Public Observation

Public Observation

Monique D Brown Wellons

Walden University

PUBLIC OBSERVATION

Introduction

The researcher decided to use a coffee shop as their observational setting. The following paper represents a report of all the data collected and the role of bias, context and the researcher in the quality of data that is acquired.

The Report

The Public setting used in this research is a Coffee shop that is located on the ground floor. It has sitting spaces both in the shop and an overflow of some chairs outside that are open to the sky. The coffee place has an area of around 100m2. The shape of the coffee shop on the clientele side is circular. The shape on the Kitchen which is open for customers to see is rectangular. One can actually see the employees prepare and cook the food stuff.

The Kitchen and sitting area have a wall and ceiling finish of black and red. The floors are of red and black tiles. The walls are made of granite. The furniture has also adapted the black and red scheme. The tables are circular in shape. There are tables that hold two people others hold three, others four and a huge table for six. There is a segment that has been fitted with two couches chairs and a table at the center.

The first thing one notices at the entrance it’s the beautiful writing on the front façade. It has the name of the coffee shop written very boldly with the same black and red theme. The coffee shop is situated next to a boutique and chemist on the left and right side respectively. The coffee shop can accommodate almost sixty people at a time.

One can see what is happening in the coffee shop because of the large floor to ceiling windows. This windows allow some much needed natural light into the coffee shop. The light makes the room so bright such that there is no need of artificial light during the day. The coffee shop also has sliding doors that slide once they sense the movement of people near it.

The serenity of the coffee shop makes one stay there for hours without any discomfort. The kitchen is located right forward ahead as one gets in through the entrance. Just right next to it is the cashier’s space that has a computerized paying model. The coffee shop gives one a choice to either take their meals from there or one can also carry a take away meal and coffee. One however is charged for the containers used to carry the take away food stuff. The coffee shop has a variety of food items they offer.

Right next to the kitchen is the manager’s office. Right next is a passage way that lead to the toilets. The toilets are divided into both male and females. On each side there are four toilet rooms. There is also an extra toilet room meant for the less disabled. The coffee shop has provided the customers with both the tissues and hand wash soap. There are two sinks located in there too. The level of cleanliness in the toilets is very good. There is a person assigned here who ensures that there is a supply of tissue and hand wash and that the toilets are always clean. There is also a huge mirror on the wall that one uses to see their image and reapply make up for the ladies.

One can see the kitchen area comfortably from their seats. One can see as the chefs in their sparkling white uniform cook the meals. There cooking are is at the center of the kitchen area. There are sinks on the right side wall with some windows on the same wall providing light to the kitchen area. The food preparation is on the straight forward wall. There is a door on the left side that to my assumption leads to the store and the staff area.

They have a menu that also the black and red theme. The coffee shop offers; coffee, tea, milkshake, juice, smoothie, sandwich, burgers, waffles, pancakes, omelets, pastries. Steak, ice cream, fruit salad and many more. The shop also provides a special menu meant for kids making it very family friendly. The coffee shop also has a bakery segment that produces all the burger buns, croissants and cookies that are sold to the customers. The customers come for good healthy meals.

The shop does not outsource any of the food stuff but are all made there. The shop is prided to have fresh food stuff that is always ready and one does not have to wait for long to get their serving. The food is also guaranteed to be of very good taste. The coffee shop is open from 7Am in the morning till 9Pm in the evening when it closes up.

The coffee shop is always 80 percent filled with people coming in and out to buy take ways for their breakfast, lunch or supper. Most of the customers who take their meals from there spend a long time seated there. This is because the coffee shop provides to its customers. Now as one relaxes and takes their meals they can go online for an unlimited time.one can enjoy YouTube videos at the comfort of their chair. This they do as they take drinks thus the coffee shop enjoys more income.

The atmosphere at the coffee shop is perfect for someone who wants to just relax. The place is not silent but has soft jazz music playing at the background which is very conducive for both doing business meetings and pleasure activities. There are some bamboo trees right outside the coffee shop which help in maintaining a cool air and bringing in more than enough oxygen. Though the shop holds a lot of people at once the air in the shop is not stuffy not even the slightest.

With all the good services offered in this coffee shop one would expect that the prices of the foodstuff to be very expensive. This however is not the case. The coffee shop offers the foodstuff at very reasonable prices.

The employees working in the coffee shop to my estimate per shift is 15 employees. This includes the chefs, waitresses and cleaning staff. The chefs wear white hat, a white double breasted jacket and a black trouser. The waitresses wear black pants, white blouses and red sweaters. The cleaning staff wears black pants and a red t-shirt. The employees are very courteous. They talk to a customers with a lot of respect and humility. They also do not take a long time to serve their customers.

