Observations
Controlled Observation
The researcher decides where, with who, when and how the observation will take place. Instead of writing a detailed description, it is easier to use a coding system. The information will then be organised into categories that measure the behaviour or characteristics, this will then make it easier to put the data into statistics.
Naturalistic Observation
This is an unstructured observation where participants are in a natural environment the researcher studies the behaviour of wherever they are.
Participant Observation
The researcher becomes part of the group they are observing for research purposes. e.g. a mystery shopper.
Evaluating Controlled Observation
I conducted a controlled observation to identify attitudes and discuss truths about how the social activities appeal to teenagers living in Banstead. I chose a controlled observation over natural as it was easier for me to discover participant’s reactions to the activities in Banstead that were on display. If I were to use any other form of observation, it would not have worked as well as the participants may not have voluntarily viewed the leaflets that were on display, it was also quicker for me to gain reactions at the right time rather than spending large amounts of time waiting for a reaction. Conducting a controlled observation was easier for me as I was able to approach participants and trigger a conversation with them about the suggested activities. Speaking to the participants directly enabled me to identify facial expressions, sarcastic remarks and a more in-depth response and opinion about what Banstead has to offer.
An example of a controlled observation that inspired me would be Pavlov’s Dogs, where before he fed his dogs he would ring a bell. He repeated this a few more times for a while and then tried ringing the bell without leaving out any food. After he rang the bell, the dogs began to salivate more as they were convinced they were about to be fed. This then gave me ideas to conduct a controlled observation as I wanted to observe and see the reactions for myself when I suggested the different activities to teenagers passing by.
On my observation table, I could have added an extra column and listed it ‘unsure/not much knowledge of’ in order to make my table much clearer and reliable. If another person were to conduct this observation with my table, they may not be sure where to write the response if the participant does not know much or is unaware of the activity. I also could have added a column that asked the observer to rate the reactions out of 5, rather than just have separate columns asking to number who is interested and uninterested. Perhaps I could have also included gender to columns to identify which gender are more interested in which activity.
In order to make my observation more valid, I could get a couple of other people to perform the same observation to make my findings less biased. Perhaps, I could have included more columns in order to categorise them and measure exact responses, such as making categories for specific attitudes rather than putting them into two different columns.
The strengths of my observation is that I was able to provide the participants I approached with my own chosen questions. This allowed me to identify participants exact thoughts on the activities in a much quicker time. However, the weaknesses of my observation were that I could have gained responses from more people. I also could have asked an equal amount of participants of both genders, that way I could have made a more specific link to the responses.
From both of these pie charts, participants are more interested in the restaurants and bars such as The Woolpack and Café Italia, whereas the ‘uninterested’ categories state that participants were uninterested in Banstead Woods Nature Trail and The Lavender Fields. This suggests that considering the age group of my participants, which were mainly 17-18 year olds, restaurants and bars appeal more to them rather than the outdoor activities.
With this research, it will help me with my documentary as I can research more into the different interest in activities between younger and older teenagers. The possible restriction may be that the younger teenagers might not want to do the outdoor activities, whereas they are too young for the restaurants and bars in Banstead. Younger teenagers may also not be able to afford to go to such attractions, therefore they are limited as to what they can do in their free time. This will help me in my documentary as I can find out what alternatives teenagers are more likely to do when they do not want to visit these attractions, as well as receive opinionated responses as to why Banstead is not an ideal location for teenagers to socialise.
