Conducting Observational Research

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Disadvantages of Qualitative Observational Research
• Researcher bias can bias the design of a study.
• Researcher bias can enter into data collection.
• Sources or subjects may not all be equally credible.
• Some subjects may be previously influenced and affect the outcome of the study.
• Background information may be missing.
• Study group may not be representative of the larger population.
• Analysis of observations can be biased.
• Any group that is studied is altered to some degree by the very presence of the researcher. Therefore, any data collected is somewhat skewed. (Heisenburg Uncertainty Principle)
• It takes time to build trust with participants that facilitates full and honest self-representation. Short term observational studies are at a particular disadvantage where trust building is concerned.

Ethnographic studies
• The quality of the data alone is problematic. (Lauer and Asher) (1988): Ethnographic research is time consuming, potentially expensive, and requires a well trained researcher
• Too little data can lead to false assumptions about behavior patterns. Conversely, a large quantity of data may not be effectively be processed
• Data Collector's first impressions can bias collection

Narrative Inquiries
• Narrative inquiries do not lend themselves well to replicability and are not generalizable.
• Narrative Inquiries are considered unreliable by experimentalists. However, ethnographies can be assessed and compared for certain variables to yield testable explanations; this is as close as ethnographic research gets to being empirical in nature.
• Qualitative research is neither prescriptive nor definite. While it provides significant data about groups or cultures and prompts new research questions, narrative studies do not attempt to answer questions, nor are they predictive of future behaviors.