ABSTRACT
Participant observation is a relatively unstructured interactive method for studying people as they go about their daily routines and activities. The researcher accompanies one or more people both to observe what they do and say, and also to participate, to varying degrees, in the activities being studied. Describing how and why people do what they do is ultimately the aim of participant observation. It can be used to collect information on how people live their lives, how they think and act, and how they describe and explain themselves and their motivations. The method is unstructured in the sense that the researcher has to follow the schedule and activities of his/her informants, rather than impose a framework that interferes with their normal routine. However, the researcher does maintain some control over which activities to participate in, how frequently they participate and the kinds of questions that are driving the study.
