NCJ Number
72820
Journal
British Journal of Addiction Volume: 74 Issue: 4 Dated: (1979) Pages: 369-375
Date Published
1979
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The participant observation (PO), a methodological technique which calls for the researcher to become a part of the observed group and accept its definitions, is applied here in the evaluation of halfway houses for alcoholics.
Abstract
The PO researcher focuses on an analysis of the meanings the halfway house experience has for both residents and staff. To this end such problems as socialization of new members, selection processes, and formation of friendships are observed, as well as the use of language in and outside of the house by the residents and staff, including body language. Only in a PO setting, when the researcher becomes a part of the researched group, can such intimate observations be possible. Another advantage of this method is the PO researcher's lack of any preconceived ideas about the researched group. The PO researcher does not look for answers to specific questions which depend on a priori assumptions but rather tries to catch the meaning that the various actors give to a communally experienced situation. Although some view the lack of structure and precise a priori definitions as a disadvantages of this method, the PO method serves to free the researcher from the conceptual restraints imposed by those methods which limit data to the collection of specific responses. A total of 10 references are included.