Disadvantages Of Observation Studies

Tonido, Kathleen E.
Topic: Observation Studies
IV. Learning outcomes:
At the end of the discussion, the students must be able to:
1. Describe observation studies.
2. Name the diferrent uses of observation studies
3. Distinguish Non behavioral from behavioral observation
4. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of observation studies
I. Observation studies
According Wood (2008) observation study is a sytematic data collection approach. Researchers use all of their senses to examine people in a natural settings or naturally occurring situations. On the other hand, Wright (2016) defined observation study as a qualitative method of collecting and analyzing information obtained through directly or indirectly watching and observing others in a natural or planned environments.
a) Uses of observation studies:
• When the nature of the research question to be answered is focused on answering a how- or what-type question
• When the topic is relatively unexplored and little is known to explain the behavior of people in a particular setting
• When understanding the meaning of a setting in a detailed way is valuable
• When it is important to study a phenomenon in its natural setting
• When self-report data (asking people what they do) is likely to be different from actual behavior (what people actually do). One example of this seen in the difference between self-reported versus observed preventive service delivery in health care settings.
• When implementing an intervention in a