Participant Observation

Participant observation is a research methodology with roots in anthropology. It has a well-established tradition in exploratory social science and geography. In practice, participant observation shares several characteristics with ethnography. One of the aims of participant observation is to uncover the everyday life of different groups within society. It is generally agreed that participant observation is a broad observational approach that is not used in isolation from other methods, such as more quantitative techniques. Participant observation has been used by geographers to explore a wide variety of populations and settings.

The methodology originated in the fieldwork of social anthropologists such as Bronislaw Mal-inowski, but participant observation's heritage in geography is perhaps best linked to the Chicago School of sociology during the 1920s and 1930s. Nels Anderson's classic work The Hobo pioneered participant observation as a research methodology in urban sociology. Anderson attempted to provide insight into and an understanding of the life of the homeless in Chicago. This tradition of seeking insight and understanding continues to this day in geography. The methodology has proved to be particularly suited to exploratory research because participant observation overcomes the potential weakness of relying on a single methodology, which may prove to be ineffective in uncovering everyday experience.

Participant observation aims to uncover the meanings and perspectives of persons living in particular places. Early definitions of the methodology talk about sharing in the daily activities, and sometimes the interests, of a group of persons. This definition has changed little over the decades. Participant observation often takes place in a case study location that has some relevance to the research question. This methodology is unique because the researcher approaches participants directly within their own environment rather than having the participants come to the researcher via, for example, a questionnaire survey. The participant observation researcher strives to uncover what everyday life is like from an “insider” perspective while remaining, inevitably, an “outsider.”

Participant observation has been claimed to represent a uniquely humanistic, interpretive methodology, as opposed to the positivist tradition. The methodology usually shares the following characteristics. First, there is an emphasis on exploring the nature of a social phenomenon rather than testing a hypothesis. Second, participant observation research usually takes place over an extended period of time, often several months to years. Third, the methodology uses a wide range of unstructured data, such as verbatim quotes from participants and key informants. Fourth, the exploration usually focuses on a small number of persons and is often in the format of a case study. Last, analysis of the data involves interpretation of the meanings of human behavior and actions. The written product is often descriptive, with a rich use of quotes and photographs. Traditionally, quantitative data were either nonexistent or played a limited role. Today, this is changing, with a greater focus on the use of mixed methodologies that do not exclude the use of qualitative or quantitative data. Participant observation is increasingly experiencing something of a renaissance within social science, although it also continues to be subject to critical scrutiny and revision. Most qualitative researchers using participant observation methodology agree that the key to validity is clarity. This clarity can be framed within a set of previously established criteria to test the reliability of a particular exploration.

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