In order to achieve effective observation, these are the guidelines which need to be followed:
- The objective/focus of your observation is to get as much detail (thick description) as possible.
- Avoid making a summary/evaluation when observing.
- Record what you see and what you hear – focus on the events/activities, people, & place. Should you have any comments/opinion etc., note that as observer’s comment.
- However, this protocol is only a guide. You must give allowance for emerging issues/events/ideas.
- You are also encouraged to write question/s that you want to ask in your interview. Questions that will provide you with more detail/clarification on your observation.
The work given as practiced is to observe this video (see below) and to describe as much as possible according to these aspects: place/facilities, people (primary and secondary) / events / activities.
After watching it, came up with this description:
Primary participant: The mother
Secondary participant: the three sons and daughter
The teenage son came back from school. He entered the living room. The mother was reading magazine.
He was happily texting messages.
He sat in the living room.
The mother saw the son and she asked him how was school. The son replied that what happen at school was all-right.The mother wanted to share something which happened to her on that day.
When the mother was sharing, the son was very much focusing happily on texting messages.
The mother noticed that. So, the mother questioned the son whether was he actually listening to her.
The son replied with an annoying yes and continued with his texting.
The mother was annoyed and walked out of the living room. She decided to find someone who would listen to her.
The daughter’s bedroom
The mother went to the daughter and asked her (daughter) if she has a minute to spare. The daughter share a different relationship with the mother compared to the son. The daughter found that the mother was not happy with her brother’s attitude and decided to make her mother happy by offering to listen to the mother’s explanation. After a while of long sharing, the daughter attention shifted to her handphone. The mother was speechless and angry. Her anger could be seen when she banged the door closed.
The dining room:
All four children were busy texting messages with their handphones. The mother was annoyed as no one paid any attention to her request until she had to make some noises with the glass to get their attention. At that point, the mother’s anger got the children’s attention. Her raised voice and stern look plus her threat to throw the handphone into the garbage made the children felt scared. After getting the children’s attention, she continued with how her day was. Her talk was abruptly interrupted with the ringing tones from the children’s handphones. She felt disappointed. This is reflected from her voice and sad look. Then she made an announcement that no one is allowed to have their handphones in the house. Her announcement made the children not happy. Seconds later, the mother’s handphone rang. She flipped open her handphone and found a message was sent to her saying “she was the greatest mum ever.” That made her very happy as she read the message out loud to her children. It was assumed the message was sent by her children. The children felt happy to see their mother not angry anymore as later, all the children joined the mother for a jig.
The son bedroom and the living room
The son was doing his homework on the bed and called out the mother as he wanted the mother to help with the homework. The son called the mother three times. The son was not really happy when there was no reply from the mother. Since he did not received any reply from the mother, he went out from his bedroom to search for her.
The son went out to the living room and saw the mother texting on her handphone. The son asked the mother to help him with the homework. The mother looked up. With a blank look on her face, she told the son she did not catch what did the son said. Then she continued the texting activity on her handphone.
Hmm…I wonder how is this for thick description.