participant observation

noun

1. a technique of field research, used in anthropology and sociology, by which an investigator participant observer studies the life of a group by sharing in its activities.

Word History and Origins

Origin of participant observation¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

My research consists of hours of participant observation within younger evangelical faith communities, along with 50 in-depth, qualitative interviews with individuals who were raised in the politically charged evangelicalism in the southeastern United States, a region dominated by evangelicals.

From Salon

We conducted intensive fieldwork of three such projects at a German university, involving interviews with 37 researchers, participant observation and cognitive mapping.

From Nature

It’s participant observation — an intense form of data collection — with the self-styled ethnographer falling down the rabbit hole and emerging completely changed.

From Los Angeles Times

The first is “participant observation,” the practice of deeply immersing yourself in another culture — but not to the point of “going native.”

From New York Times

They use participant observation and analysis to explore, rather than weapons and unequal trades.

From The Verge