-OBSERVATION-

Observation

In collecting data for a research, it could be done through observation. The researcher could observe the situation of interest or how the samples act while it takes place. This is in fact genuine as the situation is witnessed before the researcher’s own eyes.

There are four terms that are commonly used to describe different degrees of roles from a complete participant to a complete observer;

• complete participant
• participant-as-observer
• observer-as-participant
• complete observer.

These terms could be found in the four types of observation available.

Types of Observation

I. Participant observation

1. Participant observation is the situation where the researcher literally participates in the research study.
2. The degrees of the researcher’s participation vary from one level to another.

• In the situation where the researcher chooses to be a complete participant, he should fully participate in the activities of the group without letting anyone in the group knows his identity as the researcher.
• It is the other way around if the researcher chooses participant-as-observer as his role in collecting data for the research. It is different in a sense that the researcher should make a clear understanding to the group that he is doing a research. However, similar to the role of a complete participant, he also needs to fully participate in the activities of the group that he studied on.
• The participant observation could be either overt or covert to the group that is being studied by the research. This is depended on the situation or the type of study that the researcher involved in.

II. Non-participant observation

1. Non-participant observation is the type where the researcher does not involve literally in the situation he is observing.
2. There are two types of roles of the researcher which are;

• In the situation where the researcher chooses the role of observer-as-participant, the researcher should reveal his identity as the researcher and involve in the activity superficially.
• It is totally a different story if the researcher chooses the role of a complete observer. The researcher just sits and watches the activities.

III. Naturalistic observation

1. Naturalistic observation features observations in natural settings.
2. In this situation, the researcher does not participate in the activities and just observes and records the situation as it is.        

IV. Simulation

1. The kind of observation where the researcher asks the samples to act out a situation and records the role-play.
2. It is either in a form of individual or team role-playing.
3. There is a major disadvantage of simulation as a means of collecting data which is the artificiality. The researcher could not guarantee that the role-play is the real thing happening in the actual situation.

Observer Effect

1. Logically, observation affects those who are aware that they are being observed. Therefore, the samples might not behave naturally during the observation. This is called as observer effect. In one way or another, it might affect the observational data of the study as well.
2. However, this could be catered if the researcher is willing to spend more time to stay with the samples. Perhaps, the samples will act naturally while they are being observed as they are used to the researcher being around them.   

Observer Bias and Observer Expectation

There are issues that put observation at concern. There are observer bias and expectation.

 1. Observer bias 

The situation where the observational data of the research is influenced by the researcher’s past experience or beliefs. Therefore, the researchers practise a number of ways in order to avoid this issue. As for the qualitative researchers,

• they study the subjective factors objectively in a team so they can check on each other.
• they spend some time to get to know the samples and the settings before they collect the data.
• The data is collected from a various perspectives using different formats.
• They also reflect on their subjectivity as a part of their field notes.

 2. Observation expectation.

Usually, the researchers already know the target subject that they want to observe. Therefore, they will have certain expectations of how the samples should behave or react. To their surprise, sometimes the samples are not like what they are expecting. In this case, audiotaping and videotaping are important in order for the researcher to monitor the observation closely.

Coding observational data

1. A coding scheme is used primarily in quantitative research to observe the frequency of the samples’ behaviour.
2. The researcher judges and codes the behaviour into categories as it occurs.

The Use of Technology

1. The use of technology could always be referred to the videotaping or audiotaping of a research.
2. The researcher could play it repeatedly later, after the observation and manage to see the overlooked part during the observation and determine the category of the behaviour in a more casual and relaxing moment.