Participant observation is an ethnographic method in which a researcher participates in, observes, and records the everyday activities and cultural aspects of a particular social group.
It typically includes research over an extended period of time (rather than a single session) and takes place where people live or work (rather than in a lab). Participant observation involves active engagement in activities in contrast to observation where researchers simply observe without interacting with people.
Related Links
Formal Publications
Participant observation: a guide for fieldworkers by Kathleen Musante DeWalt, Billie R. DeWalt (Available on GoogleBooks: http://books.google.com/books?id=p1wcO3UNXQ4C ) - A textbook
Ethnography: principles in practice by Martyn Hammersley and Paul Atkinson - A textbook covering general principles of ethnography along with a strong introduction to the practical and ethical issues in both overt and covert participant observation
Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes by Robert M. Emerson - The ability to take good fieldnotes is key to producing useful insights from participant observation
Tales of the Field: On Writing Ethnography by John Van Maanen - In anthropological practice, the written ethnography is the end result of participant observation. This book examines different perspectives the researcher might bring to this writing.
Doing Anthropology in Consumer Research by Patricia L. Sunderland and Rita M. Denny - A guide to conducting research in a consumer environment.
Field Methods Casebook for Software Design by Dennis Wixon and Judith Ramey (Eds.)
Participant Observation by James P. Spradley. This is a book that describes, for beginning students, how to plan, conduct, and analyze data from participant observation studies.
Web Resources
AnthroDesign - http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/anthrodesign/ - Discussion on the role of applied anthropology in the corporate, public sector, and medical contexts. There is a companion AnthroDesign group on Facebook
EPIC - Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference
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Detailed description
How To
Special Considerations
Facts
Sources and contributors:
Chauncey Wilson, Whitney Quesenbery