Participant Observations: Overt and Covert and Requirements

Participant Observation
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Participant Observations
Participant observation is a method of study in which an investigator makes their way into an area or a social group to watch people's behavior and activities to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying structure of a society. Because it is in its natural condition, it is regarded as an efficient model for collecting data. Because the participants are unaware that they are being observed, they continue to act similarly, ensuring that the evidence collected is accurate. Another way it demonstrates its usefulness is that it investigates social interaction at a profound level, which allows the researcher to be more receptive to new findings.
The potential of participant observation to permit the acquisition of "rich" information, which is usually unavailable from other sources, is one of the benefits of using this research method (Greenstein and Davis, 2019). It may be utilized to augment, inform, or dispute theorized research. Consequently, it can significantly increase the information already known about a topic. It may be used at two different phases of a study first, as a preliminary phase in which the researcher observes events "as they occur" to establish a hypothesis for future research; and second, as a final stage in which a hypothesis is formed based on theoretical research is tested. It has a dual purpose. One use is to utilize the information as the basis for a hypothesis that can then be tested (McGrath and Laliberte, 2019).
The participants may be unaware that they are being observed throughout the observation process; hence, they do not alter their behavior in any manner, which results in the data being collected is accurate and unaltered. As a result of its ability to take into consideration non-verbal interaction and behavior, it also delivers information that is of a higher quality than that delivered by interviews or surveys (Gitomer and Crouse, 2019). Consequently, it is a potentially helpful tool for examining the effect of structures or events on people and groups. During the observation, it is also possible for occurrences that have not been planned for or anticipated to occur; this contributes to the observation's value in gaining access to one-of-a-kind data (Gitomer and Crouse, 2019). It is often connected with exploratory and explanatory research aims, such as "why" inquiries, causal explanations, and revealing the cognitive components, rules, and norms behind the observed actions. The data collected are often unstructured than direct observation, and the analysis is far more open to interpretation. Moreover, this component of participant observation serves as the method's primary advantage and is the root of the criticisms that are sometimes brought up in participant observation research.
Overt and Covert Participant Observation
The covert and overt research methodologies are the two that are used in participant organization research, respectively. When participants in a study are unaware of the presence of a researcher or when the observer is trying to conceal their true motivations, this is an example of covert research. A subject's behavior may change when they are aware they are being watched,...