Blending Observational Methods: Possibilities, Strategies, and Challenges

Abstract

Qualitative researchers have used the observational strategies of video recording and participant observation to investigate specific phenomena. Although there have been recent advances in the separate use of these strategies, there is evidence that there is benefit in combining these observational approaches to study particular phenomena. The purpose of the paper is to present a discussion about the application of these observational methods as blended approaches. The authors draw on their own experience as researchers and that of others to explore how these observational strategies could be combined for use in a singular study. They provide directions for researchers who select observation as a primary research strategy.

Through the Creator's Eyes: Using the Subjective Camera to Study Craft Creativity

“…Beyond the preliminary difficulty of gaining permission for the research and the final impasse of analysing a dataset of extraordinary complexity, there is also the fundamental question of how to set the cameras in order to capture creative processes. This challenge ranges from the more practical issue of how to capture work done on very small objects often held close to the creators' (non-transparent) body, to the more theoretical reflection on the 'outsider' perspective of the researcher positioned at the other end of camera (see Paterson, Bottorff & Hewat, 2003). Unavoidably it is the researcher who, by the mere placement of the camera and decision on what and how to film, actually shapes the reality meant to be observed.…”

Reflections on the Use of Visual Methods in a Qualitative Study of Domestic Kitchen Practices

“…Using video to observe practices along with direct non-participant observation extended the possibilities of each of these techniques and overcame some of the limitations of each individual method (Paterson et al, 2003). For example, video recording practices overcame the potential loss of finer level detail that can occur when relying on researchers to write their fieldnotes after a period of observation has taken place (Creswell, 2007).…”

“…We did not want to record extensive footage which would be impossible to view or analyse within the confines of the project timetable (Martens and Scott, 2004), but we wanted to record a range of practices, moments and interactions involving all those within a household (pets as well as people). The initial kitchen tour, non-participant observation in the kitchen and talking to participants helped to identify suitable periods for video recording (Paterson et al, 2003). This included identifying periods when different household members would be present (individually and in different combinations).…”

The bloody truth: Investigating nurse phlebotomy competencies at a private laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa

“…Recordings are less threatening to the participants and minimise change of daily routine and behaviour. An added benefit of reviewing recordings is that it allows the reviewer the opportunity to stop, replay and make notes without interrupting the process, enabling improved judgements that an in-person observer might have missed (Paterson, Bottorff, & Hewat, 2003). The recordings were then reviewed by independent evaluators and scored against a criterion-based checklist to identify pre-analytical technique errors made by the nursing staff.…”