Deck 10: How Can Researchers Study the Patterns of Peoples Lives Participant Observation and Ethnography

Question 1

A data collection method that involves observation of people and participation in social settings is known as ________________.

A) Ethnography
B) Covert observation
C) Participant observation
D) Immersion

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Attempting to understand people and settings by living alongside them using a range of data collection methods is called ____________.

A) Ethnography
B) Covert observation
C) Participant observation
D) Immersion

Answer 2

A

Question 3

When a researcher seeks an in-depth understanding of settings or people and fully engage in the experiences or practices of the group, they are practicing ___________.

A) Ethnography
B) Covert observation
C) Participant observation
D) Immersion

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Desmond thinks of ethnography "as a(n) _____________, a fundamental way of being in the world."

A) Sensibility
B) Method
C) Approach
D) Lifestyle

Question 5

Which of the following is not a challenge of participant observation?

A) Significant time commitment
B) Disrupting peoples' lives
C) Observing natural settings
D) Ethical challenges

Question 6

A study participant with specialized knowledge or insight to offer a researcher is known as a(n) ____________________.

A) Gatekeeper
B) Respondent
C) Informant
D) Sponsor

Question 7

When choosing a site, which of the following should a researcher keep in mind?

A) All of these
B) What question is being answered
C) Whether participants are willing to be in the research
D) Whether researchers can achieve desired sample size

Question 8

What types of data collection is typically not one that ethnographers engage in?

A) Participant observation
B) Interviews
C) Quasi-experiments
D) Analysis of documents and materials

Question 9

What is the aim of triangulation according to Denzin?

A) Securing an objective understanding of reality
B) Understanding the insights of specific methods
C) Combining multiple methods in order to gain an in-depth understanding
D) None of these

Question 10

______________ depends on the researcher's personal history with the participants, the issues they plan to study, and the implications of their identity for the people being studied.

A) Gaining access
B) Interviewer effects
C) Choosing a site
D) Finding an informant

Question 11

Rebecca wants to do a participant observation study of a local soccer team, though she has not every played soccer and doesn't know anyone from the team. Her personal history will likely make access to the site ____________.

A) Easier
B) Neither easy nor difficult
C) Fast.
D) More difficult

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of an open-setting?

A) Company board room
B) Support group
C) Library
D) Public school classroom

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of a closed-setting?

A) Faculty lounge
B) Public park
C) Grocery store
D) Bar

Question 14

How did Bell gain access to the separatists' meetings that were the focus of his research?

A) He requested access from the leaders of the group.
B) He infiltrated meetings by pretending to be a member.
C) He attended meetings and events that were open to the public.
D) Using an informant in the group, members were aware he was studying them.

Question 15

Field researcher where participants know they are being studied and understand the aims of the researcher is called _____________.

A) Overt participant observation
B) Covert participant observation
C) Ethnography
D) Participant observation

Question 16

Field research where the researcher conceals their status as a researcher and study aims from the people being studied is referred to as __________.

A) Overt participant observation
B) Covert participant observation
C) Ethnography
D) Participant observation

Question 17

What type of observation did Judith Rollins engage in her study of the relationship between domestic workers and their employers?

A) Overt participant observation
B) Covert participant observation
C) Ethnography
D) Participant observation

Question 18

The practice of concealing or misrepresenting an aspect or entirety of one's research aims is _______________.

A) Deception
B) Covert
C) Unethical
D) Overt

Question 19

Which type of research approach did Glucksmann utilize in her study of factory workers?

A) Covert
B) Deception
C) Overt
D) Both overt and covert

Question 20

A retrospective ethnography is best understood as

A) One that involves deception
B) One that relies on observations gathered before the researcher decided to conduct a study
C) An ethnography that is focused on a previous time
D) None of these

Question 21

Which of the following is not an advantage of taking a covert role in participant observation?

A) Easier access to the setting
B) Less exposure to dangerous activities.
C) Greater access to illicit behavior
D) Less activity

Question 22

Which of the following is not a disadvantage of taking a covert role in participant observation?

A) Difficulty taking notes easily
B) Closer relationships make it easier to get consent
C) Increased deception
D) Higher degree of anxiety

Question 23

According to Fine, what impacts how precise and observant ethnographers are in the field?

