Participant observation is a standard method of collecting data and information about culture, carried out by researchers well-immersed in the culture being observed. The method was pioneered by Franz Boas and Bronislaw Malinowski (Clifford, Marcus, & Mitchell, 1986, p. 2-3), and today it is the common method among qualitative sociologists around the world. The first thing the researcher must do is to make himself known in the community, to know the people and their culture. Understanding the culture of the population in a detailed and intimate way is essential to successfully conducting participant observation. This is done by observing and participating in the community’s way of life. Almost everyone who has visited a foreign country, joined another family or spouse, visited an unfamiliar environment, or been a casual guest better understands the importance of participant observation. The method is so effective that the researcher approaches people directly in a natural context instead of taking them out of their natural environment, and its ability to provide explanation, causality, context and confirmation means that the method can be useful. element in mixed methods research. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayThe aim of participant observation is to gain in-depth insight into people's lifestyles from their point of view, in the purpose of gathering in-depth information. information about their opinions, habits, problems and relationships (McCurdy, P. and Uldam 2014, p. 40-55), to name a few. Often the group studied is a subculture or part of society as a whole, such as a particular professional, religious, or community group. For example, participant observation can be used to study the culture of the black community living in the United Kingdom. To carry it out, the researcher must live in the middle of this community, be part of it and live as a Black person. In this way, the researcher can access crucial information regarding their culture and way of life. This is arguably the most difficult and natural method for collecting qualitative data. But the advantage of this method is that it connects researchers to the most fundamental human experiences and puts them in a unique position to understand the “how” and “why” of human behaviors. The researcher must be an actor in this culture but above all fulfill his role as a researcher. The researcher may fulfill such roles by taking notes, recording sounds and images, or asking questions in an attempt to discover the meaning of certain behaviors or aspects of the culture being studied. In other words, the researcher attempts to discover and analyze certain social scenes that use norms and rules, which participants experience automatically or at subconscious levels. The result is that researchers are not only transformed into acceptable participants, but they can also generate information that can significantly help anthropologists or sociologists better understand the human experience. Two groups emerged, one favoring objective participation while the other group leans toward subjective participation. . Each group claiming their school of thought is right. Logically, participant observation requires the researcher to be subjective in that they use the knowledge and information gained through personal experience to interact and possibly gain more information about the lifestylepeople. Additionally, it is important at some point for the researcher to be an objective participant and this is done by taking notes on everything they see. It is important to note that emotions and feelings should not influence what the researcher observes. However, true objectivity is more of an ideal than a reality. In reality, the way people see the world is primarily influenced by their position in the social structure and past experiences. Thus, Young (1991), in the article Participant Observation, notes that the participant observer must demonstrate critical self-reflexivity (p. 9) to recognize the ways in which he or she can influence the research and data. collected. Both objective and subjective participation are important in participant observation, and good research should use both. A good researcher must be part of society and live as a member of society (subjective participation), but that is not all. The person should record the observation, both images and sounds, and ask questions if necessary (objective participation). Indeed, one of the reasons for practicing participant observation is that most of the social or cultural aspects of people are visible only to insiders, and only certain people can gain entry. It is claimed that the oily skin of the house is not meant to be rubbed on the skin of strangers. As a result, it becomes difficult for people who are not part of a given group to obtain information about that particular group. For example, Liza Dalby's study of Geisha culture could only have been done by a researcher fluent in Japanese and willing to undergo rigorous training to become a Geisha. There is no way a male researcher could have become a Geisha apprentice (Dalby, 2008). Being a foreigner (and not a person of Japanese descent) ensured that her experience was different from what a native Japanese person might have experienced. Thus, Dalby's study was a compelling blend of internal knowledge and external objectivity. As such, the personal subjective and objective aspects of participant observation are crucial: it either captures a point of view that could not have been captured by other means, or it distorts the point of view to a point such that the results are questionable. the source of the most fascinating and useful studies in anthropology and sociology because they focus on the perspectives, knowledge and experiences of the people studied. Participant observation opens the field of inquiry for the researcher to gather a wide range of information. Only a researcher with the same privileges as those of the participants can observe certain behaviors. Essentially, outsiders are not allowed to see or experience certain things in most social groups. In addition, the use of participant observation is essential to reduce the impact of reactivity. Typically, individuals change their behavior when they know they are being studied or in the company of a stranger (Collins 1984, p. 57). But a participant observer integrates perfectly into the people, so much so that the people forget that he is an outsider and begin to treat him like an insider. Even if the person does unexpected things, like taking notes, recording audio or video, taking photos, or interviewing them, people are less likely to care – this is not possible when the no one is considered a foreigner. VanDienderen notes that the method inspires confidence in people (VanDienderen 2007, p. 252). Participant observations allow the researcher to understand the right questions to ask. When the search is. 51-83).