| Strengths Validity: Observing people (rather than asking questions) results in qualitative data and a true picture of how they really live. PO studies often take a long time, and the research provides a rich, detailed, thorough picture of culture. Insight: By sharing experiences and seeing life through the group’s eyes (verstehen), the researcher can understand their world as they themselves understand it. Flexibility: The researcher starts with an open mind – PO can therefore provide new insights and ideas. Practicality: PO is a means of researching groups who could or would not complete a survey. Presentation of self: Interpretivists are very interested in how people present a different image in different circumstances to different audiences. PO avoids ethical (moral) problems (not deceiving people). The researcher can ask questions openly. The researcher can take notes openly. The researcher can interview people to check on their observation data. | Weaknesses Practicality: PO can be time consuming, stressful and demanding. The researcher needs good observational and interpersonal skills and it is difficult to write up notes. The personal characteristics of the researcher may limit who can be studied. Bias and lack of objectivity: The researcher may get too involved with the group being studied (going native). Representativeness and reliability: The group may be too small to make generalizations and the study cannot be replicated, so it is difficult to make comparisons with other studies. Ethics: The researcher may have to deceive people and participate in immoral or illegal activities and so become subject to personal dangers. Validity: Observations may be subjective or provide only a selective view of the group (the researcher cannot be in all places at all times), and the group’s behaviour may be affected by the presence of a researcher. The group may refuse the researcher permission to observe them. The group may prevent the researcher from seeing everything. The group may behave differently because they know they are being observed (this could undermine the validity of the data). |
