Comparer des méthodes

	Observation non participante multi-sources	Observation participante multi-source
Domaine	Méthodologie d'enquête	Méthodologie d'enquête
Famille	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Année d'origine	1970s–1980s (methodological triangulation literature)	1980s (building on early 20th-century fieldwork traditions)
Auteur d'origine	Rooted in systematic observation traditions; multi-source triangulation formalised by Norman Denzin	Developed from classical participant observation traditions (Bronislaw Malinowski, Chicago School); multi-source extension codified by Hammersley & Atkinson and Spradley
Type	Qualitative/naturalistic data collection strategy	Qualitative data collection technique
Source fondatrice	Denzin, N. K. (1978). The Research Act: A Theoretical Introduction to Sociological Methods (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.	Spradley, J. P. (1980). Participant Observation. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. ISBN: 978-0030445019
Alias	multi-site non-participant observation, multi-context unobtrusive observation, non-reactive multi-source observation, triangulated non-participant observation	multi-site participant observation, triangulated participant observation, multi-vantage participant observation, MSPO
Apparentées	6	3
Résumé	Multi-source non-participant observation is a qualitative data collection strategy in which a researcher systematically observes naturally occurring behaviour across two or more distinct settings, sites, or data sources without joining or influencing the activity being studied. By deliberately excluding the researcher from participation and drawing on multiple independent observational vantage points, the approach strengthens credibility through methodological triangulation while preserving the unobtrusiveness that protects naturalistic behaviour.	Multi-source participant observation is a qualitative data collection technique in which the researcher is embedded within a social setting and systematically gathers observational data from multiple vantage points, sites, or informant roles simultaneously. By triangulating across sources, the method strengthens credibility and provides a richer, more complete picture of social phenomena than single-site observation alone.