Sociology Descride The Term Observation

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Explain the meaning of the term observation (10 marks) An observation is watching behaviour in a real life setting and taking notes of the observation. Interpretivists prefer observation as it tends to produce qualitative data which is more valid. There are two different types of observation: covert observation which is when the researcher hasn’t told the participants that they’re being observed. The British Sociological association advised you should only use this method when there’s no other way of obtaining the data that the researcher needs. For example: Nigel Fielding used covert observation when researching the national front (far right wing political party) as he believed he would encounter hostility if they knew he was a sociologist. The other type of observation is overt which is when the group is aware they’re being observed and they know who the researcher is. For example: Beverley Skeggs used this method when studying female sexuality among students at a college. In this particular item, they used overt observation as the police accompanied the participants during the observation. Also there are two types of participant observation these are: participant and non-participant. A participant observation is when the researcher is actively involved in the group of participants. This type of observation is commonly used when studying subcultures and lifestyles. For example Fran Abrams took a series of minimum wage jobs to explore life as experienced by the poorest workers in Britain. Non-participant observation is when the researcher observes the group but isn’t actively part of the group. In this particular item non-participant observation is used as the researcher isn’t accompanying the police or drug users by taking part in the observation they are just observing not taking

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