Qualitative study design

Observation

Definition

A way to gather data by watching people, events, or noting physical characteristics in their natural setting. Seeks to answer the question: “What is going on here?”.  While rooted in ethnographic research it can be applied to other methodologies. Observations may often be supplemented with interviews.

Methods

There are three main categories:

    Participant observation  

•     Researcher becomes a participant in the culture or context being observed.
•     Requires researcher to be accepted as part of culture being observed in order for success

    Direct Observation

•     Researcher strives to be as unobtrusive as possible so as not to bias the observations; must remain detached.
•     Technology can be useful (i.e. video, audio recording).

    Indirect Observation

•     Results of an interaction, process or behaviour are observed (for example, measuring the amount of plate waste left by students in a school cafeteria to determine whether a new food is acceptable to them).

Observations may be unstructured, semi-structured or structured.  The latter two involve the use of an observation template that includes prompting questions such as: “What are people doing?”; “What are they trying to accomplish?”; How are they doing this?” etc.

What form does observation take?

    Field notes; audio and video recordings.

Strengths

• Allows for insight into contexts, relationships, and behaviours;
• Can provide information previously unknown to researchers that is crucial for project design, data collection, and interpretation of other data. 

Limitations

• Not suited to all research inquiries since not all phenomena can be observed.
• Time-consuming.
• Documentation relies on memory, personal discipline, and diligence of researcher.
• Requires conscious effort at objectivity because method is inherently subjective.
• Critics maintain that different observers will make different observations of the same phenomena so that no single account can be held up as the source of truth. 

Example questions

• How do members of operating theatres communicate with each other?
• How do nurses interact with their patients when administering medication?
• How do parents deal with their adolescent children who suffer chronic pain?

Example studies

• Bolster, D., & Manias, E. (2010). Person-centred interactions between nurses and patients during medication activities in an acute hospital setting: Qualitative observation and interview study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 47(2), 154-165. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2009.05.021
• Bombeke, K., De Winter, B., Debaene, L., Van Royen, P., Van Roosbroeck, S., Van Hal, G., & Schol, S. (2011). Medical students trained in communication skills show a decline in patient-centred attitudes: An observational study comparing two cohorts during clinical clerkships. Patient Education and Counseling, 84(3), 310-318. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2011.03.007

References

• Given, L. M. (2008). The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods (Vols 1-0). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781412963909
• Holloway, I. & Galvin, K. (2017). Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare (Fourth ed.) John Wiley & Sons Inc.