TAKING NOTES AND RECORDING WHILE OBSERVING SOCIAL PHENOMENA
Keywords:
method of observation, note taking, observation protocol, observer's diary, fieldnotesAbstract
Taking notes and recording observations at the same time represent an integral part of the data collection and the first step towards their analysis. In the first part of the paper, it is pointed out to the link between the theoretical guidance of observations in social sciences and the creation of written notes or recordings. It also shows how taking notes can contribute to greater objectivity towards collected material, because it enables its intersubjective verifiability. The second section of the article deals with the observation protocol, indicating the differences between the protocols used in "nonparticipant observation" (usually, but not necessarily, in psychology) and the protocol used in sociology and anthropology, while applying participatory forms of observation. The third section discusses the types of notes: field journal, mental notes, fieldnotes, jottings, scratch notes, and their properties. Possibilities and limitations of audio and video recording in application of the methods of observation are the subject of the next section. In the final section, the question of note taking and recording during the observation of social phenomena is framed in the broader context of the theory of scientific information. According to the author, methodological notes and analytic(al) notes in methodological point of view belong to the later stages of creating empirical evidence obtained by observation.
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