Four Forms of Participant Observation: Ethical Issues

Four Forms of Participant Observation: Ethical Issues Introduction I have no great quickness of apprehension or witmy power to follow a long and purely abstract of thought is very limited (but) I am superior to the common run of men in noticing things which easily escape attention, and in observing them carefully Charles Darwin, Preface to The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Participant observation (PO) is one of the more fruitful methodological approaches to studying crowd behavior in the normal society. Obviously, PO includes two main parts, there are participating and observing. Form the first moment people was born, it already been used. People use observation to watch the world around them and try to participant in it, in other words, people grow up in company with participating and observing. There are two main aspects in this assignment as well. The first aspect is to explain the context and identification of Participant Observation; in second aspect, I will focus on the ethics and reactivity of the four forms which is outlined in Norris work. In this part, I will combine the fourfold categorisation which developed by Gill and Johnson (2002) with the four roles mentioned in Norris work, and then conclude my own ideas about the ethics and reactivity in PO research. What is Participant Observation? Participant Observation is a qualitative method with the roots in traditional ethnographic research. PO is the researcher attempts to participate fully in the lives and activities of subjects and thus become a member of their group, organization or community. This enables researchers to share their experiences by not merely observing what is happening but also feeing it (Gill and Johnson 2002:144). Form this identification, it is not difficult to find out that PO is not only a sample data collection as questionnaire; it is also an insider. When researchers doing their task, as Delbridge and Kirkpatrick (1994:37) notes that PO means immersion in the research setting, with the objective of sharing in peoples lives while attempting to learn their symbolic world. The mean process of Participant Observation is to understand and feel peoples subtle behavior in normal lives and attempt to learn their symbolic world. So just making sense about some basic role of human behavior or observing those behaviors is not the key point of PO, PO process include more than just observe, it also has data collection and note-taking and so on. To be honest, according to Bryman (1989): many definitions of ethnography and participant observation are difficult to distinguish form each other. Speaking in theory, Ethnography is a holistic research. MaCall and Simmons define ethnography as:some amount of genuine social interaction in the field with the subjects of study, some direct observation of relevant event, some formal and a great deal of informal interviewing, some systematic counting, some collection of documents and artefacts; and open-endedness in the direction the study takes. So that is why I said that PO is a qualitative method with the roots in traditional ethnographic research in the beginning. In other words, PO is included in ethnography research. Ethnography literally means a portrait a people. An ethnography is a written descriptions of particular culture - the customs, beliefs, and behavior based on information gathered through fieldwork (Marvin Harris and Orna Johnson, 2000). So the ethnography is a multidi sciplinary research including intensive language and culture learning, intensive study of a single field or domain, and a blend of historical, observational, and interview methods. The four forms of PO outlined in Norris work Norris work considered to some ethical considerations on Field-Work in the context of his own research on police culture. Covert research vs. Overt research Cover research takes place in the situation that public are not aware of the people as a researcher and the researcher process, the researchers conceal themselves to the public. On the contrary, overt research take place in the situation that researchers reveal the true identity of themselves to the public and let the experimenters know the process and purpose of research even let them know the potential risk of research. However, the distinction between overt and covert research is not evident. There is a case provided by Glucksman (1994), who in the 1970s left her academic post to work on a factory assembly line to explore the reasons why feminism appeared not to be relevant to working-class women. In a sense, she was a covert observer, but her motives for the research were primarily political and she says that, at the time she was undertaking the research, she had no intention of writing the book that subsequently appeared and that was published under a pseudonym (Cavendish 1982). After the books publication, it was treated as an example of ethnographic research. Every research method has the merit and demerit, so the cover and overt research are not exception. The merits and demerits of both forms conclude three main points: reactivity, ethics and access. For covert research, one of the merit aspects is the reactivity is not a problem, using the covert research could reduce the reactivity of experiments, because they are not aware of being researched. The less reactivity research got, the more validity core data gathered. The other merit aspect of covert research is easy to access. Because of the stealth of PO practice, people do not know the person conducting the study is a researcher. Therefore, they are less likely to adjust their behavior because of the researchers presence. (Alan Bryman and Emma Bell, 2003:320). The demerit of covert research is the ethical problems. The process of research is undercover; some researches focus on some privacy of peoples behavior, so research gathered data without the experiment granted during the research. The experimenters do not get the right of informed consent as well, the ethical problems such as violation of the