One of the Main Data Gathering Procedures, Essay Example

Observation is one of the main data gathering procedures in qualitative research. Having conducted an observation of a photograph, there were a number of advantages and disadvantages that were found. Among the advantages were that observation enabled the researcher to see what was actually there for himself. If the researcher had simply asked another person what he or she saw in the room, the information that the researcher would gather may include subjective input from the interviewee. Second, using observation enabled that researcher to explore every detail of the room. It is hard to imagine that a set of questions can capture the entirety of the subject of observation. On the other hand, some disadvantages experienced were the inability to see beyond what was there to see. For example, the photograph showed that the conference hall had two doors, but there was no way to tell what those doors were for. In an interview, it would have been possible to determine this. Also, since there was limited time allotted for observation, the researcher can be considered to have been at least subconsciously biased in what parts of the room to observe. Clearly, the observation in the following paragraphs do not depict the entirety of the room, but just what the researcher was able to observe within the time allotted.

This report on the observation activity begins with a general overview of the photograph observed. The subject of the photograph seems to be a lecture hall. The perspective of the observer is from the back of the hall looking to the front of the hall.

The room is irregularly structured and the tables and chairs are arranged in semi-circular fashion, with the podium at the center. The arrangement has multiple ascending levels, with more chairs and longer tables in each higher level. There is a blackboard behind the podium and an LCD screen positioned above the podium and in front of the blackboard. There are two doors visible in the photograph. The doors are adjacent to one another. The color of the walls are white, the tables are a brownish white with edges that are a light wood brown. The podium and the doors are a matching shade of wood brown that is somewhat darker than the shade of the edges of the tables. The chairs are a grayish blue.

The following is a more specific description of the objects in the room. There are two holes visible at the side of the podium. The podium has table extensions on either side. The extension on the left hand side is empty while the one on the right hand side seems to have some papers on it. The chairs are fixed in place. They are wide, well-cushioned chairs that look comfortable to sit on. The wall connecting the two doors has some objects on it. One small object seems like a switch. Above it is a white object of some sort while to the right is some metallic sign. The two doors each have something attached to their upper middle faces. Beside the door on the left seems to be a detached chair. The LCD screen is illuminated, which indicates that the projector is on. However, there is nothing displayed on the screen. The blackboard has a line separating its top and bottom parts, and a ridge at the bottom where writing instruments may be placed.