Intro to Research Methods
Course Project I

Participant Observation

Purpose: To demonstrate and apply your knowledge regarding participant observation.

Assignment: To explore the "social order" of a situation through participant observation. "Social order" can be defined as the end result of persons following given rules of conduct. In other words, you should explore social rules that guide interpersonal or small group behaviors in a specific context. To discover these rules requires careful observation and recording of communication behavior in situated social context. You may select any kind of public place (theater, court, bar, restaurant) and you may choose any mode of participant observation (from complete participant to complete observer). However, you should spend approximately three hours in actual observation of the situation selected. Hand in your field notes with your report (field notes do not have to be typed). You can take a look at several sample papers from former students to get some idea of what this project involves.

Steps:

1. Specify the question you want to answer - what do you want to learn or discover. Examples, "What are the rules governing entering and exiting elevators?" "What rules govern the interaction between strangers waiting in lines? What rules govern the public display of affection between adults/children, females/males, males/males?" In other words, do not enter a setting completely "open" to it, rather have a clear notions of the social rules you want to explore.

2. Select the specific context in which your observations will be made. Be careful not to select contexts in which it is illegal or immoral for your to make observations of others. All of the following suggestions for an observational setting are legal, moral and should not cause harm to anyone:

supermarkets
stores (department, furniture etc.)
shopping malls
waiting rooms (hotels, doctor offices)
transportation centers (airport, bus terminal, train terminal, elevators)
leisure time center (football games, parks)
courts (municipal, traffic, domestic-relations)
streets and sidewalks
churches

If you are not sure about the legality or morality of the specific context in which you want to make your observations, please come and talk to me.

3. Decide on the types of behaviors you are going to focus on. I have provided some examples and guidelines to help you, but you are NOT required to focus on the types of behaviors listed below. I simply want you to specify the behaviors you are going to observe before you actually start making your observations. However, keep in mind that the behaviors observed may not fit with what you expected. Therefore, be prepared to be flexible and adept to what is going on around you.

1. Verbal Behavior: If you observe verbal behavior, record exactly what was said as well as the context in which it was said. Example: The waitress when asking for the bar order said to the (male) first, "What will it be tonight, Sir?" And then to the (female), "And anything for you?"
2. Tie-bonds: These are non-verbal acts which confirm for the actors and illustrate to the observer that two or more persons are "bonded" to each other. Examples are touching, eye-contact, smiling, etc. In a setting were verbal communication is minimal or difficult to record (e.g., sidewalks and streets), you might want to look for such displays. Observe and record carefully what kind of bonding is going on.
3. Body Language: How do people use their bodies - posture, limb placements, facial expressions, etc. - to communicate rules? In a setting where people are naturally isolated, (e.g., standing in line at a bank) you may want to look at body-language.
4. Ecological Distribution: How do people distribute themselves within social spaces? Are there rules governing the distance between people in particular settings?

Note:  The more specific the type of behavior that you focus on the better your paper will be. For example, the topic of "nonverbal behavior" is too broad and it will be difficult to identify specific patterns of behavior that occur. On the other hand, the topic of "eye contact between cashiers customers at Starbucks" is more specific and will lend itself to more detailed observations.

4. Decide on the mode of participant observation you are going to use (from complete participant to complete observer). When deciding the type of observation you are going to use, take into account the question you are trying to address and the context in which you are going to be working. Consult your lecture notes and textbook regarding the pros and cons of engaging in the various modes of observation, and select the one that seems the most appropriate in light of your research question and observational context.

5. Make your observations. When recording your observations, try to use the following advise as a guideline.

1. In all cases record as quickly as possible the behavior you have observed. Write up your field notes or tape record them. Do not sleep on it. The freshness and detail of the scene will quickly disappear.
2. If your observations inspire interpretations or questions, record them as well. However, separate them from the actual observation by putting parentheses around them.
3. If you are recording verbal behavior the recording should be a faithful revision of real people talk. Don't clean up the grammar, syntax or language style.
4. Clearly demarcate each observation. Perhaps set it off with a number or a key phrase.

6. Interpret what you observed. Try to identify the social rules that appear to govern interaction. What can you induce from your observations? What patterns did you uncover? What rules seem to govern how people behave? What purpose do you think these rules serve? Why do you think these rules exist and what do they mean to you? Try to come up with a theory that will explain the pattern observed.

7. Write up a report of what you did. A good report will include as many course concepts as is appropriate (e.g., sampling issues, reliability, validity, reactivity, etc.). This report should include the following sections.

1. Discussion of the question you were trying to address. Talk about why you chose the topic you did. More importantly, discuss how your questions framed what you observed and how they limited what you were able to see (would others have seen something else going on if they had a different research agenda?). Also discuss how your research questions changed during the course of your observations.
2. Description of the setting. Briefly describe the setting in which your observations were made.
3. Discussion of behaviors to be observed. Briefly describe the behaviors you were interested in observing. Again, discuss how the behaviors you decide to observe may have changed overtime.
4. Discussion on methodology -- mode of observation. Discuss how you made your observations and why you chose the method you did. Describe how observations were made and talk about some of the problems you encountered? Also discuss the strengths and weakness associated with the mode of observation you used.
5. Discussion of findings. List the social rules that you uncovered. Describe the general patterns that you uncovered. Discuss the purpose you think these rules serve. Discuss why you think these rules exist.
6. Assessment. Include a brief discussion on what you would change if you were to make your observations again.
7. Field notes. Attach a copy of your field notes (they don't have to be typed).

Mechanics: Your report should be 4-5 pages in length (not including the field notes and references). All reports must be typed, double-spaced, and with one-inch margins. Please keep a copy of your report for your own records.

Due Dates: The due date is listed in the the course calendar. All late reports will be penalized by 10% for each and every day they are late.

Grading Criteria: Your reports will be graded according to the following criteria:

a. Completion of all phases of the assignment.
b. Clear and organized presentation of ideas.
c. Incorporation of ideas presented in course.