Activity 1: Do the following Direction: Based on what you learned about observation, subject the following texts to critical evaluation. (5pts each) 1. The researcher has lived with one tribal group in Mt. Province for one summer time. In her stay there, she observed the paganism of people in the place. She spent two hours a day teaching the tribal people Christian practices to overcome their paganism. 2. The researcher did a participant observation. To see and hear the subjects better, he would mingle and exchange views with them. From the start to the end of the observation, he succeeded in keeping his identity secret. 3. The researcher writing his observation report used several pages for the descriptive part of his report. He limited his reporting only to describing every person, event, thing, and place involved in the observation.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Explanation:
1. The researcher's observation is biased and unethical as she imposed her own religious beliefs on the tribal people. This could have influenced their behavior and actions during her observation, therefore affecting the validity of her findings. Additionally, spending only two hours a day teaching Christian practices may not have been enough for the tribal people to completely overcome their paganism, and this may have affected the accuracy of her observations on their religious practices.
2. The researcher's participant observation method is commendable as it allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the subjects by actively engaging with them. However, the fact that he kept his identity secret throughout the observation raises ethical concerns, as the subjects may have acted differently if they knew his true identity. This could have affected the accuracy of his observations.
3. While the researcher's descriptive reporting is comprehensive and thorough, it lacks analysis and interpretation of the observed events and behaviors. The descriptive part of the report serves as a foundation for analysis, but the researcher should have gone beyond mere description to provide insights and conclusions about the observed phenomena. Without analysis and interpretation, the report may lack depth and relevance.