ABSTRACT
The execution of research necessitates some orientation to observation. This chapter attempts to structure the orientation to research observation around approaches noted as experimental/non-experimental, human subject interaction/non-human subject interaction, and descriptive/predictive to prescriptive. Census data reveal varied living patterns, literacy information tells something about educational orientation, prices provide insights about market conditions, infant mortality rates may be viewed as indicators of health and nutrition conditions and the list goes on. Orientations to normative and empirical indicators become very important in debates about research “quality.” For non-experimental observations, sample survey design plays a role comparable to that of experimental design when experiments provide the observations to be analyzed. Non-experimental researchers rely upon interviews, observation techniques, discussion, and formal questionnaires to communicate their measurement needs to informants or respondents. Measurement itself involves human judgement and observational design but in no way can or should the human influence the natural phenomena to be measured.
