Essay
Community Psychology : ACTIVITY 7 : Reflecting on Participant Observation : PYC3716
- Institution
- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Activity 7 of PYC3716 Summative Portfolio
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Activity 7De Walt and De Walt (2002, cited in Kuwalich, p.2) termed participant observation as
“the process enabling researchers to learn about the activities of people under study in a
natural setting through observing and participating in those activities”. Participant
observation therefore allowed me to be actively engaged within the organization while
establishing a rapport with the people I worked with.
Schensul and LeCompte (1999, cited in Kawulich, 2005) identified various reasons for
why we as researchers should incorporate participant observation in our research. They
highlighted the fact that identifying and guiding relationships with informants is important,
they emphasized that as researchers we should be aware of the significance of
leadership, politics, and social interactions in addition to taboos that are both essential
factors when studying a community. My experience working with and being part of the
group from the participant as observer stance helped me get a better feel of what the
organization considered as important. This, in turn made me realize how many young
adults were unemployed within my community. I found that the organization was more
focused on providing an employment safety net for unemployed and underemployed
people. The income received supplements unemployed/underemployed individuals
existing livelihood means whilst providing them with a basic level of income security. The
goal of the organization brought about a need within myself to want to make a bigger
impact within the organization as a volunteer.
In view of the fact that participant observation allowed me to understand those around
me by actively engaging in activities within the organization, I was able to learn more
about people from different walks of life with different backgrounds and different
circumstances. Learning about other’s lives enabled me improve my relationships with
them in addition to building trusting connections. One of the tips provided by Kuwalich
(2002) that was rather ineffective for me was making mental notes as I am very forgetful.
Writing down what I observed while volunteering in the field with the workers proved to
be more useful to me. It provided me with the freedom to remember conversations,
events and instructions at a later date or time.
The degree to which I was accepted by the other volunteers within the organization was
based on my age and a language barrier. Most of the volunteers were older and had
formed a type of group amongst themselves. However, when they started trusting me,
felt more comfortable with me and we learned how to communicate with each other, I
was accepted as part of their team. This resulted in improved productivity.
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