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OBSERVATION METHOD FULL

Observation is indispensable for studies on infants who can neither understand the quarries of the researcher nor express themselves clearly. Observation can deal with phenomena which are not capable of giving verbal information about their behaviour, feeling and activities simply for the reason that they cannot speak e.g. (5) Observation is the Only Appropriate Tool for Certain Cases: As a common method, it is very easily followed and accepted. So it has greater universality of practice. Observation is a common method used in all sciences, whether physical or social. So very often the data collected through observation is more reliable than these collected through interview or questionnaire. He can apply various devices to test the reliability of their behaviour. But in observation the observer can directly check the accuracy from the observed.

So these are indirect methods and here the investigator does not have any means to examine the accuracy of the data supplied by them. This is a problem for anyone within an organisation doing any evaluation work.In other methods like interview, questionnaire etc., the researcher has to depend on information provided by the respondents. There is always the danger that we will see what we expect, or want, to see.

If the researcher becomes too involved they may lose objectivity and become biased.

The researcher needs to be trained or experienced enough to recognise events that are significant and worth further attention.

It can also be difficult to claim the intervention was responsible for the changes observed.

Observations are often small-scale and conclusions may not be able to be generalised.

This means they have to wait until they are alone and rely on memory. For example, with participant observations, researchers can’t take notes openly as this would affect their participation.

In participant observation it can be difficult to get time/privacy for recording.

Often however, these settings are not open to observers, so it can be difficult to find authentic environments to observe changes in behaviour. Sometimes service staff have easy access to the homes, workplaces and social settings that clients are part of.

In social services, observation requires a high level of trust between the person collecting information and participants.

Observation usually takes a lot of time compared with other methods.

There is no single way to conduct a case study so researchers use a range of methods from unstructured interviewing to direct observation. Case Studies as observationĬase Studies are a type of observational research that involve a thorough descriptive analysis of a single individual, group, or event. Most commonly, this happens when the researcher joins a group to observe behaviour that otherwise would be inaccessible.

OBSERVATION METHOD FULL

In participant observation, the researcher take a full part. Naturalistic (or nonparticipant) observation happens when a researcher doesn’t intervene and studies behaviour that occurs naturally. It can involve just watching people, listening to everyday conversations, interviewing individuals and or groups, filling questionnaires and checklists. Both have strengths and weaknesses which are often linked to how much an evaluator or researcher has influenced the environment and it’s subjects.

At the other is participant observation where the researcher joins the group to understand behaviour and changes. At one end is the controlled observation, where the researcher completely manages the environment. You can use observational research in different ways. It lets the researcher describe situations under study using the five senses. Observation is most common in psychology and other social sciences.

Most simply it is learning through observing and documenting. Observation is a method in which a person observes behaviour to note changes in people or places, typically as the result of an intervention.