Deck 7 Flashcards
qualitative observation
qualitative data are a narrative description of qualities, and the qualitative observation is unstructured/unfocused: there are no predetermined rules of what to observe and note
qualitative observation notes
because it is unstructured, there are a lot of notes
- observation notes: raw description, what did you see
- theoretical notes: interpretation of what you see
- methodological notes: reflections on your interpretations and methods
- reflective notes: anything useful to interpret the notes, like feelings and experiences
quantitative observation
numbers! it is more structured and focused: there are predetermined rules about what to observe, there is less information but the info is more comparable. it is chosen deliberate and consistent what information to lose. data are quantitative so observations are reduced to numbers
unstructured observation
explore the nature and diversity
structured observation
assess the incidence, duration, frequency, probability
covert and overt observation
with covert observation, people are unaware that they are being observed, the observer is hidden
with overt observation, people are aware they are being observed, this brings reactivity issues
natural and controlled observation
natural observation: natural behaviour is observed without interfering
controlled observation: observed behaviour with an introduced stimulus (to provoke activity) –> validity issues
subject response
you want to observe something that is not directly visible (like attitude) so you need an output stage to make it visible (questionnaire). the output stage is always influenced by memory, historical observation and the reflection of themselves
content analysis
you analyze the text (how often does he write ‘okay’). a literature study is to find knowledge that authors try to share, content analysis is to detect patterns in human communication
