- To observe is to be alert, to actively engage with what we are looking at, and to try and make sense of it.
- Observation is important as it allows us to understand and learn in situations where the participants and the researcher speak different languages.
- What we focus on in our observation is dependent on the research question.

Types of Observation

Participant
Non-Participant
Generalised
Focused
Participant Observation

Process of learning about a phenomenon through participating in it.
Enables research to be a shared activity.
Allows for greater empathy and trust.
Allows for equality between researcher and participants
Degrees of Participant Observation
Active Participation
Partial Participation
Peripheral Participation
Ethnographic Records
Enables documenting observations.
Enables being alert to imponderabilia.
Enables analysis of what is observed.
Enables development of concepts based on observations
Types of Records (fieldnotes)
Quick notes
Jottings
Transcripts.
Interview notes
Diary or journal entries