Name: TAFADZWA

SURNAME: DHENYA
REG NUMBER: R158915C
PROGRAMME: HSW
COURSE: introduction to social research
LECTURER: MR DZIRO
DUE DATE: 21 September 2016
QUESTION: CONSIDER THE VIEW THAT OBSERVATIONS
ARE AN IMPORTA NT ASPECT OF QUALITATIVE DATA
COLLECTION.

According to the Oxford Living Dictionary the term consider means to think carefully about
something .According Bernard, H. R (1988:62), observation usually means the researchers act

to find out people do. Marshall. C and Rossman, G.B (1989), also defines observations as the
systematic descriptions of events, behaviors and artifacts in the social setting chosen for study.
Observations allow one to understand how people naturally interact with each other, their
environment and how they react to challenges they face .There are different types of observations
which are as follows: participant and non-participant observation, controlled and non-controlled
observation and obstructive and non-obstructive observation. These method though different,
they complement each other .Qualitative data collection focuses on description and interpretation
and might lead to development of new concepts and theories .Qualitative research is concerned
with developing explanations of social phenomena .Denzin, N.K and Lincoln, Y.S (2005),
describe qualitative research as involving an interpretive naturalistic approach to the world.
Thus qualitative data collection studies behavior in natural settings or uses peoples accounts as
data. On the other hand, other aspects of qualitative data collection like interviews and focus
groups are used in qualitative data collection since observations do not increase ones
understanding of why people behave the way they do. Though observations have some
limitations they are however to a greater extent an important aspect of qualitative data collection.

Observation is a technique that can be used when data cannot be collected through other means,
or those collected through other means are of limited value or are difficult to validate .For
example in interviews participants may be asked about how they behave in certain situations but
there is no guarantee that they actually do what they say they do. Observing them in those
situations is more valid because it becomes possible to see how they actually behave
.Observations can also produce data for verifying and nullifying information .Aspects of
observation provide researchers with ways to check for non-verbal expression of feelings,
determine who interacts with whom, grasp how participants communicate with each other and
check for how much time is spent on various activities. Non- verbal communication is an
important aspect to take into consideration when carrying out a research because people express
their true feelings non- verbally. According to Burgoon et.al (1989), sixty percent of all
communication is non-verbal .Thus observations are an important aspect of qualitative data
collection since observations produce data for verifying information that is useful and nullifying
information that is considered irrelevant pertaining to a research that was carried out.

Participant observation is an important method of collecting data and has always been a hallmark
of anthropological ad sociological studies for many years. According to Fetterman , D (1989),
participant observation is immersion in a culture .For example the researcher must know the
culture of the people he is studying and will have to participate in their daily activities whilst
carrying out his research .There are however ethical issues to be considered one begins to carry
out the research like the issue of confidentiality and informed consent which means that the
researcher must first inform the participants that he will be observing them and must not breach
the principle of confidentiality by divulging information be it to the press or any other media and
if he is to write anything about the research, anonymity must be maintained at all costs. He goes
on to say that ideally ,the ethnographer lives and works in the community for six months to a
year or more ,learning the language and seeing patterns of behavior over time .Long term
residence helps the researcher internalize the basic beliefs ,fears ,hopes and expectations of the
people under study. Participant observation is characterized by such actions as having an
open ,non-judgmental attitude ,being interested in learning more about others ,being aware of
propensity for feeling culture shock and for making mistakes the majority of which can be
overcome ,being a careful observer and a good listener and being open to the unexpected in what
is learned (DeWalt and DeWalt (1998)).DeWalt , K.M and DeWalt ,B.R (2002) believe that the
goal for design of research using participant observation as a method is to develop a holistic
understanding of the phenomena under study that is as objective and accurate as possible given
the limitations of the method. This therefore shows that participant observation is an important
aspect of qualitative data collection as one gets to see how people naturally behave and one
becomes more knowledgeable about the people under study which makes the data collected valid
and reliable since it will be firsthand information.

Furthermore, non-participant observation is another method used in qualitative data collection.

Non-participant observation in its strict sense involves merely watching what is happening and
recording events on the spot. In the qualitative orientation, because of the non-intervention
principle, strict nonparticipant observation should involve no interaction between the observer
and the observed .Goetz, J.P and LeCompte. M (1984), assert that in the strict sense

nonparticipant observation exists only where interactions are viewed through hidden camera
and recorder or through one- way mirror. For example the use of hidden video cameras in
school toilets to study drug problem among students or to use unnoticed audio recording device
to study students interactions .Also Humphreys 1975 study on homosexual activities can be
used as an example of nonparticipant observation since he did not participate in such activities,
but offered to act as watch queen, warning his informants when someone approached the toilet.
This therefore shows that observations are an important aspect of qualitative data collection since
nonparticipant observation is not time consuming.

However , observations alone can be used when carrying out a research though they are an
important aspect of qualitative data collection .The limitations of observations like Hawthorne
effect which means that people usually perform better when they are being watched make it
impossible for researchers to only rely on observation .Interviewing is another important aspect
of qualitative data collection .Interviewing basically is about trying to understanding what people
think through h their speech .The major aim of the interview should not be seeking responses to
specific questions ,but initiating the informant to unfold data. Interviews can be informal
,unstructured or semi structured .Through interviews one can get a glimpse of what the
interviewees think about a certain topic because in answering questions asked one may start by
narrating the background of the situation .Thus interviews are an important aspect of qualitative
data collection.

One can conclude that observations are to a greater extent an important aspect of qualitative data
collection as observations gives a more vivid picture of the subject understudy and they also
complement other techniques of qualitative data collection. However interviews are also used in
qualitative data collection since one gets to know about certain subjects and stories through the
information gathered through interviewing.
Reference

Bernard, H.R (1988). Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative

Approaches .New York: AltaMira Press
Burgoon ,J.K ,Newton ,D.A,Walther ,J.B, and Baesler .E (1989).Nonverbal Expectancy
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Denzin, M.K, and Lincoln, Y.S (2005).Introduction: The Discipline and Practice of Qualitative
Research (2nd Ed).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
DeWalt, K.M and DeWalt, B.R (2002) .Participant Observation: A Guide for Fieldworkers
.Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press
DeWalt, K.M and DeWalt, B.R (1998).Participant Observation: Handbook of Methods in
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Fetterman, D (1989).Ethnography Step by Step .Newbury Park, Calif: Sage
Goertz, J.P and LeCompte, M (1984).Ethnography and Qualitative Research .NY: Academic
Press.
Marshall .C and Rossman, G.B (1989).Designing Qualitative Research .Newbury Park, CA:
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