Sociology Definition of the Week: Immersion

Immersion is a form of qualitative research that allows the researcher to fully and deeply understand a group, a subculture, a setting, or a way of life. Qualitative researchers often use immersion to gain the best understanding of their topic they can by essentially becoming a part of the group or topic of study. In immersion, the researcher immerses themselves into the setting, living among the participants for months or years. The researcher "goes native" to get an in-depth and longitudinal understanding of the subject. Read more about immersion, the pros and cons, and how it is done.