Qualitative Research Basics: A Guide for Engineering Educators

• Perspective: insider to outsider
• Who conducts the inquiry: professionals to people in the setting being studied
• Disclosure of the observer’s role: full disclosure to no disclosure
• Duration of observations: short, single observation to long-term, multiple
observations
• Focus: single element to holistic view of the setting
Conducting an Observational Study
Prior to conducting an observational study, a number of decisions need to be made. As
with any study, the question of whom and what will be observed is paramount, and must
be consistent with the epistemological perspective and research questions. If one is
approaching the research from a constructivist perspective, observations of groups would
not be appropriate.
For a structured study, the specific data to be collected must be identified ahead of time.
In an unstructured study, the process evolves as data collection proceeds. This process
has been described as a “funnel” (Punch, 1998). Initially there are only broad questions
that the researcher wants to answer. As observation proceeds and data are collected, the
research questions are refined in light of the data collected, and the focus of the
observations becomes tighter in order to narrow in on these revised questions. Punch
(1998) lists five stages of an unstructured observation that were originally suggested by
Silverman (p.186):
• Proposing a set of general questions
• Writing field notes, which are originally broad descriptive categories but which
later are developed into focused categories
• Looking as well as listening
• Testing hypotheses
• Making broader links.
Angrosino (2005) similarly proposes the following levels of specificity that occur during
an unstructured observation study:
• Descriptive observation: All details are recorded.
• Focused observation: Only those activities that are relevant are recorded.
• Selective observation: Specific elements of the general activities are recorded.
With any observational study, particularly one that occurs in a naturalistic setting, the
question of gaining access is paramount. Often this involves identifying “gatekeepers,”
key people who can provide access. Gaining the trust of those being observed is very
important in order to gain a true picture of the setting, which is why observational studies
can take a long time to conduct. Another important aspect of observation is identifying a
“key informant.” This is a person who is particularly knowledgeable, insightful, or
articulate and acts as a primary resource to access others.
Collection of data can be done in many ways. In structured observation, a checklist will
often suffice. In unstructured observation there needs to be some way to record the
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