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Limitations A major limitation of the observational method is the considerable amount of training, experience, and skill required to observe and record events accurately and completely. Not all persons can acquire the needed skills. In addition, observation generally is limited to descriptions of what happens in small groups of people, which also limits the ability to generalize the results. Observation can also be very demanding. Frequently, conversation and action occur at the same time. The observer has to note what is said, to whom, in what way, with what effect, and what kind of behavior was occurring. All of these things can occur very quickly as part of complex interaction among a number of persons. Inexperienced observers can miss part of the interaction or fail to record the action accurately. The substantial demands placed on observers also raise the possibility of bias in how observations are made, recorded, analyzed, and interpreted. In observational studies, the investigator is the research instrument. He or she observers, records the observations, and then analyzes and interprets them. This is why the accuracy and completeness of the record of observation is so important. Other social scientists will examine and decide for them selves whether the conclusions in a report are warranted, based on the record supplied by the author. These limitations also apply to research based on the case study or focus group techniques. For each, bias introduced by the investigator in the collection and analysis of the data remains a constant threat. Also, it is difficult to generalize findings from either a case study or results of a focus group. Even if participants in a focus group are selected randomly from some population, the size of the sample is usually too small to warrant generalization. Aids Internet resources This chapter focused mainly on use of participant observation as a data collection technique. Participant observation is only one of various methods of conducting qualitative research. A number of Web sites describe and illustrate how to conduct other forms of qualitative research. If you are thinking about using a qualitative approach to research, we suggest you also view some of the following sites: Methods-Qualitative, a guide to various qualitative research techniques, including natural observation, interviewing, obtaining oral histories, and conducting focus groups Qualitative Research Resources on the Internet, this site provides on-line access to a collection of qualitative research sites and materials available through the Internet, includes links to Web pages, journals, syllabi, and the current issue of The Qualitative Report, an online journal Overview: Ethnology, Observation Research and Narrative Inquiry describes observational and interpretative techniques for observing behavior of groups Qualitative Measures presents important questions you should consider before undertaking qualitative research; also provides links to pages on the same site that discuss and illustrate various specific forms of qualitative research. These additional pages include topics such as: The Qualitative-Quantitative Debate illustrates that all qualitative data can be coded quantitatively and that all quantitative data are based on qualitative judgments; the major categories of Qualitative Data describes and discusses in-depth interviewing, direct observation, written documents Qualitative Approaches covers ethnography, phenomenolgy, field and grounded research theory Qualitative Methods discusses participant observation, direct observation, unstructured interviewing); and Qualitative Validity discusses how to establish claims for the validity of generalizations based on qualitative data Key terms
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