OBSERVATIONS &

PHOTOGRAPHS
As A Research Method

-A CRC Initiative
 • Recording how people
OBSERVATIONS
behave e.g. in the
ARE GOOD playground, or in
FOR: lessons

• To record natural
behavior

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 THE DISADVANTAGES OF
OBSERVATIONS ARE:

• Some people do not like being watched

• Some people behave differently when

being watched

• Observations can take a lot of time

• Observations can be complicated to

analyze

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 DIFFERENT TYPES OF OBSERVATIONS

1.Naturalistic observation: when you stand aside

and observe natural behaviors

2.Participant observation:. you observe by joining

in a lesson

3.Contrived observation: when you ask someone

to do something and then observe them e.g ask
then to play a specific video game and observe

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 RECORDING YOUR OBSERVATIONS

Observations need to be systematic so to record

you probably need a table or chart .

There are different types of table or chart

depending on what you are observing.

You can fill in a chart or table while you are

observing someone.

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 VARIOUS WAYS OF RECORDING
OBSERVATIONS
• Running record -This method involves noting down what you see

• Time samples -recording observations about the behaviour at

specific times

• Work samples -include the samples like paintings, drawings,

writings, figures and other crafty creations

• Photographs Images with annotations and descriptions about

what was taking place when the image was taken.

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 EXAMPLE
Yo u c a n w r i te a b o u t
teacher ’s behavior
every X minutes -
Design your own
observation Minutes Teacher’s behavior

chart 2 talks to whole class

walking around room
talking to individual
4 children
talking to a group of
6 children

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 PHOTOGRAPHIC
DATA
As a research method

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 THE ADVANTAGES OF
PHOTOGRAPHS

• Provide you with evidence

• Back up your arguments

• Illustrate points you want to make

• Show how you did things

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 THE DISADVANTAGES OF
PHOTOGRAPHS ARE:
• Some people do not like being
photographed

• Some people behave differently when

being photographed

• Ethical issues can be BIG e.g. you need

consent from all the people in a photo

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Where to use photographs as a
research method

• The photographs do not • Can help to create traces of

stand alone but are used in working through a place in
conjunction with interview the past and the present

• They are also a means by

which people in everyday
life can narrate experience

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  Photo Essay:
A series of photographs made to
tell a story about someone or some
situation
A VARIETY OF  Photo Elicitation:
METHODS THAT Inserting photographic images into
UTILIZE your research interviews for your
participants or subjects to comment
PHOTOGRAPHY IN on.
RESEARCH  Photo-Voice:
A participatory action research
method in which a participant in a
marginalized community takes
photographs in order to tell his or
her own story

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If Observation / Photograph is
chosen as research method?
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Decide on your answer to these question:
Observation-
• Who will you observe?
• Where can you find the people, you want
to observe?
• Where will you observe them?
Photographs-
• What will you take photographs of?
• Who will be in them?
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 REFERENCES

Participant Observation as a Data Collection Method

Barbara B. Kawulich
http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/466/996

McLeod, S. A. (2015, June 06). Observation methods. Simply psychology:

https://www.simplypsychology.org/observation.html

Brand, G., & McMurray, A. (2009). Reflections on photographs: Exploring first-year

student’s perceptions of older adults.

Close, H. (2007). The use of photography as a qualitative research tool.

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THANK YOU

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