjects researched. Participant researchers may choose to merely observe and collect data or to be an active participant. Covert participation has the advantage of reducing the “reactive effects” of the social setting or group (Bachman & Schutt, 2012). Most researchers who use the participation method of research will often strike a balance between participation and observation. Through participation, an observer may gain the trust of the research subjects which can provide more fruitful results. Some research may however be unethical or a violation of law. A good researcher should use prudence beforehand when crafting their research design.
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.
For my observation experience I went to Southern High School in Harwood, MD. Southern High School has a special education department for the students with disabilities. The teacher that I met with for this classroom observation was Ms. West. In the classroom there were at least four assistant teachers that helped Ms. West throughout the school day. The assistant teachers helped Ms. West co- teach the class and were there to help the students if they needed extra help. The school also has a couple of student aides that come in to help the teachers and the students in the classroom. There were at least twelve students in the classroom. The students in the class had many different exceptionalities such as learning disabilities, Down syndrome,