Participant Observation as a Data Collection Method

The Hong Kong Interviews: An Essay on Method

Presenter: Xiao WeiStudent No.: I37027

Nov, 2015

Definition of “Participant Observation”

MARSHALL and ROSSMAN (1989): define observation as “the systematic description of events, behaviors, and artifacts in the social setting chosen for study”

FINE (2003): uses the term “peopled ethnography” to describe text that provides an understanding of the setting and that describes theoretical implications through the use of vignettes, based on field notes from observations, interviews, and products of the group members.

Definition of “Participant Observation”

DeWALT & DeWALT, 1998): Participant observation is characterized by such actions as…having an open and nonjudgmental attitude

being interested in learning more about others

being aware of the propensity for feeling culture shockbeing aware of the propensity for making mistakes

being a careful observer and a good listener

being open to the unexpected in what is learned

Why Use Observation to Collect Data To identify and guide relationships with

informants To help researchers get the feel for how things

are organized and prioritized, how people interrelate, and what are the cultural parameters

To show researchers what the cultural members deem to be important in manners, leadership, politics, social interaction, and taboos

To help the researcher become known to the cultural members

What should we consider about before deciding to choose PO as a data collection method?

The types of questions guiding the study

The site under study

What opportunities are available at the site for observation

The representativeness of the participants of the population at that site

The strategies to be used to record and analyze the data

Advantages of Using PO

Affords access to the “backstage culture”

Allows for richly detailed description

Provides opportunities for viewing or participating in unscheduled events

Facilitates the development of new research questions or hypotheses

Limitations of PO

Gender

Ethnicity

Class

Theoretical

Approach

Trust

Language

Bias

The Stances of the Observer

Complete Participant

ParticipantResearcher

Participant as Observer

ParticipantObserver

Observer as Participant

ParticipantObserver

Researcher

Complete Observer

Observer

The Hong Kong Interviews:An Essay on Method

Émigré Interviews as a Field Method

The Survey Research Model

Family lifeEmploymentIncomeSocial mobilityNeighborhood organizationVillage customsOther subjects

Interview

A standard list of questions

Open-ended responses sometimes

The Survey Research

Model Open-ended process of discovery

New kinds of “data” might be created

Interview

Comparison of Émigré Interviews and Fieldwork

Fieldwork Interview

Triangulation (well-grounded conclusions) √ X

Penetrating in some parts of the social system X √

Have a number of informants from a single setting

√X

The crux of the problem of émigré interviews The risk of getting only one perspective, and a

distorted one

Identified with one’s key informants or authority figures

How does one compensate in the “purple” field?

By interviewing people with different statuses and positions, and searching out those with manifestly different viewpoints.

Is this impossible when working among emigres?By no means!

1)This is far from a uniform population.2)These people had widely different reasons

for leaving China.3)People had manifestly different political and

social viewpoints.

How does one know that informants are “telling the truth”?

Informants often lie to the fieldworker, or, more accurately, they often give self-serving interpretations of events and practices.Assessing whether the informant can be expected to know what he or she is reporting on• Is the informant reporting on a setting in which he or she

worked?• Is the informant reporting on the motivations of others?• If reporting on an event, was the informant present or did

he or she hear about it?Compare on a continuous basis the information given by a informant with what others have said• What did they say?• Who are they?• How did they say it?

Émigré Interviews in Hong Kong 232 interviews 532 hours 80 former employees of Chinese Industrial enterprises

Informants

70 informants in HK (Nov 1979 to Aug 1980

8 informants in HK (June to Aug 1984)

2 informants in US (1983 to 1984)

Émigré Interviews in Hong KongLabeled

refugees in 1960

Permitted to emigrate legally

in 1973

25,000 emigres in 1977

70,000 emigres in 1979

Change in the work experience

Change in geographical origin of the informants

Change in the method of locating potential informants

Locating and Selecting Informants

Cheng Bao

Xingdao Ribao

“a foreign scholar needed help on a temporary, part-time basis in completing a research project on the Chinese economy, and people with work experience in mainland industrial enterprises should apply…”

Locating and Selecting Informants Selecting Participants

Participants in higher social classes

(leaders in workshops, worker in large and

heavy industrial plants, etc)

Those who are young, or lacked of working

experience, or came from nearby Guangdong

Establishing relationship

Research Assistant(a Canton native and fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese)

Initial telephone contacts: to explain the researcher’s identity, the nature of the research project, and the type of work involved.

Those who were interested made appointments to speak with the researcher personally.

Establishing relationship

Create an initial rapport by answering questions• Sources of funding• Sponsoring organizations• What is intended to write on returning home

Build a sense of familiarity and trust by explanation• The interviews would be completely confidential

Payment ($3 or $4 per hour)

The Interviews Problems:

Some are able to describe the texture of interpersonal relationships and the tone and nuance of encounters with authority, but do not remember clearly rules and regulations regarding monetary compensation.

Others can recount regulations and formal procedures in great detail, but are totally unable to bring to life the personal side of the enterprise.

The Interviews Solving Problems: Adopted a strategy that allowed the researcher to structure

interviews flexibly according to the individual’s experience and inclinations.

From “a set list of questions” to “a list of topics”All questions about personnel matters

• Wage and bonus systems• Hiring and disciplinary practices

Questions about the aspects of factory organization• The daily routines of work and meetings• The organization of the immediate office or shop• Other aspects of plant administration which they are familiar with

An oral history of the enterprise• Describe in concrete detail the events that surrounded each of

the major political campaigns

The Interviews

Took detailed notes by hand during each interview

Translated into English

Tried to retain the original wording and flavor as closely as possible

Debate

Do you think it does more good than harm if an observer himself / herself is a participant in the group being researched (“participant as observer”)?

Besides the methods we mentioned before, do you have any creative and useful methods of participant observation?