principle of privacy happened inevitably. For the overt research, ethics is a prominent merit compared with covert research. Using overt research could give the experiment sufficient right to understanding the purpose and process of the study and the potential risk they possibly faced with. But the demerit of overt research also very obvious. The access can be arduous and timely even may not be granted; the high degree of reactivity to the research is not good to the validity of data collection. Characteristics of Four Forms of PO According to Norris work, Van Mannen divided the PO process into four parts, there are SPY, VOYEUR, FAN, MEMBER. The divide of those four forms depend on two dimensions, there are active and passive. Actually, those four roles in Norris work developed by Van Mannen on PO research is the some thing as Gill and Johnsons fourfold categorization of PO, there are complete participant, complete observer, observer as participant and participant as observer. SPY is identified by Van Mannen as active and covert type. It is the same meaning as complete participant in Gill and Johnsons fourfold categorization. The complete participant role sees you as the researcher attempting to become a member of the group in which you are performing research (Saunders, M. et al., 2008). The research concealed their true identity and purpose of research to public. During the research process, researcher will participant in the group and gain trust from he or her colleagues and make friend with experimenters. Doing like that could reduce the researchers access without too many problems of gather core data and take notes more easily. As Norris said: when observer excused himself to the toilet, hurriedly to scribble down notes, he felt like the Spy. VOYEUR is a covert and passive type which is mentioned in Norris work, it is a complete observer role as well. Norris said in his work: When observer deliberately placed in a position to overhear private conversations between officers, observer would feel like a Voyeur. The complete observer is the role that researcher have any communication with people. For example, one observer wants to research the proportion of green bag using when people shooing in the supermarket. What he or she would do is just one thing: having a seat near the exit of the supermarket or check-out counter, gather the number of people who was carrying a green bag in hand when they finished shopping , and then written a recorddown on the notebook. In this observing process, no participant taken by the researchers and no reactivity reflected by the customers. FAN is an overt and passive type defined by Van Mannen, Gill and Johnson called this type as observer as participant role. In this role, the researchers seems like an interviewer. As Norris said: When observer was attending incidents on the street, passively listening and watching, he was the Fan. this role has less participant and more observation. The researchers reveal themselves to public; people are not remained under cover. MEMBER is identified by Van Mannen as active and overt type. It was called participant as observer in Gill and Johnsons findings. The participant as observer is similar as complete participant, just the complete participant is the cover role, and MEMBER is the overt role. In this role the person reveals his or her purpose as a researcher. So in this process, the researchers should make more efforts on gaining trust form their colleagues and take part in the group actively. In Norris work, when I was left guarding a prisoner, introduced as a fellow police officer, or helped in the arrest of a violent and disturbed drug-user, I was, to all intents and purpose, cast in the role of a police officer. This role may be leads to another advantage which concluded in Robsons study: this is that key informants are likely to adopts a perspective of analytic reflection on the processes in which they are involved. (Robson, 2002) According to the analysis of those four roles outlined in Norris work, I concluded that it has no clear boundary among those four roles. The distinction of those four roles depends on the degree of participating and observing. So it is more likely to a subjective method that could be inflected by some factors such as the individuals willing or extent of reactivity and so on. Reactivity Principles in four forms It has different degree of reactivity in different roles. SPY type and VOYEUR type both are the cover research, so it has low extent of reactivity in those two types. In another side as well as the overt research role- MEMBER and FAN, the high degree of reactivity took place. As it is mentioned before, the low degree of reactivity took place, the high validity of core data gathered. Reactivity presents a threat to the internal and external validity of PO research. In the covert research, the experimenters are unaware of the research process, so their behavior which researchers want to observe is the unvarnished behavior; this is a key point of gather validity data by the researchers. In the overt research, this advantage which in the cover research is disappeared. When the experimenters know the researchers true identity and process of research, they will raise the level of alertness on the researcher and then make decision. Even if the experiment grants to participant, their behavior will not be the same as the unvarnished behavior. Ethical principles in four forms There are a number of ethical problems should to be considered during the process of one research. Every research methods will meet the ethical problems including the PO. In Norris work, three main principle of ethics of the research role outlined: informed consent, the invasion of privacy and the trust and deceit. Informed Consent The doctrine of informed consent is the general principle has been used to justify taking an ethical view of the behavior of social research. Informed consent is a legal right which given to the person who was invited to participate in social research activities. The right include the experimenters should