Kathleen M. DeWalt is professor of anthropology and public health and director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Billie R. DeWalt is a past director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

Participant observation lies at the heart of the ethnographic approach to qualitative research. The essence of participant observation is immersion in the settings, the cultural practices and daily activities of people who are the focus of study. Through participant observation, we researchers form relationships with people who teach us to see the world through their eyes. The translation of everyday experience and knowledge acquisition in the field into the rigorous conduct of participation is rare in the world of qualitative inquiry. In this valuable and easy to understand publication, DeWalt and DeWalt, two widely recognized and internationally ethnographers pool their knowledge to offer a comprehensive and structured approach to participant observation that is 'must' reading for initiates and experienced researchers alike.

• Chapter 1. What is Participant Observation?Chapter 2. Learning to Be a Participant ObserverChapter 3. Doing Participant Observation: Becoming a ParticipantChapter 4. The Costs of Participation: Culture ShockChapter 5. Doing Participant Observation: Becoming an ObserverChapter 6. Gender and Sex Issues in Participant ObservationChapter 7. Designing Research with Participant ObservationChapter 8. Informal Interviewing in Participant ObservationChapter 9. Writing Field NotesChapter 10. Analyzing Field NotesChapter 11. Ethical Concerns in Participant ObservationChapter 12 Appendix: Sample Field NotesChapter 13 Bibliography

Kathleen M. DeWalt is professor of anthropology and public health and director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Billie R. DeWalt is a past director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

Participant observation lies at the heart of the ethnographic approach to qualitative research. The essence of participant observation is immersion in the settings, the cultural practices and daily activities of people who are the focus of study. Through participant observation, we researchers form relationships with people who teach us to see the world through their eyes. The translation of everyday experience and knowledge acquisition in the field into the rigorous conduct of participation is rare in the world of qualitative inquiry. In this valuable and easy to understand publication, DeWalt and DeWalt, two widely recognized and internationally ethnographers pool their knowledge to offer a comprehensive and structured approach to participant observation that is 'must' reading for initiates and experienced researchers alike.

• Chapter 1. What is Participant Observation?Chapter 2. Learning to Be a Participant ObserverChapter 3. Doing Participant Observation: Becoming a ParticipantChapter 4. The Costs of Participation: Culture ShockChapter 5. Doing Participant Observation: Becoming an ObserverChapter 6. Gender and Sex Issues in Participant ObservationChapter 7. Designing Research with Participant ObservationChapter 8. Informal Interviewing in Participant ObservationChapter 9. Writing Field NotesChapter 10. Analyzing Field NotesChapter 11. Ethical Concerns in Participant ObservationChapter 12 Appendix: Sample Field NotesChapter 13 Bibliography

Kathleen M. DeWalt is professor of anthropology and public health and director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Billie R. DeWalt is a past director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

Participant observation lies at the heart of the ethnographic approach to qualitative research. The essence of participant observation is immersion in the settings, the cultural practices and daily activities of people who are the focus of study. Through participant observation, we researchers form relationships with people who teach us to see the world through their eyes. The translation of everyday experience and knowledge acquisition in the field into the rigorous conduct of participation is rare in the world of qualitative inquiry. In this valuable and easy to understand publication, DeWalt and DeWalt, two widely recognized and internationally ethnographers pool their knowledge to offer a comprehensive and structured approach to participant observation that is 'must' reading for initiates and experienced researchers alike.

• Chapter 1. What is Participant Observation?Chapter 2. Learning to Be a Participant ObserverChapter 3. Doing Participant Observation: Becoming a ParticipantChapter 4. The Costs of Participation: Culture ShockChapter 5. Doing Participant Observation: Becoming an ObserverChapter 6. Gender and Sex Issues in Participant ObservationChapter 7. Designing Research with Participant ObservationChapter 8. Informal Interviewing in Participant ObservationChapter 9. Writing Field NotesChapter 10. Analyzing Field NotesChapter 11. Ethical Concerns in Participant ObservationChapter 12 Appendix: Sample Field NotesChapter 13 Bibliography