Participant Observation

Participant observation is the process of entering a group of people with a shared identity to gain an understanding of their community. This is achieved by gaining knowledge and a deeper understating of the actors, interaction, scene, and events that take place at the research site. Through the experience of spending time with a group of people and closely observing their actions, speech patterns, and norms, researchers can gain an understanding of the group. As part of the tradition of qualitative methods, qualitative researchers gather data to build theory via interviews, focus groups, material culture analysis, and participant observation. Participant observation requires two skill sets: first, observing the group and taking notes on what is going on in a group, and second, eloquently describing and summarizing these observations to the reader. The process is sometimes called fieldwork, and it is useful for researchers to compare the differences between what participants report is happening and what is actually occurring. This entry examines the benefits and challenges of participant observation, methods for note taking and writing up data collected during participant observations, and the importance of maintaining a critical distance throughout the process.