Covert observation

Sometimes it is possible to observe without being seen or at least noticed (unobtrusive observation) at all. For example, it might be possible to use one-way glass, or observe through unobtrusive cameras and microphones. This could become covert observation where the observed are not aware that observation is taking place.

Observers may be unobtrusive - visibly present, but seeking to fit into the context and not be noticed. In some kinds of research - in public places where subjects are taken as standing for random members of the population and are not identified or identifiable, this might be acceptable. However it may be difficult to make observations and remain unobtrusive.

Usually in education research, observation is only ethical with the informed consent of those bring observed, and observation without permission would be unethical. This is a very important consideration, but there may be situations where it would be seen as reasonable to observe first:

“Deception (misrepresenting the purposes of research) is generally considered unethical. However, it is often necessary to be deliberately vague about the precise purposes of research as research participants are likely to (deliberately or otherwise) change their behaviour when being observed. Any teacher being observed (whether by a researcher, senior colleague, trainee teacher) is likely to be more careful than usual to demonstrate good practice, but knowledge of the precise focus of research may well lead to the observed teacher significantly changing his or her typical behaviour in relation to that focus.

In her report in JoTTER of her study on the challenge of being a left-handed learner in the primary classroom, Hayes  felt it was important to temporarily withhold information about what she was doing in order not to influence the student behaviour (but then to ‘debrief’ after the event). This seems sensible, as telling the children what she was doing might have provoked them to think about how they manipulate objects, rather than just acting spontaneously.” (Taber, 2013: 236).

Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.

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