But it is usually characterized by the following points: Today, this methodology is used in a wide variety of settings and for widely varying periods of time, from a single interaction to many years. Participant observation has historically been associated with a form of field research in which the researcher resides for long periods of time in a small community. Characteristics of participant observation In addition, it allows the researcher to collect qualitative data through various types of interviews and quantitative data through surveys and different quantitative observation techniques. It also allows the researcher to better understand what is happening in a given group and its cultural environment, giving greater credibility to their interpretations of the observation. In this way, you help researchers know if the people with whom you are conducting a study act differently from what they are described.
Participant observation is a method that helps you see and understand what people are doing and compare it with what they say. However, this information is filtered through the perspective of researchers who, by using this method, run the risk of losing their objectivity and altering with their presence the behavior of the groups they study. It offers researchers the opportunity to collect honest and intimate information about people. Thanks to the immersion in the study place, the researchers can observe the daily life of the people: their exchanges with each other, their formal and informal conversations, habits, etc. In this qualitative observation methodology, the researcher immerses himself in the daily activities of the participants in order to record the behavior in as many scenarios as possible. Participant observation is a qualitative research methodology in which the researcher studies a group not only through observation, but also by participating in its activities.
To help you get a broad overview of this methodology, in this article we have compiled its most important characteristics, its importance, and some of the types of participant observation that you can put into practice for your next study. Participant observation has been widely used in disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, communication studies, political science, social psychology, and even in market research.
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