Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts: Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods Framework
Indirect observation is a recent concept in systematic observation. It largely involves analyzing textual material generated either indirectly from transcriptions of audio recordings of verbal behavior in natural settings (e.g., conversation, group discussions) or directly from narratives (e.g., let...
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doaj-41fbabfe657c45fd934897af224333a12020-11-24T23:49:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782018-01-01910.3389/fpsyg.2018.00013254638Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts: Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods FrameworkM. Teresa Anguera0Mariona Portell1Salvador Chacón-Moscoso2Salvador Chacón-Moscoso3Susana Sanduvete-Chaves4Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainFaculty of Psychology, Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainFacultad de Psicología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, SpainDepartamento de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, ChileFacultad de Psicología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, SpainIndirect observation is a recent concept in systematic observation. It largely involves analyzing textual material generated either indirectly from transcriptions of audio recordings of verbal behavior in natural settings (e.g., conversation, group discussions) or directly from narratives (e.g., letters of complaint, tweets, forum posts). It may also feature seemingly unobtrusive objects that can provide relevant insights into daily routines. All these materials constitute an extremely rich source of information for studying everyday life, and they are continuously growing with the burgeoning of new technologies for data recording, dissemination, and storage. Narratives are an excellent vehicle for studying everyday life, and quantitization is proposed as a means of integrating qualitative and quantitative elements. However, this analysis requires a structured system that enables researchers to analyze varying forms and sources of information objectively. In this paper, we present a methodological framework detailing the steps and decisions required to quantitatively analyze a set of data that was originally qualitative. We provide guidelines on study dimensions, text segmentation criteria, ad hoc observation instruments, data quality controls, and coding and preparation of text for quantitative analysis. The quality control stage is essential to ensure that the code matrices generated from the qualitative data are reliable. We provide examples of how an indirect observation study can produce data for quantitative analysis and also describe the different software tools available for the various stages of the process. The proposed method is framed within a specific mixed methods approach that involves collecting qualitative data and subsequently transforming these into matrices of codes (not frequencies) for quantitative analysis to detect underlying structures and behavioral patterns. The data collection and quality control procedures fully meet the requirement of flexibility and provide new perspectives on data integration in the study of biopsychosocial aspects in everyday contexts.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00013/fullindirect observationmixed methodstextual materialsverbal behaviorsystematic observationquantitizing |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
M. Teresa Anguera Mariona Portell Salvador Chacón-Moscoso Salvador Chacón-Moscoso Susana Sanduvete-Chaves |
spellingShingle |
M. Teresa Anguera Mariona Portell Salvador Chacón-Moscoso Salvador Chacón-Moscoso Susana Sanduvete-Chaves Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts: Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods Framework Frontiers in Psychology indirect observation mixed methods textual materials verbal behavior systematic observation quantitizing |
author_facet |
M. Teresa Anguera Mariona Portell Salvador Chacón-Moscoso Salvador Chacón-Moscoso Susana Sanduvete-Chaves |
author_sort |
M. Teresa Anguera |
title |
Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts: Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods Framework |
title_short |
Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts: Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods Framework |
title_full |
Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts: Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods Framework |
title_fullStr |
Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts: Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods Framework |
title_full_unstemmed |
Indirect Observation in Everyday Contexts: Concepts and Methodological Guidelines within a Mixed Methods Framework |
title_sort |
indirect observation in everyday contexts: concepts and methodological guidelines within a mixed methods framework |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Psychology |
issn |
1664-1078 |
publishDate |
2018-01-01 |
description |
Indirect observation is a recent concept in systematic observation. It largely involves analyzing textual material generated either indirectly from transcriptions of audio recordings of verbal behavior in natural settings (e.g., conversation, group discussions) or directly from narratives (e.g., letters of complaint, tweets, forum posts). It may also feature seemingly unobtrusive objects that can provide relevant insights into daily routines. All these materials constitute an extremely rich source of information for studying everyday life, and they are continuously growing with the burgeoning of new technologies for data recording, dissemination, and storage. Narratives are an excellent vehicle for studying everyday life, and quantitization is proposed as a means of integrating qualitative and quantitative elements. However, this analysis requires a structured system that enables researchers to analyze varying forms and sources of information objectively. In this paper, we present a methodological framework detailing the steps and decisions required to quantitatively analyze a set of data that was originally qualitative. We provide guidelines on study dimensions, text segmentation criteria, ad hoc observation instruments, data quality controls, and coding and preparation of text for quantitative analysis. The quality control stage is essential to ensure that the code matrices generated from the qualitative data are reliable. We provide examples of how an indirect observation study can produce data for quantitative analysis and also describe the different software tools available for the various stages of the process. The proposed method is framed within a specific mixed methods approach that involves collecting qualitative data and subsequently transforming these into matrices of codes (not frequencies) for quantitative analysis to detect underlying structures and behavioral patterns. The data collection and quality control procedures fully meet the requirement of flexibility and provide new perspectives on data integration in the study of biopsychosocial aspects in everyday contexts. |
topic |
indirect observation mixed methods textual materials verbal behavior systematic observation quantitizing |
url |
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00013/full |
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