be told by the researcher about a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications and future consequences of the research, including the potential risks within this research. After they know the whole thing, they also have the right to decide whether they will cooperate or participant. The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential. This means that the person concerned should have legal captivity to give consent, should be so situated as to exercise free power of choice, without the intervention of any elements of force, fraud, deceit, duress, overteaching or any other ulterior form of constraint or conversion; and should have sufficient knowledge and comprehension of the elements of the subject matter involved as to enable him to make an understanding and enlightened decision. (Homan, 1991:69; see also Katz et al., 1972:292-306). For instance, the informed consent always be used in the medical experiments. Before a surgery or other kinds of medical treatments to be taken, the signed consent form is required. the patients must understand the potential risks of the treatment an decide whether they will grant or not. The invasion of privacy Bulmer has written: To insinuate oneself into a particular setting on false pretences in order to gather material for research violates the rights of the individual to be let alone, to control his personal space, and information about himself (1982:219). People have the right of protecting their own privacies; infringing peoples privacy is an unethical act. But using covert research in the process of PO, the invasion of privacy is not so easy to be avoided. For example, if a researcher want to investigate peoples anomaly behaviors in normal lives, using covert research is necessary. Because peoples abnormal behaviors usually is private, covert thing. No one would like to share and discuss their anomaly behaviors in public. And we couldnt design an experiment to let people show their anomaly behaviors, so the researcher must use the covert research to observe this object. In this process, the people who was observed by researcher is in the situation that his or her privacy were being infringed. But we also have the measures to reduce this ethical problem. Because of the definition of privacy is depended on individuals, someones mind is not open enough to share their privacy to others, but someone not. In other words, in modern society, the privacy becomes a commodity which could be sold and bought. This ethical also could be reduced by changing the covert situation to the overt situation as well. Researcher should make friends with the experiment and gain their trust, and then tell them about the researchers true identity and purpose of the research and get their permit. Although it is likely to be a little time consuming, but it is a good way to access in the settings and practice PO research without guilty. The trust and deceit In theory, trust and deceit is the opposite side in social activities, but they are not the absolutive opposite side in social research, especially in PO research. Although the researchers have the obligation to tell the unvarnished truth to the experiment, but think about this question: Do doctors tell the truth to dying patients? Sometimes the truth-telling has not benefits to the healthy and safety in terms of experimenters rather than access and data collection in terms of researchers. Conclusion Participant Observation as a qualitative method plays an important role in society. Since crowd behavior takes place in a context of social activities, PO may involve having to take sides to gather data. In this assignment, the distinction of ethnography and PO research is not distinctness. They have a closed relationship between each other. After introduction of ethnography and PO, the next session in this assignment as well as the main part focuses on the four roles outlined in Norris work. Norris analyses some ethical considerations on field- work with police by using the four forms of PO research. The roles divided according to the covert and overt research, covert research and overt research are the basic approaches in PO. So as to explaining the four roles more comprehensive, the Gill and Johnsons findings are used as well. In the second session, the reactivity and ethics as the main two aspects are anglicized in detail by several points from different angles. Participant Observation perhaps is the earliest method in the world. However, the participant observation was not lost its own glory because of its ancient. Although the modern technology and research methodology develop in a high speed, Participant Observation is still the most basic commonly method which could continue being used in the future. References: Bryman, A. (1989) Research Methods and Organisation Studies. London: Unwin Hyman. Bryman, A. and E. Bell (2003) Business Research Methods, Oxford : Oxford University Press. Darwin, Charles (1872) The expression of the emotions in man and animals, London: John Murray, pp.374 Delbrige, R. and Kirkpatrick, I. (1994) Theory and practice of participant observation, in V.Wass and P.Wells (eds) Principles and Practice in Business and Management Research, Aldershot: Dartmouth, pp.35-62 Ditton, J. (1977), Part-Time Crime: An Ethnography of Fiddling and Pilferage (London: Macmillan). Gill, J. and Johnson, P. (2002) Research Methods for Managers (3rd edn). London: Sage Gilbert, N. (1993) Researching Social Life (3rd edn). London: Sage. Harris, M. Johnson, O. (2000). Cultural Anthropology, (5th ed.), Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Homan, R. (1991) The Ethical of Social Research. London: Pearson Education. Saunders, M. et al. (2008) Research Methods for Business Students (5th ed.) Harlow : Financial Times Prentice Hall Robson, C. (2002) Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitioner-Researchers (2nd edn). Oxford: Blackwell. Norris, C. (1993) Some ethical considerations on field-work with the police, in Hobbs, D. and May, T. (1993) Interpreting the field : accounts of ethnography.

