participant observation

noun

1. a technique of field research, used in anthropology and sociology, by which an investigator participant observer 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.

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

Read more on 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.

Read more on 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.”

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

Read more on The Verge