Curious about observation but not sure how to get started? Concerned about potential pitfalls? Want to strengthen your triangulation of interview and focus group data? This workshop provides a strong foundation for conducting observation in qualitative research.

Observation was arguably the first qualitative data collection method: used by anthropologists dating back to the 1800s. Though now less common than in-depth interviews or focus group discussions, observation can be an invaluable asset to most qualitative studies. In formative, descriptive, and evaluative research, observation can generate insights and reveal details impossible to learn any other way.

Combining hands-on practice with examples from completed and ongoing research, this workshop will equip you with the tools to incorporate observation into your existing methods. You’ll learn about different approaches to observation, situations in which each approach is most useful, and how to design the data collection instruments you’ll need for each. You’ll learn how to minimize reactivity and how to account for it when it occurs.

In this workshop you’ll also learn about some common objections to observation and how to address them: Observation is too expensive. It takes too long. Observing is invasive, maybe even unethical. People don’t like being observed, they’ll never consent to it. Your data won’t be valid: people change what they’re doing if they know that you’re watching. We’ll discuss these concerns and how to build the strongest possible case for the value of observation in your own research.

This course is for researchers who want to adopt a qualitative orientation in their mixed methods research designs and examine its influence on integration planning, execution, and reporting. Designing qualitatively oriented integration procedures within mixed methods research requires specialized skills in addition to leveraging existing qualitative and quantitative researcher expertise. In this course, we draw examples from diverse settings, such as the study of literacy gaps in children, the effectiveness of public health messaging, and technology needs in higher education to explore how qualitatively oriented mixed methods research offers a unique lens to mitigate some of the inequities and ethical issues that arise by relying on sole sources of qualitative or quantitative evidence.

Core discussions will include:

• Distinguishing characteristics of qualitatively oriented mixed methods designs
• Describing mixed methods procedures that reflect a qualitative orientation to integration
• Creating visual diagrams and displays to convey evidence of qualitatively oriented mixed methods designs and integration evidence
• Incorporating recent advances and promising practices in mixed methods research into proposals, practices, and manuscripts.