The coffee shop has a clientele of all kinds of people. There is a population of old people, young people and people of all races. The highest percentage of clientele however is the youths. Many of the tables were occupied by groups of three, four or five youths. They take advantage of the services offered and plan their meetings here. Some are on their laptops and tablets and seem to be using the free internet.

The tables on the outside part of the coffee shop are shaded with a canvas which is red in color. The table and chairs are painted in mahogany. There are some pots containing plants next to them. There is a suggestion box located at the entrance that allows the customers to leave their suggestions of the level of service.

The Coffee shop grounds the coffee it uses to make its coffee. Their coffee is one of the things that sells most. They also sell the freshly grounded coffee to their esteemed customers. All the products that are take away are labelled with their tag. The coffee shop has very beautiful African paintings on the wall that they have enriched the atmosphere of the room.

The process when one gets into the Coffee shop is as follows. One is a assigned a table. The waitress then comes and hands one a menu and waits as they make their choice. Once the waitress takes the order and goes to take the food stuff. After less than five minutes of waiting the order is brought back. The service is quite fast and one does not have to wait for long to be served which is a positive.

The Role of Bias in the quality of Results obtained.

Bias plays various roles in the quality of research done. The researcher in this case could have been corrupted. The whole research done here is relies on the researchers opinions. The opinion of whether something is good or bad which could be different in someone else opinion. All the data in the result section which are the answers for the research could all be biased. The research could also be filled with errors. All the data in the report seem to be positive and no negatives. This could be because of the fact that the researcher is in a good mood.

The researcher could have a bias on the coffee shop because it is socially accepted. The coffee shop could be a community recreation joint and therefore the researcher has grown fond of it. The researcher could accept the coffee shop as a good place because the whole society thinks so. If the owner of the coffee shop had financed the research, the researcher would feel inclined to say positive things about the coffee shop.

The coffee shop could be a biased sample if the researcher had previous connections with it. That is if it’s a place the researcher usually hung out. Or in the case it is a family or friends business. The researcher could have written a biased report. The experiences, feelings, attitudes, culture, views, state of mind, reference, error and personality can bias the reporting and analyzing. Human is to error. As the researcher wrote the report, they could have forgotten some vital information or written the wrong thing because they forgot the details from the time they went in the coffee shop.

The researcher should therefore ensure that they do not distort the report of the research. This will ensure that the decisions made as a result of the findings from the research does not affect the Coffee shop negatively.

The Role of Context

The context of the surrounding environment also plays a vital role. Context is the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement or idea and in terms of which it can be fully understood. The physical environment or the mode in which an observation is conducted the outcomes on the above report are hinged on the context from which the data was obtained.

The Role of Researchers

In this case report the researcher is part of the context being researched and seek to be part of it so that to get all the required information. The people in the coffee shop are however not aware of the objectives of the researcher.

The participation of the researcher increases possible questions of bias and subjectivity which might challenge the dependability and legitimacy of any evidence gathered. On the other hand there is an argument that comprehending the social world can only be accomplished by somehow gaining contact to personal significances and experiences constructed by participants in social situations. Thus, it can be argued that it is only through some form of participation in these situations that a researcher can be in a position to interpret meaningfully what they observe. In this case the researcher could carefully determine various information about the shop and employees without having to rely on a third part information. The issue of bias in participant observation can perhaps be addressed by increased sensitivity to the problem of subjectivity on the part of the researcher.

In this case study, the other people in the restaurant had no idea on the research the researcher was conducting. This enabled the researcher to take raw data without any influence on how the other people, both employees and the customers, would behave in his presence. Therefore the validity of the data obtained is therefore in any way affected.

The researcher could have gotten into trouble if anyone noticed that they were observing them. They could be surprised and react towards the researcher badly. The researcher must also have a certain skill set that can enable them to attain the required data. They include traits like; attention to detail, to ensure no information is left out, and analytical abilities.

Conclusion

In the above case study, the level of validity is affected by bias, the context and the researcher. The effects make it difficult for any person reviewing the report to take it seriously. All the data collected by the researcher is therefore in doubts. However it is also tough to determine whether the researcher was really biased on the research and reporting. The data can be taken a valid since all the bias earlier discussed cannot be clearly supported.

References

Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Janesick, V. J. (2011). "Stretching" exercises for qualitative researchers (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

University of Strathclyde, (2014). Key features in qualitative observation. Retrieved from