Observation essay. (Citation not needed but you should follow all the requirements below.)
5 pages essay (the paper should be at least 1500 words).
For this essay, you need to first observe people engaged in an activity. Your choice of activity is up to you. A successful activity will be able to answer a very specific and/or important question that you have.
Observe an activity and take notes, the notes should also be submitted.
In your essay, you must include the following:
Explain briefly:
The question you had that motivated your observations,
Why this question is important:
Why do you care about this?
Who else would care about this, and why?
The observations you made and other relevant details (where, when, who was there, &c.),
How your observations did or did not answer your questions, and:
Did the observations end up answering a different question?
What new questions arose after your observation?
*N.B. It's OK if your observations didn't answer your initial question. More important is that you be honest and insightful about what you observed and what it indicated.
Focus on answering these questions in detail:
Your detailed observations and conclusions particularly relevant to your question,
What observations were puzzling at first, that challenged your initial hunch of what you thought you would find?
What further questions have your observations proposed?
What could be the next step in research if you decided to continue investigating your observations?
A sample observation (your observation notes should also be submitted, you can use a topic similar to this but be sure you are not writing the same observations) -
Nearly everyone had computers open in the lecture hall
All the seats were filled
Many people were on non-school sites
It was harder to hear the teacher
There was a person asleep
Attendance to the class is mandatory
Implications -
It is harder to focus back there
People go there to not pay attention
Lots of people don't want to focus
Reflections-
It was harder to focus
People who sit in the back don't want to/ have to pay attention to the teacher
After you are done writing the notes come up with an essay outline (This should also be submitted)-
Sample outline:
Research Questions: How does a sense of student anonymity in large lectures deter their attention from the information presented to vapid distractions accessible via their personal technology? Suffice to say how effectively do students expend their time during lectures? Do the vast majority students rely on their personal technology as a means of note taking or distraction?
Hypothesis: More students use their personal technology as a tool of distraction rather than an instrument of learning.
Define Terms: To constitute as a large lecture, the hall the capacity must between 100-600 seats. Personal technology includes but is not limited to the following: Laptops, cell phones, e-readers, tablet devices (ipads), and music players.
Place: Lincoln Hall Theatre. The second largest lecture hall with stadium style seating allows our group to blend in seamlessly within any given class, while simultaneously affording unobstructed vantages to survey the activities of students using their electronic devices.
What: Observing how students use their personal technology during lectures and the attention they accord the instructor.
When: At noon or in the early afternoon when the lecture hall is most crowded.
Why: To obtain greater insight in to the habits and tendencies that students exhibit during lectures.
Limitations: Although it will be relatively easy to discern which students are engaging in activities unrelated to the lecture on their personal devices, it will not be possible to determine the frequency in which they revert their attention back to the instructor and or material. Unless the students are wearing headphones throughout lecture we will not be able to deduce whether the distracted students are listening intermittently or are entirely disengaged.
Note: Please don't forget to submit the notes and outline as well.