Ethical Challenges in Participant Observation: A Reflection on Ethnographic Fieldwork

Authors

Jun Li, University of British ColumbiaFollow

Abstract

In this essay I reflect on the ethical challenges of ethnographic fieldwork I personally experienced in a female gambling study. By assuming a covert research role, I was able to observe natural occurrences of female gambling activities but unable to make peace with disturbing feelings of my research concealment. By making my study overt, I was able to fulfill ethical obligations as a researcher but unable to get female gamblers to speak their minds. I responded to such ethical dilemmas by adjusting the level of involvement, participating in female gambling culture as an insider and observing it as an outsider. This fieldwork suggests that the ethics of participant observation should be addressed in relation to the sensitivity of the research topic, the vulnerability of the researched individuals, and the plasticity of field membership roles

Keywords

Participant Observation, Female Gambling Culture, Sensitive Research, Research Ethics, and Field Membership Roles

Publication Date

3-1-2008

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1608

Recommended APA Citation

Li, J. (2008). Ethical Challenges in Participant Observation: A Reflection on Ethnographic Fieldwork. The Qualitative Report, 13(1), 100-115. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1608