I have recently started a new job in a primary school which has provided me with lots of opportunities for observation.
I completed my first observation on my first day when I was unknown to the children almost taking me out of the role of insider researcher which was a great experience. I then two weeks later observed a class with children that I had got to know and again found it a great but very different experience.
What I found interesting...
The children all have their own very different personalities but I found during both observations they almost developed a uniform behaviour in the class room. They obviously were very clear on what was expected of them and how to behave.
The teachers took opportunities to be more light hearted with the children but at the same time were able to reign it back in when needed.
The children follow a code of conduct expected of them by the school. In a sense being a pupil is there job and they are encouraged to do it well. This gives the classroom a nice feel of equality and fairness.
Boundary's were tested but dealt with without fuss or two much disturbance.
There was a sense of calm even at negative times that surprised me.
Would I use observation?
The plus points....
If you open your eyes and your mind you are able to gather an awful lot of information at once.
It's relaxed and informal, seeing the raw materials in there natural habitat as such.
On the down side...
The range of what you observe can be huge and knowing how to take away the right information could be tricky.
Observation opens up a lot of variables that can be hard to control or understand there effect on a true result.
Consolidating data is difficult. Finding the right way to evaluate and report your results could be hard to do.
As an insider researcher I will have to be concerned with my own bias and experiences clouding what I am actually observing. You have to almost step outside and become detached to what you are seeing and just report clearly on the facts. But my main concern with the validity of the results would be the effect being observed would have on the people being observed.
I know from experience no matter how hard I try if someone is watching me my behaviour changes. Sometimes very slightly but other times hugely. It's very hard to stop this as I'm sure as much as anything it happens on a subconscious level.
I think observation is going to feature heavily in my inquiry so I'm gonna have to be very clear in my own mind what information I am looking for and to try to avoid having a changing effect on my subjects and to also try and bare in mind the effect of me actually being there has had on the people I'm observing.
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