A researcher uses an observational study to address a research question based on observation. There is no exploitation or interference with the research participants and no control and treatment groups.

Most of the time, these studies are qualitative, which can be used in exploratory and explanatory research. Even though there are some quantitative observational studies, they are uncommon.

An observational study is often done in the hard sciences, the medical field, and the social sciences. Most of the time, this is because the researcher can’t do a traditional experiment for moral or practical reasons. But concluding becomes tough because there are no control and treatment groups. There is also a chance of confounding variables messing up your analysis.

Various kinds of observation study

There are different observations, and it is hard to describe them individually. However, the article on an observational study has listed the most common observational studies to aid you in writing for your study.

Variety of observational studies

Cohort studies, cross-sectional studies and case control studies are the three primary forms of observational research.

Cohort study

The study is more longitudinal because it tracks many people across time. Participants of the cohort are chosen based on a common characteristic, such as drinking, and they are frequently followed for years.

Case control study 

The study combines two groups, a case study group and a control group. The case study group possesses a specific trait, whereas the control group does not. The two groups are compared to check if the case group has more of a certain trait than the control group.

If you compared drinkers (the case study group) to non-drinkers (the control group), you could see that the drinkers had more lung disease than the non-drinkers.

Cross-sectional study

A cross-sectional study looks at a group of people at a certain time.

It sometimes entails condensing previously gathered data to a single point to verify the prevalence of a theory—for example, determining how many patients were diagnosed with lung disease in March of a particular year. It could also be a one-time observation, such as spending a day in a hospital’s lung disease ward.

An example of an observational study

Observational studies are typically simple to plan and carry out. All you need is a notebook and a pen on occasion! You can use these stages to help you plan your research.

Step 1: Decide on your research topic and goals.

The first step is to figure out what you want to observe and why. If you can’t experiment for ethical or practical reasons or your research topic is based on natural behaviours, observational studies are a great fit.

For instance, consider the topic of an observational study.

You’re curious about toddlers’ interactions at daycare, particularly how they deal with strong emotions like enthusiasm, fear, rage, and sadness. Because children are a vulnerable population who cannot consent to participate, experimenting could be difficult.

Step 2: Decide on the type of observation and technique you’ll use.

There are a few factors to consider in terms of technique:

• Do you plan what you want to see or go in with an open mind ahead of time?

• Is there any research that might be used in conjunction with an observational study?

• Is it essential for your analysis whether your participants are aware that you are present?

• If this is the case, make sure you undertake a clandestine investigation.

• If not, consider if you’d be better off viewing from afar or actively participating in your observation.

• What can you do to avoid confounding variables that could skew your results?

Example of observational study techniques

Depending on your study topic, you have a few options for how you want to proceed:

• For example, you could watch the kids at the playground in naturalistic observation.

• You may spend a month performing participant observation at a daycare in your town, immersing yourself in the children’s daily lives.

• You may observe the children from behind a wall or via a window, where they won’t be able to see you.

Overall, staying organized is critical. Create shorthand for your notes, or create fill-in-the-blank templates. You won’t get a second shot with the same data because these observations happen in real-time.

Step 3: Construct an observational research study.

There are a few things to consider before beginning your observations:

Plan ahead: If you’re interested in seeing daycare, call a few in your region to schedule a visit. Give yourself enough time to set everything up because some of them may not allow observation or may require parental authorization.

Determine your note-taking method: Note-taking is commonly used in observational studies because of alternative methods, such as video or audio recording, influence participant behaviour.

If you want to record, get informed consent from your participants (or their parents): Ultimately, while recording participants may make your analysis easier, the challenges that come with it frequently make pen-and-paper a superior option.

Step 4: Carry out your investigation.

It’s time to do your observation after settling on a type of observation, a technique, and a time and location.

Example of observational study

You’ve concluded that a certain characteristic of toddlers piques your curiosity. For example, let’s say you believe that children who are dropped off at daycare alone are more likely to be upset than children who have siblings.

You can divide them into case and control groups from here. The children in the sibling group have a trait you’re interested in (siblings), whereas the children in the control group don’t.

Next, you can observe whether the children with siblings are less upset when their caregivers drop them off in the carpool lane in the morning.

Confounding or “lurking” variables should be avoided while performing observational studies. For example, you observed youngsters when they were dropped off in the last case, determining whether or not they were upset. There are, however, several additional elements that could be at play (e.g., illness).

Step 5: Examine your information.

After you’ve completed your observation, write down your first ideas and impressions and any follow-up questions or problems you saw. You could transcribe your observations if you recorded them on audio or video.

You can approach your analysis inductively or deductively:

• An inductive technique permits your data to define your themes if you conducted your observations in more open-ended manner.

• If you had particular hypotheses before beginning your observations, a deductive method examines whether your findings support those hypotheses.

The next step is to undertake a thematic or content analysis. Again, because observational studies are so open-ended, thematic analysis is most likely the greatest fit.

Step 6: Talk about future research directions.

Because of their great vulnerability to observer bias and confounding variables, observational studies are typically exploratory and often aren’t powerful enough to give isolated findings. As a result, observational studies can only demonstrate association rather than causality.

If you’re enthused with your preliminary findings and want to pursue your issue further, you may need to switch to a new research approach, such as an experiment.

The benefits and drawbacks of observational research

Advantages

ü  Observational research can provide low-cost, efficient information on difficult-to-analyze topics.

ü  They enable you to research subjects that can’t be safely randomized, efficient, or ethical.

ü  They are frequently simple to conduct since you monitor participant behaviour as it occurs or use pre-existing data.

ü  They’re frequently crucial in informing larger-scale clinical trials or investigations later on.

Disadvantages

x  Observational studies have a hard time standing alone as a viable research tool. Observer bias and unreported confounding variables are very likely.

x  They usually lack decisive results, aren’t externally valid or generalizable, and can only serve as a starting point for additional research.

x  They can’t make claims about the interventions or treatment’s safety or efficacy; all they can do is observe how people react to it. As a result, they produce less satisfying results than other approaches.

Experiment vs observational study

The main difference between observational studies and experiments is that a well-done observational study will never try to change people’s answers, while by definition, an experiment will treat some of the people who take part in it in some way.

But there may be times when you can’t change how your participants act because it’s impossible, dangerous, or not a good idea. For example, it can happen in medical studies where it would be unethical or cruel to keep people from getting the help that could save their lives or in longitudinal studies where you can’t keep track of your group over their whole lives.

If you can’t or don’t want to put people into control and treatment groups randomly, an observational study might be the best way to do your research. But the problems that observational studies can have with validity, confounding variables, and the ability to conclude can make an experiment more reliable.

Consider using an experiment if you can safely pick people at random and your research question is definitely about what caused what.

Total Assignment help is an assignment help Online service available in 9 countries. Our local operations span across Australia, US, UK, South east Asia and the Middle East. With extensive experience in academic writing, Total assignment help has a strong track record delivering quality writing at a nominal price that meet the unique needs of students in our local markets.

We have specialized network of highly trained writers, who can provide best possible assignment help solution for all your needs.  Next time you are looking for assignment help, make sure to give us a try.