Using Observations in Small-scale Research

Download or read book Using Observations in Small-scale Research written by Mary Simpson and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Teachers are being encouraged to use observational strategies for a variety of professional purposes in assessment and evaluation. Observation differs from just "looking" in that the personal experience of looking is transformed into a public event by the systematic recording of what is seen and by subsequent analysis and interpretation. Chapter 1 introduces techniques of observation and considers its advantages and disadvantages as a data gathering tool. Chapter 2 presents the two main methods of recording data, systematic recording and descriptive and narrative recording. The use of technological aids to recording is also reviewed. Chapter 3 discusses how to plan the management of observation procedures and the personal and ethical issues involved. The most commonly used methods of analyzing data are described in chapter 4, considering the processing of both quantitative and qualitative data. (Contains 12 figures and 27 references.) (SLD)