What is the difference between participant and non-participant?

What is the difference between participant and non-participant?

Participant observation is the process that enables researchers to learn about the activities of the people they are studying in the natural setting, through observing and participating in those activities. Non-participant observation is a research technique in which the researcher takes up the role of a mere observer.

What is a disadvantage of using non-participant observation?

A disadvantage of most non-participant observation is the Hawthorne Effect – people are likely to change their behaviour because they are aware that they are being observed. This can be overcome with a covert observation (such as using CCTV) although that raises a number of ethical concerns.

What is participant or non-participant observation?

Non-participant Observation involves observing participants without actively participating. This option is used to understand a phenomenon by entering the community or social system involved, while staying separate from the activities being observed.

What is the difference between observer and participant?

With regard to monitoring and evaluation, observation generally refers to when an evaluator observes project activities in action. In contrast, participant observation refers to when evaluator participants as he or she observes, talking with stakeholders and participating in project activities.

What is a disadvantage of participant observation?

The following disadvantages of participant observation have probably prevented its wider adoption in design research: It can be very time consuming. It generates a vast amount of data. By participating in activities, the researcher can inadvertently influence the other participants’ behavior.

What would you say is the biggest advantage of participant observation?

Participant observation provides more flexibility with regard to qualitative research than other methods that use this approach. It allows researchers to maintain an open mind, giving them opportunities to follow up on different ideas, theories, and directions if something interesting occurs during their work.

What are the disadvantages of participant observation?

List of the Disadvantages of Participant Observation

• Participant observation has a high risk of bias entering the data.
• The representative sample being studied is relatively small.
• It takes a lot of time to gather factual data using participant observation.
• Ethical questions exist for this qualitative research method.

What are the strengths of non participant observation?

Some General Advantages of Structured Non Participant Observation

• It is easier for the researcher to blend into the background compared to participant observation, which should mean people act more naturally.
• It should have better reliability than with participant observation because the research is less involved.

What are the disadvantages of non participant observation?

Disadvantages of Non-Participant Observation: The following are the disadvantages of non-participant observation: (a) Subjectivity: In non-participant observation the observer does not have clarity about certain events on activities. He cannot clear his doubts by asking various questions to the group members.

Is it better to have an observer or a participant?

If a researcher can find a group willing to accept an observer, that may mean that a lot of time is saved, its less risky, easier to get into the group, and of course, researchers can be quite open about what they are interested in and why.

Is the natural behaviour of a respondent studied by participant?

The following are the merits of participant observation: The natural behaviour of the respondent can be studied by participant observation. When a group knows that they are going to be observed by a stranger, they feel conscious, uncomfortable and therefore neutrality in their behaviour and activity is lost.

Can a NPO be overt or covert?

NPO can also be overt (like the OFSTED inspection) or covert, in which case it would either involve some infiltrating a classroom, or a workplace and observing without people being informed, but this would be quite difficult to do in practice, or more realistically it might involve the use of hidden cameras to film covertly.