NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION PROJECT
(Adapted from the child observation project written by S. Thompson,
http://cas.utpb.edu/media/files/Child%20Observation%20Project%202004.doc)
I.
Purpose of Project
It is very easy to be around children without noticing fascinating aspects of their behavior.
Indeed, it is rare when anyone intently observes a child for a continuous period, looking for
behaviors that characterize an individual child or childhood. Many hours of study and
practice are required before a person would become an “expert” observer.
II.
Initial Preparation
A. Select a partner. You will design the project together, but you will write up your
report separately.
B. Select a situation that will allow you to perform at least 2 sessions of observation in
a naturalistic setting. Possible settings could be the cafeteria, the classroom, or the
playground. Your observation times will need to be coordinated with the elementary
school. Remember, in a naturalistic observation, you do not need to obtain informed
consent. However, since this is a school setting, you will need to obtain the consent
of the class teacher in elementary school if you wish to conduct your observations in
a classroom. We will also seek the permission of the Elementary School Principal to
carry out this project.
C. The design of your project will be based on Activity 17 on page 67 of your Research
Methods text. This means you must complete tasks 1 – 4 in the activity as part of
your preparation. Task 5 is your actual project.
First review your answers to the questions on page 66 of your text Research
Methods. Re-read page 67, paying particular attention to the explanations of
observational systems and Sampling Procedures.
D. Now read and note down key points in Reading #1 - Group Dynamics (attached to
this packet) and on page 68 of Research Methods
E. Discuss with your partner the possible answers to questions 2 and 3 on page 68, and
note them down. The answers are on the next page. Are you on the right track? If
so, move to the next step.
F. Creating your initial design
Discuss your research aims with your partner (see question 1, Activity 17, page 67 of
Research Methods). You might like to actually take a walk to the cafeteria or another
public place, on a ‘scouting’ mission as part of your discussion. You may only do this
initial observation in public areas. Please have your research aims ready by the next
lesson.
In the next lesson, we will be ready to put the final touches to your design, and
organize permission.
Answers to Qs 34
1. Participant observation, naturalistic observation.
2. In each case the answer could arguably be event or time sampling, but some example answers
are given below
a. Time sampling, every 10 seconds record behaviour of a target child.
b. Event sampling, note down each time a child makes a particular sound or sounds.
c. Event sampling, every time someone crossing note the details.
d. Event sampling, note every time someone drops litter and the details e.g. age, gender, what
was dropped.
e. Follow a dog owner and use time sampling, every 30 seconds write down what they are
doing.
3. a. e.g. Students spend more time staring into space than reading their books.
Students spend a significant amount of time talking to friends.
b. e.g. reading book, staring into space, talking to friends, making notes, looking for a book,
getting ready to work
c. Event sampling. I would observe one student and tick each time they did one of the
behaviours in the checklist and for how long.
Time sampling. Every 15 seconds note what the target student is doing.
d. e.g. Pretend to be another student working in the library (participant observation). One way
mirror is unlikely.
e. e.g Invasion of privacy, lack of informed consent.
f. Privacy: dealt with through justification that a library is a public place therefore not invading
privacy. It is acceptable though people may still feel you shouldn’t observe them when they
don’t realize they are being observed.
Informed consent: obtain informed consent afterwards and offer right to withhold data. This
seems acceptable though may make people feel wary in the future.
g. You are watching people going about their everyday business and not interfering in any way.
h. It’s a method
4. a. e.g. (1) Test results for each group of students (2) Attention paid to teacher in class
b. Tell students the observer is a student teacher observing the teacher’s behaviour (might still
be a bit obtrusive), one way mirror, use test results because then don’t actually observe the
teacher’s behaviour.
c. If you are watching the teacher then you could use time sampling to check on attentiveness of
students.
d. e.g. Advantage: Observe real-world behaviour, teaching style in a natural context.
