Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
11-2022
Abstract
There is a dearth of methodological guidance on how to conduct participant observation in private spaces such as family homes. Yet, participant observations can provide deep and valuable data about family processes. This article draws on two ethnographic studies of family life in which researchers conduct in-depth interviews, recruit families, and ultimately enter the family as a quasi-stranger for daily observations lasting a fixed period (e.g., three weeks). We term this approach "intensive family observations." Here, we provide concrete methodological advice for this method, beginning with guidelines for recruitment and gaining consent. We also discuss logistics of conducting family observation (e.g., scheduling, spatial positionality in the home, role in the field, among other issues). We elaborate on the key challenges, specifically issues of intrusion, power, and positionality. Last, we reflect on how this method provides opportunities for accurately capturing deeply intimate moments as well as unexpected insights.
Keywords
ethnography, participant observation, family, qualitative methods, child-rearing
Discipline
Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies | Sociology
Research Areas
Sociology
Publication
Sociological Methods and Research
Volume
51
Issue
4
First Page
1969
Last Page
2022
ISSN
0049-1241
Identifier
10.1177/0049124120914949
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Citation
LAREAU, Annette, & RAO, Aliya Hamid.(2022). Intensive family observations: A methodological guide. Sociological Methods and Research, 51(4), 1969-2022.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3802
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124120914949