A) The researcher disliking the study participants.
B) Being critical of the behavior and beliefs of the people being observed.
C) None of these
D) Forgetfulness, limited vision or hearing, and human error

Question 24

When it comes to ethnographic research, Fine claims that ________ is inevitable.

A) Perfection
B) Compromises
C) Biases
D) Untrustworthy findings

Question 25

A person in the research site with power and authority who supports and helps make a study possible is known as a(n) ____________________.

A) Sponsor
B) Gatekeeper
C) Informant
D) Colleague

Question 26

A person with authority, power, and status to grant researchers access to participants and settings are called ________________.

A) Sponsors
B) Respondents
C) Informants
D) Gatekeepers

Question 27

Which of the following is a tactic that a researcher can use to gain access to research sites?

A) Have a sponsor vouch for the researcher
B) Obtain clearance from a gatekeeper
C) Talk with friends, contacts, and/or colleagues
D) All of these

Question 28

Which of the following is the best example of a gatekeeper for a research study involving elementary school students?

A) Parent
B) Principal
C) Student
D) Secretary

Question 29

Which of the following is not a tactic that a researcher can use to gain access to a research site?

A) Provide a clear explanation of the study goals and methods
B) Offer something in return
C) Underestimate the amount of time required of the participants
D) Seek an introduction to a key gatekeeper

Question 30

Geertz coined the term ____________ to describe the ethnographic practice of immersing oneself in a setting, participating in social life, and spending extended time with members of the group being observed.

A) Complete participant
B) Deep hanging out
C) Immersive hanging out
D) Covert observation

Question 31

When access to a site is blocked, _________________.

A) The researcher should consider a different research question.
B) The study does not have to be over as there may be other paths.
C) It is better not to waste time trying to get access.
D) There is likely not a gatekeeper.

Question 32

Bettie's study is an example about the importance of ____________.

A) Maintaining access
B) Covert observation
C) Deep hanging out
D) Gaining access to the site

Question 33

Which of the following is not a method of maintaining access to the research setting?

A) Underplaying credentials
B) Adopt a meaningful role in the setting
C) Be ready for tests of competence and credibility
D) Don't give people reasons to dislike you

Question 34

How long did Ranita Ray stay in the field for her study of socioeconomically disadvantaged young women of color?

A) 18 months
B) 3 years
C) 4 years
D) 5 to 7 days a week

Question 35

A ________________ is a person who shares expertise, knowledge, and authority with an ethnographer in a way that is integral to the success of the study.

A) Informant
B) Key informant
C) Gatekeeper
D) Sponsor

Question 36

Doc in Street Corner Society is an example of the importance of a _______________.

A) Key Informant
B) Informant
C) Gatekeeper
D) Sponsor

Question 37

When a researcher are members of the settings they study, but they have revealed their status as a researcher, they are taking on a _________________ role.

A) Complete participant
B) Observer-as-participant
C) Complete observer
D) Participant-as-observer

Question 38

Which role is often not included as a form of ethnography?

A) Complete participant
B) Complete observer
C) Observer-as-participant
D) Participant-as-observer

Question 39

Which of the following is not a reason to conduct ethnographic research in online spaces?

A) Social media and other online spaces are primary locations for participating in social networks.
B) Social media and online spaces are a big part of many people's lives.
C) Online spaces provide accurate reflections of beliefs and experiences.
D) Online spaces may provide access to groups that are hard to otherwise reach.

Question 40

Which of the following should be included in an ethnographer's field notes?

A) All of these
B) Description of the setting
C) Discussions of interactions observed
D) Methdological issues that arise during the observation

Question 41

Lofland and Lofland described _________, as "little phrases, quotes, key words, and the like."

A) Mental notes
B) Full field notes
C) Jotted notes
D) Transciptions

Question 42

Field notes are ______________________.

A) Typically written in the third person.
B) Essentially just a recording of what has been observed in the field.
C) Written at the end of the full data collection process.
D) Written primarily for the researcher's own use.

Question 43

Kleinman and Copp argue that ethnographers should ____________.

A) Work hard to remain objective.
B) Separate their personal experiences and emotions from the observation data.
C) Consider that personal reflections and opinions can distort the data and bias results.
D) Be aware of their perspectives, histories, and feelings in order to fully immerse themselves in the field.

Question 44

In _____________, the focus is not words, interactions, or physical spaces.

