Observation

 

Hello students! I am Teacher Cielo and today we shall step into another journey of learning. I can't assure you that it will be fun but I know that this can help. So, are you ready?

Objectives:

- Define what observation is

- Identify what are the kinds of observation

 - Choose the appropriate observation method for you chosen research topic

Observation

A way to gather data by watching people, events, or noting physical characteristics in their natural setting. Observations can be overt (subjects know they are being observed) or covert (do not know they are being watched).

Participant Observation

• Researcher becomes a participant in the culture or context being observed.
• Requires researcher to be accepted as part of culture being observed in order for success

Direct Observation

• Researcher strives to be as unobtrusive as possible so as not to bias the observations; more detached.
• Technology can be useful (i.e video, audiorecording).

Direct participant observation is a classical research method and still highly appreciated in ethnography and other qualitative studies. It is used to gather data about a wide variety of cultural backgrounds—from tribal groups to international business. Direct participant observation is a time-consuming method, often tiring and stressful, but incomparably useful in studying behaviors in situ. Tis type of observation gives a researcher the ability to collect data about social practices—what and how people are doing—in a context that is natural to them. By participating in the life of the community, the researcher simultaneously observes and documents his/her interactions while being part of the community life, often taking on local customs, language or slang, idiosyncratic behaviors, and preferences. Direct participant observation can provide invaluable information on the topics which subjects are reluctant to talk about during the interviews, because they perceive them as difcult, too sensitive, controversial, or perhaps considered as obvious (Pripps and Öhlander 2011).

Indirect Observation

• Results of an interaction, process or behavior are observed (for example, measuring the amount of plate waste left by students in a school cafeteria to determine whether a new food is acceptable to them).

This type of observation is particularly popular in organizational studies. By applying a direct non-participating observation, a researcher has opportunity to get closer to the field of research while retaining the position of an outsider or a guest (Kostera 2007). Tis separation clearly defines researcher’s identity and role but leaves plenty of possibilities to implement the role. Some researchers prefer to stay in the background and minimize the interference, allowing people to almost forget about them and let the organizational life to have its established rhythm, thus designing good conditions for standing aside and taking notes. Others prefer to act as a nosy but friendly cousin from abroad, a role that allows you to ask questions, even about things that are obvious to participants. Tis approach facilitates gathering narratives and gossips.

Indirect observation in a narrow sense means the use of a one-sided mirror, a hidden camera or voice recorder to record or observe events in which the researcher does not participate. In the broader sense, indirect observation is also a set of methods that allow you to get information about past or present situations that you did not have direct access to. Equally rich sources of information about the life of a community or organization can be material evidence, video recordings, or written materials.

Physical Trace Evidence and Field Visits Bernard (2000, p. 408) describes indirect observation as looking for “archaeological residue of human behavior”, but this method can be used not only to study remains of artifacts from the past but also to assess current social behavior.

Audio and Video Recordings Covert recordings are primarily associated with social work, psychology, and criminology research. One of the most commonly used methods is continuous monitoring, used to assess workplace conditions, interaction between employees and employer, teachers and students, police and civilians, or career and patients in hospitals. It is worth mentioning that audio and video recordings are also used in ethnology in the study of animal behavior (Bernard 2006)

Auto-observation Tom D. Wilson (2002) identifies indirect observation with self-observation of the subjects. The auto-observation can be facilitated by the researcher during an interview, or via a completed questionnaire or diary.

Documentation Analysis It is also called archival studies and relies on the use of various types of texts and documents. There are many research approaches to text analysis; the most classic are content analysis and narrative approach.

Netnography It is also referred to as virtual ethnography (Hine 2000; Kozinets 2015) and has much in common with archival research. It involves tracking and analyzing the material on the Internet. A particularly important area of application of this method concerns online communities and groups working together through the network.