This doesn’t involve measurements or numbers but instead characteristics. Qualitative observation deals with the 5 major sensory organs and their functioning – sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the social and cultural context, the participants’ perspectives, and the researcher’s reflexivity. The subjective nature of qualitative observation acknowledges that the researcher’s interpretations and biases shape the data collection and analysis process. Since the focus on qualitative observation is to equate quality differences, it is a lot more time consuming than quantitative observation but the sample size used is much smaller and the research is extensive and a lot more personal. Qualitative Observation is the research process of using subjective methodologies to gather data or data. These techniques may include participant qualitative observation, interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. When conducting qualitative observation, researchers employ various techniques to collect data. Unlike quantitative methods that rely on numerical measurements, qualitative observation seeks to capture qualitative data, which refers to non-numerical information such as thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and social interactions. It involves a systematic and detailed examination of phenomena to obtain subjective data and explore the depth of human experiences. Qualitative observation primarily focuses on understanding the observed behavior or event’s meaning, context, and nuances. Viewing videos posted by consumers on YouTube as they talk about how they use various products, along with their opinions about them, would be another way of conducting an unobtrusive observation.Qualitative observation is a valuable research method that allows researchers to delve into the complexities of human experiences, gather data, and gain insights into the subjective aspects of a given phenomenon. The idea is to learn more about how consumers use products in their day-to-day lives rather than in the artificial environment of a focus group room or a mock living room set up in a research lab. (Stern)Ī more recent version of this type of observation involves ad agency personnel asking consumers to take video cameras into their homes to record their every-day activities in the kitchen, while cleaning the house, and other typical household behavior. One agency employee’s too-hip hairdo marked her as an outsider in her observer role, while another employee learned that driving a pickup truck rather than his Audi to town would help him blend into his observation environment. The advertising professionals learned to prepare themselves well for their visits. In the process, they thought they would gain clues as to why people don’t always follow cooking directions for frozen pizzas, or what they really think about prunes. The agency professionals were trying to learn what is important to average folks, what occupies their hearts and minds. Advertising researchers visited the town on a regular basis and politely listened in on conversations in coffee shops and churches, hairdressers’ shops, and taverns. A very large Chicago agency had an ongoing research project in a town of 8,000 to 12,000 about 150 miles from Chicago. Unobtrusive observation techniques also are used by advertising professionals. Investigative reports may rely on such observation techniques as a way to document improper behavior or malfeasance. After careful deliberation within the news organization about the ethical and legal ramifications of using a hidden camera, a journalist may use unobtrusive observation techniques that capture activities or conversations. Hidden camera investigations have traditionally been one of the most obvious types of unobtrusive observation examples. In some circumstances, unobtrusive observation may be more effective than participant observation, especially if the observer’s presence will change the situation under observation.
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