ABSTRACT
Meanwhile, sociologists have also utilised the method of participant observation as they have gone about studying small-scale situations in their own societies. Participant observation is not merely a method of conducting field research, but also a role that is used by the researcher. The task of the participant observer is well summarised by Becker, who states:
The participant observer gathers data by participating in the daily life of the group or organization he studies. He watches the people he is studying to see what situations they ordinarily meet and how they behave in them. He enters into conversation with some or all of the participants in these situations and discovers their interpretations of the events he has observed. (Becker, 1958, p. 652)
This supports the view that the main instrument of data collection is the researcher. Such a situation means that researchers who become participant observers have to develop certain qualities, if they are to learn about the people with whom they are involved.
