Advantages of Observation.

 Advantages of Observation:-

(1) Simplest Method: Observation is probably the most common and the simplest method of data collection. It does not require much technical knowledge. Although scientific controlled observation requires some technical skill of the researcher, still it is easier than other methods. Everybody in this world observes many things in their daily life. A little training can make a person perfect, to observe his surroundings.

(2) Useful for Framing Hypothesis: Observation is one of the main bases of formulating hypothesis. By observing a phenomenon continuously, the researcher may get well acquainted with the observed. He came to know about their habits, likes, dislikes, problems, perception, different activities and so many other things. All these help him a lot to form a hypothesis on them. Any researcher, therefore, has to be a good observer.

(3) Greater Accuracy: In other methods like interview, questionnaire etc., the researcher has to depend on information provided by the respondents. So these are indirect methods and here the investigator does not have any means to examine the accuracy of the data supplied by them. But in observation the observer can directly check the accuracy from the observed. He can apply various devices to test the reliability of their behaviour. So very often the data collected through observation is more reliable than these collected through interview or questionnaire.

(4) An Universal Method: Observation is a common method used in all sciences, whether physical or social. So it has greater universality of practice. As a common method, it is very easily followed and accepted.

(5) Observation is the Only Appropriate Tool for Certain Cases: Observation can deal with phenomena which are not capable of giving verbal information about their behaviour, feeling and activities simply for the reason that they cannot speak e.g. infants or animals. Observation is indispensable for studies on infants who can neither understand the quarries of the researcher nor express themselves clearly. In the case of animals observation is the only way out. For deaf and dumb persons, for serious cases of abnormality or mad persons, for non-cooperative persons, for too shy persons and for persons who do not understand the language of researcher, observation will be the only appropriate tool.

(6) Independent of People’s Willingness to Report: Observation does not require the willingness of the people to provide various information about them. Often some respondents do not like to speak about themselves to an outsider. Some people do not have time or required skill to provide important information to the researcher. Although observation cannot always overcome such problems, still relatively speaking it requires less active co-operation and willingness of respondents. Observation is ever possible without the knowledge of the respondents.