Psychological Participant Observation

Participant Observation

Assessment outline

The purpose of the assessment is to describe the situation (i.e., person and environment) thoroughly and carefully, including the activities that took place, the people who took part in those activities, and the meaning of those activities to the people involved. Essential to the participant observation is that the student develops an insider’s view of what is happening by experiencing what it feels like to be part of the environment under observation.

Key considerations

• What is your research question(s)? Students are encouraged to formulate a research question or questions first to guide his/her participation observation. You research question will help to narrow the scope of the assessment. For example, your question may be “How do sporting team fans behave when visiting an away-venue?”
• What is it that you anticipate observing? Consider what you may observe at the venue/event, and objectively note a variety of observations. These may include, but are not limited to, appearance, verbal behaviour, physical behaviour, personal space, and general human traffic.
• Where will you observe and participate? The essence of a participant observation is that the researcher embeds themselves within the context. As such, students are encouraged to choose and appropriate venue so that they may observe behaviour that relates to their research question(s). Students are reminded that not all venues are appropriate for participant observation (e.g., medical institutions), and are asked to use professional judgment when contemplating the appropriateness of the venue; if you think you need ethical approval for your chosen venue/event (e.g., private meetings) then it is recommended that you refine your question(s). Otherwise, if the event requires formal entry/permission, then students must seek approval from the host/organiser.

Key points for conducting field work

• Be descriptive in your note taking, and expand these at the next available moment
• Gather a variety of evidence from different perspectives
• Cross-validate and triangulate your observations by collecting different types of data. You are encouraged to include quotations in your observations
• Be aware and sensitive to the different stages of fieldwork o Building trust and rapport are critical at the commencement of the observation o Remain alert and attentive during the main period of observation (it may last for several hours)
• Be involved in the event as much as possible while maintaining objectivity and analytical rigour
• Ensure that your observation is descriptive, not judgmental or interpretive.
• Look to include your field notes in submitting your assessment – these will not be marked but will demonstrate your ability to take field notes.

Preparing the participant observation for submission

• Students are encouraged to first review their field notes and organise these to reflect the event observed 
• Construct a detailed, descriptive account of the event(s) witnessed, people observed and behaviour recorded. The submission will take the form of a narrative account of the research question(s), event(s), and experience(s) of the researcher.
• Students should ensure that their participant observations should be descriptive and succinct.
• The use of expressive language to describe their observations is encouraged.