Observation

Observation of human behaviour is a commonly used data collection technique; however, it is time consuming. It is most often used in small-scale surveys. The observation method of data collection simply means to gather information by your own direct observation without asking questions of the respondent. It is important to record your observations carefully using a checklist. The purpose of using a checklist is to make your observation as objective as possible, so that you note down what you see in a consistent way when you are observing different people.