Observation

what is participant observation?

where the sociologist joins a group of people and studies their behaviour

what is the difference between covert and overt participant observation?

whether the people being studied know they are being observed or researched

what is an example of covert and overt observation?

• overt = ‘The Lads’ study by Willis

• covert = ‘Tearoom Trade’ by Humphries

an advantage and disadvantage of The Lads study?

• 12 months means he will gain valid data

• can’t generalise the data

an advantage and disadvantage of the Tearoom Trade?

• able to find out more than what he would have

• massively unethical by getting details and stalking

what are two advantages of participant observation in general?

• experience: researcher can see things though the eyes of the group

• can study difficult and hard to reach groups (young offenders)

two disadvantages?

• bias: researcher may begin to take sides with the group which will undermine objectivity

• influence of the researcher: the values may influence group behaviour

what do interpretivists think of observation?

that it gives the researcher a true picture because it shows us insights into the social actors’ meanings and behaviours

positivists?

they prefer structured non participant observation because of reliability and generalisability