Disadvantage: May be hard to do it without students/teachers being aware of being studied
which would affect the external validity of the findings.
e. e.g. (1) informed consent (2) confidentiality (of ratings given to teacher)
f. It’s a technique.
Reading #1 Group Dynamics
Source: VCU College of Humanities and Sciences
http://www.has.vcu.edu/group/case.htm
One of the best ways to understand groups, in general, is to understand one
group, in depth. The case-study approach has a long and venerable tradition in
all the sciences, with some of the greatest advances in thinking coming from case
studies rather than from experiments or survey studies. The field of group
dynamics, in particular, is checkered with case studies that have transformed the
field: the case analyses conducted at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric
Company (Landsberger, 1958; Mayo, 1945; Roethlisberger & Dickson, 1939);
Janis's studies of groups suffering from groupthink; William Foote Whyte's
brilliant Street Corner Society; Newcomb's Bennington study are all major
contributions to the field.
Case studies' disadvantages are, of course, often noted: the group studied may be
unique, and the observer (most case studies involve observation) may be biased
in his or her perceptions. Hypotheses can rarely be put to an objective test, and
in some cases the analysis may not rise above mere description. But they have
strengths as well. They are simple, direct, and to-the-point: By examining a group
during its actual activities, you gain understanding of such groups in general.
They are higher, in some cases, in external validity, and they can also be the
crucible for more advanced theoretical analysis. Indeed, extending David B.
Miller's comments about naturalistic observation to case studies of groups
(1977, American Psychologist, Vol. 32, pp. 211-220), we find that case studies
are useful because they
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allow us to study groups, for their own sake
serve as a "starting point for investigating certain behavioral phenomena
and subsequently serve as a point of departure from which to develop a
program of laboratory research" (Miller, p. 213);
can serve to validate findings obtained in laboratory settings;
provide us with a larger context for understanding groups as they form,
develop, and disband in their natural settings;
can, in some cases, provide the researcher with the opportunity to use his
or her more traditional research tools, but in a naturally occuring
situation.
There is no one correct way to carry out a case study, but the following
suggestions are offered to maximize the method's strengths and minimize its
weaknesses.
1. Identify a group for study. Groups are everywhere, and many of them are
open to the public. You can also carry out a participant observation study,
as well, although your analysis will more than likely be influenced by your
unique position in the group. Most groups would be willing to let you
attend their meetings if you explain you are a student of groups, and want
to watch what goes on. Get consent, and don't put you or the group you
study at risk in any way.
2. Become familiar with the group by studying its artifacts, products, and
location. Try to gather, from resource materials or printed matter, a list of
all members and their positions. Examine the physical location the group
occupies, and try to determine where the group members live and work
in relation to one another. You should know the group members' names
(or, at least, have developed labels for the members if they are
anonymous) and their positions before you try to describe a group's
interaction. Be able to describe them as individuals.
3. Watch the group in action. Groups are, well, dynamic. It is difficult to
watch a group interact and record all the relevant information. But you
should note where individuals sit in relation to one another, who talks to
and after whom, who talks the most and who talks the least, and you
should try to categorize (in general terms) the content of the
communication: e.g., who is making task- focused comments, who
concentrates on socio-emotional activities. You should try to be sensitive
to nonverbal messages, and always, always, take notes. Expand the notes
immediately after the observation.
4. Develop a conceptualization of your group. All good case studies go
beyond describing the group--they also offer theoretical insights into
groups, in general, by drawing out the theoretically interesting aspects of
the group observed. Theories of group development, of structure, of
status acquisition, of performance, abound, and can be applied to the
group you are watching.
5. Generate a case study, which should take the form of a brief scientific
paper. It is often appropriate to include an introduction, method, results,
and discussion section.
6. If possible, supplement your observational information with quantitative
information about the group. If you are interested in the group's
structure, ask members to complete the SYMLOG. If you are interested in
who interacts and who does not, then administer a shyness measure and
examine the results. Do not, of course, let your desire for quantitative
indices undermine your relationship with the group, or use measures that
might be ethically questionable.