OBSERVATIONS
Definition: made about how people interact and how they understand
behaviours
Based on observing patients
Different ways:
– Naturalistic, in naturally occurring settings
– Overt: aware of being observed
Covert: opposite to over
Participant: researcher is a part of it and acts as a participant to observe from
within
Structured: results are recorded in a structured way
Unstructured: researcher chooses what is important
Strengths and weaknesses:
– Naturalistic observation can be time consuming,
– Ethical advantage in overt and disadvantages in covert
– Researcher can lose objectivity
– Consent cannot be given in covert
Case study:
Rosen carrier and Cheever
Carried out a structure observation method
Used a checklist to observe
FOCUS GROUP
What is it?
– A special type of semi structured interview
– Conducted simultaneously with 6 to 10 people
– Key factor is that participants are encouraged to interact with each
other
– A faciliatator keeps the group active
Advantages:
– a quick way to get info from participants at the same times
– Ensures less bias
– Multiple perspectives
Disadvantages:
– harder to preserve confidentiality of the participants
– Very demanding in terms of sampling and making transcripts
– Participant responses may be distorted if there is a dominant
participant
Example: a group of parents of preschoolers meet to discuss child needs
Content analysis
What is it?
Definition: made about how people interact and how they understand
behaviours
Based on observing patients
Different ways:
– Naturalistic, in naturally occurring settings
– Overt: aware of being observed
Covert: opposite to over
Participant: researcher is a part of it and acts as a participant to observe from
within
Structured: results are recorded in a structured way
Unstructured: researcher chooses what is important
Strengths and weaknesses:
– Naturalistic observation can be time consuming,
– Ethical advantage in overt and disadvantages in covert
– Researcher can lose objectivity
– Consent cannot be given in covert
Case study:
Rosen carrier and Cheever
Carried out a structure observation method
Used a checklist to observe
FOCUS GROUP
What is it?
– A special type of semi structured interview
– Conducted simultaneously with 6 to 10 people
– Key factor is that participants are encouraged to interact with each
other
– A faciliatator keeps the group active
Advantages:
– a quick way to get info from participants at the same times
– Ensures less bias
– Multiple perspectives
Disadvantages:
– harder to preserve confidentiality of the participants
– Very demanding in terms of sampling and making transcripts
– Participant responses may be distorted if there is a dominant
participant
Example: a group of parents of preschoolers meet to discuss child needs
Content analysis
What is it?
