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Effective Participant Observation Guide

1. Participant observation is a method where researchers observe participants in their real-world environments to gain nuanced insights into their experiences. 2. The method involves making appointments to observe target participants during relevant activities or public services. Researchers explain why they are observing and follow the participant to take detailed notes on their actions and the surrounding atmosphere. 3. Notes should specifically describe participants' actions, locations, times, and interactions as well as the researcher's immediate reflections to provide sharp observations that can help make future work more concrete and realistic.

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58 views2 pages

Effective Participant Observation Guide

1. Participant observation is a method where researchers observe participants in their real-world environments to gain nuanced insights into their experiences. 2. The method involves making appointments to observe target participants during relevant activities or public services. Researchers explain why they are observing and follow the participant to take detailed notes on their actions and the surrounding atmosphere. 3. Notes should specifically describe participants' actions, locations, times, and interactions as well as the researcher's immediate reflections to provide sharp observations that can help make future work more concrete and realistic.

Uploaded by

Hernan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

METHOD

People Shadowing
A practice check is a snapshot of how initiatives are interpreted and put into practice by
the recipients. It provides an immediate insight into a group of citizens or stakeholders
everyday life before a new initiative is organized.
There are many ways to ensure that you are in sync with the end users, it can be a phone
conversation, a focus group or visiting the practitioners. One of the methods we use is
participant observation, which is a quick way to get a nuanced practice check, and which
can provide knowledge, that subsequently can save you a lot of research by making the
following work far more concrete and realistic.

STEPS

1 Make an appointment with a relevant person from your target


audience in a certain time slot or during a particular public service.
MATERIALS
Print the template
Tell the user how and why you want to observe a given situation, for Observation
example when the user meets his case worker. Notepad
Possibly camera/smartphone

2 Preparation - make sure you understand the context. Is there


anything special you should be aware of?
TIPS
3 When you get there - explain again why you are there and what the
purpose of this practice check is.
Dress up so you fit in. If you
need to be on a production
line in a factory, it seems

4 Follow your user and ask about actions to get elaborated answers
on why the users do what they do - and observe the atmosphere
inappropriate to appear in a
suit.
Also, find a suitable and
and surroundings.
discreet way to take notes.

5 Write down what specifically happens, "Martin stands at the


kitchen table and opens a letter from the unemployment insurance
fund with a notice to meet with them." Be very specific with
indications of actions, places and times.
Note the atmosphere that characterizes the actions: "There appear
to be a positive atmosphere in the reception". Describe what comes
to mind - "There are many binders, people greet each other."

Write down what immediate reflections / thoughts you have about the
actions. "The caseworker seems friendly, but a little supercilious".
Remember to describe your reflections continuously, it makes your
observations sharper and easier to work with. You can find a starting
point in the template [Observation].

We often use the smartphone to record audio or video of selected actions.


However, it is always a good idea from the start, to ask if all parties are ok
with that, and to tell them how the material will be used.

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