Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad

Qualitative research in practice
The role the adult observer takes vis-à-vis the child will be a
powerful shaper of the research, and of what children will allow the
observer to see and/or to participate in. While some suggest that
the adult observer can divest themselves of their ‘adultness’ and
so interact with children as an equal (Goode, 1986), or in a leastadult
way (Mandell, 1988), Fine and Sandstrom recommend the
researcher take the middle ground, in the role of an adult friend:
The final major type of participant observation role, and the one
emphasised in this book, is to become a friend to one’s subjects and
interact with them in the most trusted way possible—without having
any explicit authority role. As indicated above, in our view, this will
always be an ideal type because of the demographic and power
differences involved ...We believe there is a methodological value in
maintaining the differences between sociologists and children—a
feature of interaction that permits the researcher to behave in
certain ‘nonkid’ ways—such as asking ‘ignorant’ questions (Fine &
Sandstrom, 1988, p. 17).
In a participant observation study of pre-schoolers’ peer behaviour,
Corsaro (1985) chose a ‘reactive’ approach to engaging with the
children. He was present and available in the children’s activity
areas, but waited for them to make the first moves. After some
initial tentative advances from a couple of children, they gradually
seemed to accept his presence and involvement in their activities.
While clearly not ‘one of them’, the children also did not regard him
as a formal authority figure, responding to his occasional attempts
to control their behaviour with ‘You’re not a teacher’ or ‘You can’t
tell us what to do’ (1985, p. 31).
Even so, any adult will inevitably be seen to some extent as
an authority figure, and issues of children’s reactivity to an adult
presence need to be taken into account (Fine & Sandstrom, 1988). It
is important that the adult participant–observer has some reason for
being there that is understood and accepted by the children, as a
first step to developing a relationship with them. The researcher’s
presence and where they fit in needs to make sense to the children.
Establishing rapport with adult authorities or caregivers is also
essential, especially where the researcher holds no formal authority
in relation to the children.
Fine and Sandstrom suggest that observation is possible
with children from age three, when ‘the child begins to belong to a
group that is meaningful to him or her, and, as a consequence,
group relations can be studied’ (1988, p. 36). While consent for
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