Participant observation method

Explain why a researcher who is studying homeless street people might choose to use participant observation instead of other research methods. cite information found in our course materials to support your answer. course materials are macionis textbooth 11th n 12 edition.pages attached and DVD entitiled WAY WE LIVE watch lesson 2 (truth to be told)

The Structural-Functional Approach According to the structural-functional approach, the manifest functions of sports include recreation, getting in shape, and letting off steam in a relatively harmless way. Sports have important latent functions as well, from building social relationships to creating jobs. Perhaps the most important latent function of sports is to encourage competition, which is central to our society's way of life.
Of course, sports also have dysfunctional consequences. For example, colleges and universities that try to field winning teams sometimes recruit students for their athletic skill rather than their academic ability. This practice not only lowers a school's academic standards but also shortchanges athletes, who spend Tittle time doing the academic work that will prepare them for future careers (Upthegrove, Ro-scigno, & Charles, 1999).
The Social-Conflict Approach A social-1 conflict analysis points out how sports are linked to social inequality. Some sports— tennis, swimming, golf, skiing—are expensive, so participation is largely limited to the well-to-do. Football, baseball, and basketball, however, are accessible to people at almost all income levels. Thus the games people play are not simply a matter of choice but also a reflection of their social standing.
Gender-conflict or feminist theory leads us to recognize that, throughout history, men have dominated the world of sports. The first modern Olympic Games, held in 1696. excluded women from competition. Through most of the twentieth century, Little League teams barred girls based on the traditional ideas that girls and women lack the strength and the stamina to play sports and that they risk losing their femininity If they do. Both the Olympics and the Little League are now open to females as well as males, but even today, women sti take a back seat to men. partiaJarty in sports with the greatest earnings and 9oaai prestige .
Race-conflict theory reminds us that our society has long excluded people of color from professional sports. Even so. opportunities have expanded in recent decades.