OBSERVATION METHOD

&
CASE STUDY METHOD
Dr. Amrita Sastry
Department of Sociology
Jesus and Mary college
University of Delhi
OBSERVATION METHOD: MEANING
• Observation method is a qualitative research method which relies on
physically observed phenomenon
• Observation means ‘watching carefully’- seeing through eyes
• Observation is different from casual seeing; done systematically with a
definite purpose
• To study people in real life situations and involves the process of
detailed, in-depth description of everyday life and practice
 TYPES OF OBSERVATION METHOD
• Participant & Non-Participant
• Structured & Unstructured
• Natural & Laboratory
• Overt & Covert
• Direct & Indirect
 PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
• The researcher participates in the activities of the community being
studied as a member of the culture and the community is aware of his/her
presence for observation
• Two types: observer as participant and participant as observer
• Observer as ‘participant’- The observer in this category is present on-
site but maintains a distance - outsider position in which s/he
documents what was observed rather than what was experienced by
him/ her
 PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
• Participant as observer: Participant as observer is fully integrated into
the culture being studied- she/he lives with the community and
participates in their activities, rituals and practices etc.
• She/he documents observations as well as experiences
• Insider position -understand the meanings of the actions being
undertaken by the community members
 NON-PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
• Researcher observes a situation or a phenomenon from a distance without being
part of the group or culture being studied
• Complete observer: who observes at a distance and has no interaction with
people, group or community
• The observation is undertaken by use of one-way glass mirror, binoculars, video
cameras strategically placed around the site (Ethics has to be kept in mind)
• Non-participant observer uses different form of media for observation and may
watch and analyze the recordings off-site at a later date and stage
 PLANNING FOR OBSERVATION
• Identifying the ‘field’
• Time and Funding
• Pilot Study
• Gaining entry
• Research Design
• Method of Data collection
• Documenting observation- maintaining field notes and diary
• Analysis & Interpretation
• Writing of Report
 DOCUMENTATION IN OBSERVATION
• Field Notes- Taken during the fieldwork, random expression of people,
Observers personal impression, feelings and interpretations of what was
observed, any specific signs, symbols, names, patterns etc
• Field Diary- Unlike Field Notes which is random in nature, field diary is
more systematic in nature, with specific categorization, heading and sub-
heading (specifically developed keeping in mind the research objectives)
• It helps in arranging raw field data in an orderly manner so that in
future data can be retrieved in a systematic manner
 DOCUMENTATION
• Major things to record in field diary (though it might vary depending on
research):
1. Location of Observation
2. Date and Time of Observation
3. Whom you met, age occupation etc
4. Events, Rituals, Activities etc
5. Types of interaction (verbal/ non verbal)
6. Channel or sources of information (who gave, how he/she gave etc)
 DOCUMENTATION IN OBSERVATION
• Audio visual recording and photographs- Certainly these are important
components of documentation, but this comes with its own folly.
• Researcher has to weigh the Ethical consideration – whom you can
click, whom you can record, who gave the permission – ISSUE OF
ACCESS, CLASS, GENDER
• THINK AND REFLECT : The way as a researcher you can observe a
slum dweller, can you observe a bureaucrat or a minister in the same way?
 ADVANTAGES
• Observe people in natural setting (scope of impression management in
less)-
• Detailed information about particular groups, culture etc- THICK
DESCRIPTION Vrs THIN DESCRIPTION
• Collect data where and when an event or activity is occurring
• Allows you to directly see what people do rather than relying on what
people say they did
• study groups of people together
 DISADVANTAGES
• Researcher biasness
• Acceptance by the ‘field’
• Impression Management Erving Goffman- (Presentation of ‘Self’ in
everyday life)
• Expensive and Time-consuming as compared to other data collection
methods
• Analysis and interpretation of the data is a cumbersome process- require
thematic coding- time taking process
 CASE STUDY METHOD
• Exploring and analyzing the life of a social unit, be it a person, a family, an institution, cultural
group or even an entire community
• To preserve the unitary character of social object being studied
• Deep and diagnostic study
• Probe the entire life span of a social unit intensively and to analyze the complex factors that are
influencing the social unit
• The relationship between individual and society in well brought out in the Case Study (MICRO &
MACRO C. W. Mills)
• Understanding the relationship between HISTORY & BIOGRAPHY
• Case Studies are indispensable for therapeutic and administrative purpose
 SELECTING A CASE
• Primarily depend on your research topic
• Identification of situations and problems
• Total Time to be covered-the phase of life cycle
• Cost to be incurred
• Researchers courage, interest, skill and training in research
• Time to be spent with the subject
• Consent from the Subject
SOURCES OF DATA IN CASE STUDY
• Life histories
• Personal records & documents
• Personal letters, Confessions, Biographies
• Unstructured Interviewing –Scope of Rambling will be more
• Observations
 RESEACRHER’S SKILL
• Should be able to ask good questions and to interpret the answers- FUNNEL
TECHNIQUE OR INVERTED FUNNEL TECHNIQUE
• Should be a good listener and not be trapped by his or her own ideologies or
preoccupations and be able to observe and sense more generally
• Should be adaptive and flexible so that new encountered situations can be seen as
opportunities, not as threats
• Should have firm grasp of the ideas being studied
• Should be unbiased by preconceived notions
• Should be sensitive and responsive to contradictory evidence
 LIMITATIONS
• Does not provide universal impersonal and common aspects of a phenomenon
• Tendency for a researcher to draw generalization after studying a few cases, which may
not be relevant to all situations
• Tendency to over-emphasize the unique or universal events which are seldom
comparable
• Collected subjective data do not lend themselves to quantitative check
• Time consuming, costly and sometimes wasteful in certain cases
• Sometimes case study is loose and unsystematic and the generalizations drawn from
few cases are not always accurate