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I was a passive observer at a playground today. I wonder if my presence affected the behaviour of one of the boys I was observing. He looked at me at least three times while on the playground. He was not as athletic as the other boy and struggled with playing on some of the features. Gay, Mills, and Airasian (2009) say that you need to have a rapport with those who you are observing. Maybe this boy was partly nervous because a stranger was watching him play.

Since I was not involved in the situation, it was easier for me to record field notes. However, I know it would be more difficult to do so if I had been an active observer. It would be hard to take mental notes of what was happening and engage with the participants at the same time.

I found it time consuming to type the notes after the observation. Gay, Mills and Airasian (2009, p.406) say, “One of the challenges for time-strapped educational researchers planning to do ethnographic research is the length of time in the field…and the length of the written account.”

I offered my interpretations of what I had seen but I would’ve liked to interview the boys as well to clarify questions I had.

I found it difficult to separate myself from my observations. I wonder if someone else would’ve interpreted the situation the same as I did. At the end of my notes, I realized I had assumed the non-athletic boy probably did better in school which was a major stereotype.

Gay, L.R., Mills, G.E., & Airasian, P.W. (2009). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and application (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.