Examine The Advantages Some Sociologists May Finds When Using Participant Observation

Participant notification is where the investigator joins the root or community they are studying, the look intoer will enroll in the activities over a period of time, to do this, the investigator attempts to bring into being accepted in order to collect much valid research and to try and see the world in the way the meeting does. at that place are two types of thespian reflexion, C exposed and Overt.Covert severaliseicipant observation is where the researcher will register an undercover role in order to do research into the group they wish to study, in that respect is normally a access keeper within this group that knows the researcher is there to do research, the logic gate keeper helps get them into the group to do this research. Overt participant observation is where the researcher takes a more open role they openly pray the group if they will allow the researcher to study them.Interpretivists prefer participant observations as they argue that its the most effecti ve way to perceive the meanings people give on certain things, they also prefer it as there is a greater chance of developing their understanding farther by verstehen. An advantage of implicit participant observation could be that more valid research will be gained as they study is original to life when compared to overt research. With overt participant observation there can be a risk of slight valid data delinquent to the Hawthorne Effect this is where the presence of the researcher can affect the way the participants behave.With two covert and overt participant observations rapports can be made which may lead to more valid data and data that is normally badly to reach as the group that the researcher is studying will begin to swan them. However, this can take time and can be less interoperable. An example of this is Eileen Barkers study on the Unification Church, she study the Moonies over 7 years, gaining the trust of the participants, who soon saw her as a friend, t hus enabling her to gain more valid and dead on target research.By doing this, Barker gained verstehen meaning she could understand the feelings of the people she was studying, empathising with them as a allow for she developed a further understanding of their way of life. Other practical issues with covert participant observation are that it can be nasty to find a gate keeper to let the researcher into the group. twain covert and overt research are very time overwhelming and cost a lot, so the study must be worth(predicate) the time of studying.Both covert and overt observations can be low in reliability as they are hard to replicate and get accordant results. Researchers may remember and interpret things differently thus reducing the reliability of the research even further. This tends to be more of a disadvantage with covert research as they are unable to write down everything the group being canvass says as it will risk their cover and could disclose the research.With a n overt role, this can be avoided as they are able to take notes in the open, and can use different types of methods such as interviews or questionnaires. Covert participant observation tends to be more unethical than overt participant observation as the researcher doesnt ask the group for consent thus deceiving the group, the researcher may take part in illegal acts in order to maintain cover, an example of this is Patrick, he studied a gang in Glasgow over four months, during his time in the gang he was required to partake in burglaries to keep the trust of the gang.To prevent this, researchers may want to take more of an overt role, which elbow room they have an honest and open role within the group, meaning there is no deception and they wont have to take part in illegal acts. Positivists dont like participant observation as its hard for them to gather quantitative data, so they arent able to generalise or see patterns or trends.