A) Autoethnography
B) Institutional ethnography
C) Participant observation
D) Visual ethnography

Question 45

An example of ____________ would be studying how policies and practices within a workplace reveal larger systems of social control in society.

A) Autoethnography
B) Institutional ethnography
C) Participant observation
D) Visual ethnography

Question 46

____________ data focuses on the researcher's feelings, thoughts, interactions, and observations in order to understand the broader social concerns.

A) Autoethnography
B) Field notes
C) Observation
D) Saturation

Question 47

Which of the following is not an aspect of feminist ethnography according to Skeggs?

A) Ensuring the research is non-exploitative
B) Feminist researchers offering help or advice to participants.
C) Feminist ethnography may provide an opportunity raise normally marginalized voiced.
D) Feminist researchers ensure confidentiality.

Question 48

The decision to end participant observation is ultimately based on ___________.

A) Researcher stress
B) Emotional demands
C) Sampling
D) Timing

Question 49

Which of the following is not an advantage qualitative interviewing compared to ethnography?

A) Interviewing allows access to a wider variety of people and situations.
B) Longitudinal research is more limited in ethnography.
C) Interviews allow for the reconstruction of past events.
D) Qualitative interviewing allows the researcher to see the world through the respondent's eyes.

Question 50

Which of the following is not an advantage of ethnography compared to qualitative interviewing?

A) Ethnographic research is less intrusive in people's lives since researchers are observing them in their natural setting.
B) Ethnographers can learn about certain activities that people may not share in an interview.
C) Ethnography allows for a more naturalistic view of the social setting.
D) Ethnography provides insight on taken for granted aspects of interaction.

Question 51

Participant observation and ethnography are interchangeable terms.

Question 52

A data collection method that involves the observation of people and participation in social settings is known as immersion.

Question 53

Ethnographers should choose the site they want regardless of whether or not they have informants in that setting.

Question 54

Like other data collection methods, ethnographers utilize probability sampling to determine who will participate in the study.

Question 55

The goal of triangulation, according to Denzin, is to secure an objective understanding of reality.

Question 56

By definition, it is easy to gain meaningful access in an open research setting

Question 57

Bell (2007) requested formal access when he observed western Canadian separatist groups.

Question 58

It is unethical to use friends and contacts to gain access to the research site.

Question 59

A researcher who wants to study how racial history is taught in high schools needs the permission of the superintendent to do the observations. In this situation, the superintendent is the sponsor of the research.

Question 60

Once access to a site is gained, researchers do not have to do much to maintain the access.

Question 61

When determining the scale of an ethnographic project, researchers must consider the time, resources, and energy available to them.

Question 62

Street Corner Society by Whyte demonstrates the importance of the relationship between a researcher and a key informant.

Question 63

One advantage of unsolicited informants is that the information provided is more spontaneous and natural.

Question 64

In the participant-as-observer role, the researcher is mainly an interviewer and observer and only participates minimally.

Question 65

In complete participant and complete observer roles, the people being observed are aware that they are part of a research study.

Question 66

One drawback of complete participation or participant-as-observer is that there could be too much distance between the researcher and the people being studied, which could thwart understanding.

Question 67

In order to earn the trust of the people being observed, researchers must engage in the activities of the group, even if they are illegal or dangerous.

Question 68

Field notes are the primary source of data for participant observation research.

Question 69

Most researchers use extensive hidden recording equipment to take field notes so that they do not distract from the interactions.

Question 70

It is customary for the researcher to include themselves and their thoughts and feelings in the field notes.

Question 71

Kleinman and Copp argue that ethnographer's reflections, opinions, and feelings should be kept separate from their observations in order to prevent the distortion of the data and biasing the results.

Question 72

Visual ethnographies focus on the same aspects of social life as traditional ethnography.

Question 73

Institutional ethnography was developed by Dorothy Smith in order to explore how institutional discourses relate to people's every day experiences.

Question 74

Autoethnographers embrace the ideal of research as neutral and objective.

Question 75

Desmond argues that entering the field is more difficult than leaving it.

Question 76

How are participant observation and ethnography different from each other? What do they share in common?

Question 77

What does it mean to approach ethnography as a sensibility?

Question 78

What are the advantages and the challenges of participant observation?

Question 79

What advice would you give a researcher about the best way to choose their site for a participant observation study?

Question 80

Compare and contrast open and closed research settings. What are the advantages and limitations of each? Provide an example of each type of setting.