Odysseuss Qualities in The Odyssey :: Homer

In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus must face many obstacles on his journey. He is only able to conquer them because of his wonderful qualities. He meets, a Cyclopes, Sirens, a six-headed monster, a regurgitating whirlpool, and a group of greedy, lovesick men. Some Odysseus's more important qualities are, determination, cunning, and protecting. One of Odysseus's many qualities is determination. He remains determined throughout the entire saga to get back to his family. During Odysseus's Odyssey he encounters many obstacles, beast, god, and nature. Odysseus must get through all of these hardships before he can make it back to his family and home. On his way back Odysseus is next to Charybdis and she swallows his boat. He must holds on to the branches of a fig tree to survive, "But I clung grimly, thinking my mast and keel would come back to the surface when she spouted. And ah! How long, with what desiree, I waited! Till, at the twilight hour...the long poles at last reared from the sea"(12.560-64). Odysseus shows his determination to get home, because it would be easy for him to just let go and drown, but no Odysseus hangs on so he can see his wife again. Once he is at home he finds suitors at his house. Odysseus kills one of them and the others beg for mercy, ??Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, la nds, flocks, or any gold put up by others, would I hold my hand??(22.65-67). Odysseus is determined to get revenge on all of the suitors and he will not be satisfied until they are all dead. Without his strong will and determination Odysseus would not have made it through his trials. Although determination is a must for a journey such as Odysseus?s cunning is also just as essential. Odysseus?s cunning is cardinal to his survival and that of his men. He uses his cunning to get them out of several unpleasant situations. When they are captured by the Cyclops, he can not use the strength of his men to escape, so he must use his cunning to free them. He lies and tricks the Cyclops to get out, ??My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy?? (9.397-99). This clever deception stops the other Cyclops from helping Polyphemos helping them to escape. Odysseus also shows his cleverness when he returns to Ithaca.

Message to Garcia Synopsis Essay

The message to Garcia describes the average human mindset, action and reactions toward a given task. Many men and women from past to present want work, status, money and reputation; but feel work is not needed. It describes not all but many situations pertaining to people having lack of initiative. In this book Elbert Hubbard states people on average will ask one or many question about the task being given to them. How I do it, where can I find it, who can I get to help, what time does it have to be done; are all examples. People get lazy and complacent, instead of getting some initiative and finding out the answers to their questions themselves. Message to Garcia isn’t saying every task has to be accomplished but, rather ideations of how problems could be solved through statistics and opinions. Many situations Hubbard has explained have facts about men and woman in today’s society. How many times have we heard â€Å"Go take this to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and the person being tasked asks multiple questions about the task the he himself could very well find. By asking questions the employer or task giver is being held up from completing other tasks he has been issued, to explain to this person where, when, why, how. In a lot of cases today, by the time we have completed explaining the task; we ourselves could’ve completed it. By no means is Hubbard expressing to us readers we shouldn’t task out our subordinates but do our jobs as well. On the other hand he is also elaborating on his belief no matter the details, many or few, the task should be done when given to. I feel Message to Garcia was trying to get a point across to us readers; that many of us desire great things but, in order to achieve great things we must do great works. We cannot want and not give anything; little effort will bring little fortune. I don’t believe the book is trying to tell us how we should go about our business day to day, yet allowing us to ponder ideas on how to eradicate these issues. Make pragmatic decisions during tasks given rather than giving up early or not doing it at all. By giving our undivided attention to our job, and not stopping until it is complete or no other outcome is possible to accomplish it. I believe everybody plays a role in a job; it is everyone’s duty to do their part and not pass it to another person or not complete it. When we all do our jobs an elliptical motion continues, rolling smoothly.

Immanuel Kant s Ethical Theory - 1527 Words

Omar Chaudhary Assignment 1 GNED 212 Sec 011 Tuesday 12:30PM-3:20PM In society today it is challenging to assess whether one s actions are just and whether we can truly make the right decision based on any ethical framework. An ethical structure such as Universalism, is most often associated with Immanuel Kant. Immanuel Kant was a philosopher of German descent, who lived from 1724- 1804 and was most notable for his work in ethics. Kant suggest that one should assess whether an act is right or wrong by weighing if it is honest, fair , respectful and just. Due to Immanuel Kant s frustration with the current ethical structures of his era, or lack thereof, he formulated his own based on his rational. Kant proposed a categorical imperative, which is based on either hypothetical or categorical. The first imperative which is categorical, In Immanuel Kant s words is Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law . He asserts the consequences of an act are of no importance as the moral judgment is contai ned within the act itself. If the act is inherently just you would be able to apply it universally. An example of this would be to lie to avoid hurting one s feelings, this would not be acceptable under Kant s universalism as the act of lying would be considered inherently wrong if it were applied globally. Secondly Kant suggested the hypothetical imperative which in Kant expressed as â€Å"So act as to treatShow MoreRelatedImmanuel Kant s Ethical Theory1111 Words   |  5 PagesPart A Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory. According to Bentham, the utilitarian principle discloses that the action of morally right when it promotes the maximum happiness for a majority of the citizens (Dion, 2012, p. 10). Therefore, utilitarianism can be expressed by, the greatest good for the highest number. 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