NAMASTE

KRISNA PRASAD POKHREL

ROLL NO. 16
Mphil, TU
OBSERVATIONAL
TECHNIQUES
 OBSERVATION
“….Roosevelt observed
the reporter but
perceived him with more
than his eye.”
“ The seeing was both
physical and mental.”
-Reporters’ remarks illustrated by Young
 OBSERVATION Contd…..
Observation in field research is seeing the
phenomena – taking it in , soaking it up –
to try to understand what is really
occurring in the field.
Observation in other words consists of
gathering impressions of the surrounding
world through all relevant human faculties
that generally necessitates direct contact
with the subject(s) of observation.
Observation thus, may be defined as
systematic viewing, coupled with
consideration of the seen phenomena.
Creative Means of Observing
Insightfulness: Seeing with
understanding the phenomena.
Receptivity: Openness and
eagerness to enter the field.
Self-understanding: Ability to
understand one’s reactions
and distinguish them from
reactions that others might
experience.
 STUDY COMPONENTS OF A FIELD
The Setting:
 Public or Private Place
 Individual or Group
 Structured or Structureless Field
 Formal or Informal
 Regular, Permanent Membership or Temporary Membership
 Objects or Physical features in the setting
The Subject:
 General or Specific
Social Phenomena:
 Characteristics, causes and consequences of a social
phenomena
The Time Frame:
 THINGS TO OBSERVE
The Environment: Any field, be it a village school,
street corner, or a trade house, has a general
environment with a social temperature, a smell, a look,
and a feel about it – a sense of environment of the place
of its weather-hot, cold or pleasant.
People and their Relationship: Any field contains
people in it, who belong to it and others may be visitors
or outsiders. All the social phenomena are the outcome
of people’s relationships. These relationships are may
be of complex types – value-based relationship, affinal
tie, economic dependence, interdependence, religious,
political and so on.
Behavior, Actions and Activities: The better
ability to appreciate the meaning of a scene that we are
observing depends upon how we distinguish the
peoples’ behavioral patterns. For example, to go to
Pashupati once is an action, regular going to Pashupati
is an activity which shows his greater commitment,
involvement and faith on the Lord Shiva.
 THINGS TO OBSERVE Cntd…
Verbal Behavior: Verbal behavior of
people addresses the meaning of a social field.
What is said may be misleading or inaccurate, but
it is someone’s interpretation. If that one is
important to the social setting, then that person’s
evaluation or description is a critical source for
understanding that field.
Psychological Stances: Another element
that can be observed is psychological postures of
subjects. Some of stances like amusement,
laughter, or contentment are quite easy to detect.
Individuals may conceal emotions like, discontent
and anger however, in children there usually less
concealment.
 THINGS TO OBSERVE Cntd…
Physical Objects: Human behavior can be
reflected in terms through the inanimate objects or
materials related to him. Plants, objects of arts,
furniture, reading materials, equipments, tools,
musical instruments, basic decorations etc. may tell
a story about an individual.
Histories: Family histories are not just old tales,
but genuine sources of insight into the nature of a
family’s life. Accuracy may not be there, but the
symbolic meaning of the stories remains, which
would be enough to reflect the attitude toward
important conditions or beliefs of the family both as it
was in the past or evolved in the present.
 OBSERVER’S ROLE
According to Gold (1969) observer may become as;

Full Participant: The process of observing is

secondary, but the researcher will have especial
knowledge and experience of the field, note taking and
formal or semiformal interviewing in the field seems
artificial.
Participant-as-Observer: Though being a
participant, researcher acknowledges that he is an
observer. Participation is central than the job of
observing.
Observer-as-Participant: Researcher’s role of
observing becomes more central although he does
participate in the field.
Full Observer: This role puts researcher in a
position much more similar to a person doing a survey
or carrying out an experiment. Researcher will have the
sole role of observer, often behind a one-way mirror.
 STAGES OF OBSERVATION
Selection of Setting: Before
selecting a field, researcher should gather
information from the both external and
internal sources if possible. However, he
should try to get some perspective on the
field from insiders.
Entry into the Field: Entry stage
puts the researcher into the role of a
stranger which is often awkward and
insecure position. To move beyond this
stage requires learning and relearning,
socialization and resocialization through
establishing reciprocal relations in the field.
STAGES OF OBSERVATION Cntd….
Collecting Information: It is all the reaction of
sensory apparatus to what a person sees, smell, hears, feels and
tastes. The act of recording these sensory images would be more
appropriate within engaging in the following activities.
 In the Field: Recording can be done in many ways. Tape
recorders, video cameras, still cameras, and note taking are all
excellent tools. However, it is to be kept in mind that the hallmark
of observation has been its noninterventionism as well as
unobtrusiveness.
Memory sparking elements:
# The cast of characters
# Details of physical scene
# Critical verbatim comments
# Incongruent aspects of the scene
 After Leaving the Field: Most of the notes writing is done
after returning the field which is to be done within 24 hours of the
field observation.
STAGES OF OBSERVATION Cntd….
 After Leaving the Field:
Note Taking Materials:
# Running descriptions: Events, people, things heard, and overheard,
conversations among people and with people.
# Recalled materials that had been forgotten
# Ideas that interpret the meaning of a situation
# Personal impressions and feelings
# Notes from additional information (special)

Organizing the Notes: Organize the notes

according to:
People
Events
Ideas or Themes &
Chronological order
STAGES OF OBSERVATION Cntd….
Analyzing the Results: The task of analysis
is to bring order out of the chaos of the notes kept,
to keep out of the central themes of the study and
to carry them across to the written work.
For this, researcher should look for repeated
patterns, common occurrences and normative
modes for events and equally s/he should be
careful on the deviant or unusual cases.
Validity & Reliability: The most criticism
leveled against observational research lies in the
areas of validity and reliability due to its nature of
researcher’s biasness and subjective
interpretations.
Researcher can overcome the difficulty of
legitimating their work by triangulating evidences
through which s/he can prove or disprove her
arguments.
OBSERVATIONAL PARADIGM
Formal Sociology: Study of the forms or structures of a
society according to which these are patterned.

Dramaturgical Sociology: Study of people how they

construct their self-presentation and carry them off in front of
others. It is done by studying how people act, interact and form
relationships, to understand how they accomplish meaning in their
lives.

Auto-Observation: The use of the self as a research tool

for understanding society. Dilthey’s (1961) Verstehen

Ethnomethodology: It is similar to the approach of

ethnography which gives priority to collecting data about people
using method as interviewing, auto-observation and using
description and narrative in reporting.
Ethnomethodological observation yields a product that is more
structural and objective, less mediated by the subjective
perspective of the researcher.
 ETHICAL ISSUES
Observational research, being the least obtrusive of all social sciences
data gathering, ethical malpractices may make it vulnerable.
Two forms of researcher’s invasion are:
# Venturing into private places and
# Misrepresenting oneself as a member into the field.

Remarks of Humphreys (1975)

“ Are there, perhaps, some areas of human behavior that are not fit for social
scientific study at all? Should sex, religion, suicide or other socially sensitive
concerns be omitted from the catalogue of possible fields of sociological
research?”

Remarks of Erikson (19670

“It is unethical for a sociologist to deliberately misrepresent his identity for
the purpose of entering a private domain to which he is not otherwise
eligible.”
Remarks of Warwick (1973)
“ Humphreys was overly concerned with the needs of the researcher and not
enough with the freedom of the subjects.”
These quotes are for our discussion.
THANK
YOU