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© Lee Harvey 2012–2024

Page updated 8 January, 2024

Citation reference: Harvey, L., 2012–2024, Researching the Real World, available at qualityresearchinternational.com/methodology
All rights belong to author.

A Guide to Methodology

3. Observation

3.1 Introduction
3.2 Aspects
3.3 Methodological approaches

3.3.1 Positivism and observation

3.3.1.1 Observation as a descriptive tool
3.3.1.2 Observation as the exploratory stage for further quantitative research

3.3.1.3 Observation for triangulation
3.3.1.4 Observation to refine or evaluate policy interventions
3.3.1.5 Observation as a means of deriving hypotheses, building models or refining theory

3.3.1.3 Observation for triangulation
3.3.1.4 Observation to refine or evaluate policy interventions
3.3.1.5 Observation as a means of deriving hypotheses, building models or refining theory

3.3.2 Phenomenology and observation
3.3.3 Critical social research and observation

3.4 Access
3.5 Recording data
3.6 Analysing observational or ethnographic data
3.7 Summary

3.3 Methodological approaches

3.3.1 Positivism and observation

3.3.1.2 Observation as the exploratory stage for further quantitative research
Some quantitative social research traditions have made use of observation techniques at the initial stage of social survey research. This is known as the exploratory stage, which is used to identify the general areas of the survey and the specific detail around which the questions might be constructed (Barton and Lazarsfeld, 1955).

Brewer (2000, pp. 164–5) sees observation techniques as useful when the topic is novel or subtle and there is no initial basis for constructing closed question. Barker and Polson (1999), for example, used observation initially, to determine suitable questionnaire categories in their study of the effectiveness of a consumer health information shop.

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