Participant Observation

1. Participant Observation Katey Tabner University of the west of scotland

2. Style of ethnographic research producing qualitative data examining events, behaviours and interactons which comprise social settings - • Immersion of researcher with heightened awareness of the unseen or overlooked… • As researcher attempting to immerse yourself within the social and symbolic world of others (Robson, 2011) • Requires “ the ethnographer to increase his or her awareness, to raise the level of attention, to tune into things” (Spradley, 2016) • As a participant observer (beyond just being a participant) need to view social life through a “wide angle lens” (accounting for social/structural/theoretical aspects of your study) (Spradley, 2016) • Accounts should provide “written photograph” of social pheneomena(Kawulich, 2005)

3. Bernard (1994) 5 Reasons that Participant Observation can promote validity in research • Opportunity to collect different types of data – on site over a long period of time able to learn about the research community and gain access to opportunities to witness sensitive behaviour • Reduces reactivity – people less likely to behave in a certain way as may happen with interviews • Allows the researcher to develop case sensitive language and understandings • Researcher able to develop ‘expertise’ in particular case environment, increases the validity of your observations as a researcher • Sometimes it’s the only way to get what you need!

4. Covert/Overt: Accept that as part of the research that you will influence study through participation – I choose overt participation – need to consider ethics…. • Level of participation: How much do you need to be involved to learn? Are you a member? An expert? An observer? – Draw boundaries • Patterns of observation: Standardised or responsive to emerging findings/events? • Setting: Location of research takes place will influence • Reflexivity: Can you account for your own biases/knowledge or background within the analysis?

5. Recording observations should be as detailed as possibleand be recorded at the end of each observation session Typically done through field notes, observation sheets (with pre-defined themes to explore/research) or a research diary – need to decide how defined your area of initial observation is. Consider how you will triangulate your evidence or feed it back to participants to clarify your thoughts… How can you ensure that you didn’t misinterpret evidence. Spradley (2016) Three phases • Descriptive Observation – Orientation • Focused Observation – Narrows perspective on key processes and problems • Selective Observation – Clarifying, or finding co-occurrences of key actions/events

6. Suitable for: • Examining the ‘process’ as part of your qualitative research project • Utilising any experience of expertise you may have to get access • Access to additional empirical evidence or resources to clarify your findings • Unsuitable for: • Biographical or historical accounts • Rarely occurring events –difficult to replicate ‘scientifically’ • Large scale, multiple case study sites of a wide geographical range – think about the limits of the PhD

7. PhD Example 4 Community Case Study Groups • Observed each group for three months • Followed by interviews with 3 members of each organisation • Presented these findings to Local Authority organisations to understand the framework surrounding case study themes Sit within a broader context of policy stakeholder interviews Adopted a Narrative Approach for analysing evidence

8. Stage 1: Orientation Initial hypothetical exploration: Community development policy in Scotland is not supporting the needs of small community groups Observed how community development policy in Scotland was affecting the work and responsibilities of community groups Begin to note down reasons for why this may be… Watch over time as this evolves

9. Stage 1: Orientation • Recruitment of case study groups • Development of introductory “About the Research” Information and Consent Forms – Secure Ethics • Initial meeting with groups (usually primary lead contact) • Scope out key issues facing group • Attend first meeting with whole group – provide introductions and explanations • Secure written consent

10. Stage 2: Focused Observation • Attended monthly meetings with each group • Develop Researcher Diary notes for each case study site • Ask clarifying questions at meetings to better understand issues (filling gaps between meetings to bring me up to speed) • Usually copied into email correspondence to stay updated on progress

11. Stage 3: Selective Observation • Reviewed Researcher Diary materials – grouping into key themes (aligning to the literature) • Interviews arranged with 3 participants from each group • Developed tailored interview questions for each participant/case study circumstances • Triangulated these interview findings/themes with local authority representatives (to better understand ‘setting’)

12. Learning Points: • Too close – working within groups as a “professional” whilst being a researcher – too many hats! • Acknowledging personal biases within interpretation of evidence – hard to not choose a side, especially after knowing participants – often we align with those most like us • Increasing need to test your assumptions and working theoretical work through triangulation (interviews)