Collecting primary data through observation

1. Collecting primary data through observation Lecture 11 Prof. development and research Lecturer R. Milyankova

2. By the end of this lecture you should: • Understand the role that observations may play as a data collection method in your research design • Identify two types of observations – participant’s and structured observations and their different origin and applications • Adopt two particular approaches of data collection

3. What is observation? Observation involves: • Systematic observation • Recording • Description • Analysis and • Interpretation of people’s behaviour

4. Types of observation: • Participant observation – discovers the meaning that people attach to their actions (more qualitative). Has its roots in social anthropology – the individual derives a sense of identity from interaction and communication with others (symbolic interactionism)

5. Types of observation: • Structured observation – more concerned with the frequency of this action (more quantitative). It is systematic and has a high level of predetermined structure. Uses self-completion diaries

6. Advantages of structured observation • It can be used by anyone after some training – so it can be delegated • The results are reliable • Not only observes the frequency of events, but also records the relationship between them • No personal interpretation on events by observers, everything is recorded the moment it happens • Structured observation secures information that otherwise would be ignored as insignificant

7. Disadvantages of structured observation • Observer must be present when phenomena happen • Research results are limited to overt action • Data is slow and expensive to collect