Chapter 8

Data Collection
Methods: Observation
Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Observation
Observation involves going into the
field, - the factory, the supermarket,
the waiting room, the office, or the
trading room - watching what
workers, consumers, or day traders
do, and describing, analyzing, and
interpreting what one has seen.

Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

www.wiley.com/college/sekaran

Examples
Shadowing a Wall Street broker engaged
in his daily routine.
Observing in-store shopping behavior of
consumers via a camera.
Sitting in the corner of an office to observe
how a merchant bank trader operates.
Working in a plant to study factory life.
Studying the approach skills of sales
people disguised as a shopper.
Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

www.wiley.com/college/sekaran

Key dimensions characterizing type

of observation
Controlled versus Uncontrolled
Observational Studies
Participant versus Non-Participant
Observation
Structured versus Unstructured
Observational Studies
Concealed versus Unconcealed
observation

Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

www.wiley.com/college/sekaran

Participant Observation
The participatory aspect:
Complete participation
Moderate participation
Active participation

To what extent should I participate?

Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Participant Observation
The observation aspect
Obtaining permission
Finding a sponsor
Establishing rapport

Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

www.wiley.com/college/sekaran

What to observe?
Descriptive observation stage:
Space
Objects
Actors
Feelings
Events
Spradly, 1980

Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

www.wiley.com/college/sekaran

What to observe?
Focused and selective observation stage:
Look for a story line
Sort out regular from irregular activities
Look for variation in the storyline
Look for negative cases or exceptions
Develop a plan for systematic observation if
needed
DeWalt and DeWalt, 2002
Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

www.wiley.com/college/sekaran

Structured observation
Looks selectively at predetermined
phenomena
Different levels of structure

Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

www.wiley.com/college/sekaran

Coding schemes
Focus
Objective
Ease of use
Mutually exclusive and collectively
exhaustive
Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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Standard Coding Schemes

Simple checklist
Sequence record
Sequence record on time scale

Research
Methods

2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

www.wiley.com/college/sekaran