The task of observational research

Observational techniques are suitable for research dealing with

  • specific settings (e.g. a shopping mall, a church, a school);
  • events, which are defined as sequences of activities longer and more complex than single actions; they usually take place in a specific location, have a defined purpose and meaning, involve more than one person, have a recog­nized history, and are repeated with some regularity; a Presidential election in the United States is an example of an ‘event’ in this sense;
  • demographic factors (e.g. indicators of socioeconomic differences, such as types of housing/building materials, presence of indoor plumbing, presence and number of intact windows, method of garbage disposal, legal or illegal sources of electrical power).

In order to function as an observer – even one with relatively minimal interaction with the population being studied – it is necessary to have the following qualities:

  • language skills (an obvious prerequisite when conducting research in a place where your own language is not the one used by the people being studied, but also true even when everyone speaks the same language in the technical sense, but different groups have their own in-group slang or jargon or attach different meanings to the language of gesture and posture);
  • explicit awareness (becoming aware of the mundane details that most people filter out of their routine observations);
  • a good memory (because it is not always possible to record observations on the spot);
  • cultivated naivete (i.e. never being afraid to question the obvious or the taken-for-granted);
  • writing skills (because ultimately most observational data will only be useful when placed in some sort of narrative context).

Source: Angrosino Michael (2008), Doing Ethnographic and Observational Research, SAGE Publications Ltd; 1st edition.

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