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Participant observation

by Văn Thị Bích Ngọc - Friday, 27 March 2015, 10:11 PM
 

In participant observation the observer participates in ongoing activities and records observations. Participant observation extends beyond naturalistic observation because the observer is a "player" in the action. The technique is used in many studies in Anthropology and Sociology. Often the researcher actually takes on the role being studied; for example, living in a commune, becoming a firefighter, enrolling in flight training school, working in a mental hospital (or passing as a patient), being a cocktail waitress, living among the mushroom hunters of the northwest, or joining a cult.

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