Overview+of+Observation

__A quick and dirty overview of the reading material (PO):__


 * __Participant Observation:__**

__Step 2: Doing PO__

2 purposes: Engage in activities appropriate to setting Observe people, activities, and physical aspects of situation

Become aware of things that are usually blocked out due to overload Heightened awareness and wide-angle lens Experience takes on meaning because we are inside the situation Insider and outsider simultaneously Introspection is very impt Detailed record of objective observations and subjective feelings

5 types of participation Non-participation Collect data by observation alone Passive part’n Present at scene but no great interaction with others Moderate part’n Characterized by balance between being insider and outsider Active part’n Do what others are doing I order to learn the culture from inside Complete part’n Study situation in which fully a participant

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__Step 4: Making descriptive observations__

Basic unit of all ethnographic inquiry is the question-observation: //What is going on here?//

Descriptive ?’s lead to descriptive observations Treat self as an informant – actions, thoughts, feelings

Grand tour observations 9 major dimensions of social situations: (p. 78) Space Actor Activity Object Act Event Time Goal Feeling

Mini-tour observations Same types of info but re: smaller units of experience

Matrix of grand tour and mini-tour questions – p. 82

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__Step 3: Making an ethnographic record__

Includes field notes, tape recordings, pictures, artifacts, etc.

What language is used in making the field notes? Be careful not to translate or simplify

Language identification principle Identify the language used for each field note entry Want to reflect same differences in language uses as in the field

Verbatim principle Helps distinguish between native and observer terms

Concrete principle When describing observations, use concrete language

Condensed account Notes to self in the field Expanded account Fill in details quickly after the observation

Fieldwork journal The personal side of the work Date every entry