2322 ENG MOD 1 JOURNAL 2

ENG 2322

College of Professional Studies

Observation Log & Report

Below is an example of a double-entry notebook and is one way of taking field notes. Notice that “Observations” are fact based and “Thoughts” include feelings and interpretations. Be as descriptive as possible when recording your observations. You may wish to complete your observation log in a notebook by hand. Next, at the end of the log, complete a one- to two-page report. In this report, your goal is to synthesize overall impression of what you saw. Each entry contributes to the “bigger picture” and your understanding of the discourse community you observed. This is a way to “zoom out” and think about the larger meaning of everything you just observed.

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Observation Log

Your name:

Name of discourse community:

Date of observation:

Time of observation:

Duration of observation:

Observations

Thoughts

Example entry: The student sits in the dining hall. As he eats his piece of pizza, which drips oil, he says to a friend, “This pizza is good.” [NOTICE THE STUDENT IS NOT IDENTFIED BY NAME.] I observed cash resister #1 for 15 minutes. During that time, 22 students paid for meals. Of those 22 students, 15 grabbed a candy bar or granola bar. Three of the 22 students had a piece of fruit on their plate. Continue onto next page

Example entry: It seems like the student really enjoys the high-calorie content pizza. Fruit is less accessible than candy bars (it is further back in the dining court). Is this why more students are reaching for candy bars?