Participant Observation

Lauren Fahey

Module 2 What is a participant observation? A participant observation is a qualitative

method with roots in traditional ethnographic research.

The objective is to help researchers learn the perspectives held by study populations, and the researchers presume that there will be multiple perspectives

Qualitative researchers accomplish these findings through observation or by both observing and participating in different degrees.

These observations take place in community settings during their daily activities

The researcher will observe the community members in their own environment rather than having the members of the community come to them

The researchers record the data by making careful (but objective) notes about what they see.

Conversations and interactions are also important parts of this research and are carefully detailed in the notes as well

What can we learn from participant

observation? The data that is gained serves as a check

against the participants subjective reporting of what they believe and do.

Cont. It is also useful for gaining an understanding of

the physical, social, cultural and economic contexts in which study participants live; the relationships among the people, contexts, ideas, norms and events. In terms of people behavior we learn what they do, how frequently and with whom

Disadvantages The main disadvantage is how time consuming

participant observation is. In most cases at least one year is spent at the field site.

Another disadvantage is how difficult it is to document your data

How to record data Most of the information that is found during

your observation will be recorded in detailed field notes, usually in a field notebook.

They may also include maps or diagrams as well

Ethical guidelines You must make sure you are discreet about the

members of the community you are documenting

It is also important to not disrupt their normal activity, and not let your presence disrupt their privacy

Responsibilities as a participant observer

observing people as they engage in activities that would probably occur in much the same way if you were not present•

engaging to some extent in the activities taking place, either in order to better understand the local perspective or so as not to call attention to yourself

•interacting with people socially outside of a controlled research environment, such as at a bar, public meeting place, bus depot, religious gathering, or market – if casual conversation gives way to more substantive discussion of the research topic, you would need to disclose your identity, affiliation, and purpose

•identifying and developing relationships with key informants, stakeholders, and gatekeepers

Communication Styles Five things I learned about myself:1. I have a polychronic sense of time for the most part2. This means that I enjoy multitasking 3. I do usually enjoy multi tasking but when I do school

work it needs to be monochronic or else I cannot concentrate

4. 4. I am also more people orientated than task oriented, which I am working on

5. I also believe that distractions are inevitable!

Culture in the workplace

Culture comes into its own in human interactions, and one of the greatest arenas for such interaction is the place where people work. In preceding chapters, you considered how culture would affect you on the job. Here, you examine the impact of culture on a variety of work-related norms and behaviors, paying particular attention to three dimensions of cultural difference that have special implications for the workplace

Three dimensions of cultural difference

1. the concept of power and power distance 2. attitudes toward uncertaintly and the

unknown 3. the concept of status

The first month or two in class I was always saying, “Look at me when I talk to you,” and the kids simply wouldn’t do it. They would always look at their hands, or the blackboard, or anywhere except looking me in the face. And finally one of the other teachers told me it was a cultural thing. They should warn us about things like that.—Tony Hillerman Skinwalkers

5 observations I plan on making in the

classroom 1. What supplies that the school has, or is

lacking- I’m interested to see how this school compares to other schools I have volunteered at

2. how the students interact with each other- are they respectful? Rowdy?

continued 3. how the students interact with the teacher-

whether they are respectful and attentive 4. how the teacher acts towards the students-

whether she is very strict or permissive 5. what the students curriculum consists of-

what types of lessons they are being taught and how they differ from our school system

5 curriculum areas: 1. I would love to work with students and teach

them a foreign language. My major is Spanish so I would love to integrate that into the lesson plan

Continued. 2. I would also like to do lessons that include

technology. I’m aware that these schools may not have the most up to date tools but since technology is such a huge part of the world today I think its imperative for students to have this knowledge

3. Although my major is not PE, I learned that track and field are huge parts of Jamaican culture. I think it is very important for the children to have a PE class in order to learn and improve on things like gross motor development and working as a team

Continued 4. the Jamaicans seem very test oriented, I

read that there are difficult entrance exams that the children must take before entering the next level of their education. I think it is important to cover the curriculum that will be on the tests. For the third graders I would put an emphasis on math and language arts because this is what they are being tested on

Cont. 5. in the sixth grade the students will be tested

on many diffeent subjects such as Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Writing so my curriculum would include many of these subjects

Bibliography http://www.fhi360.org/NR/rdonlyres/emgox4xpc

oyrysqspsgy5ww6mq7v4e44etd6toiejyxalhbmk5sdnef7fqlr3q6hlwa2ttj5524xbn/datacollectorguideenrh.pdf

http://wws.peacecorps.gov/wws/publications/culture/pdf/chapter3.pdf

http://wws.peacecorps.gov/wws/publications/culture/pdf/chapter4.pdf

http://www.my-island-jamaica.com/education_in_jamaica.html