Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Measuring Light-Switching Behavior Using an Occupancy and Light Data Logger
Published on: January 16, 2020
Using a time-geographical diary method in order to facilitate reflections on changes in patterns of daily occupations
Kristina Orban1, Anna-Karin Edberg, Lena-Karin Erlandsson
1Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Sweden. Kristina.Orban@med.lu.se
Objective And Methods:
Time-use methodologies have been proposed to be established research techniques when exploring aspects of daily occupations. In this study, two graphs illustrating the time arrangement of occupations as they appear in a continuous sequence were used in order to encourage individuals to reflect on their everyday life. The aim was to investigate the usefulness of a time-geographical diary method (using illustrative graphs) in combination with stimulated-recall interviews, to facilitate reflections on how patterns of daily occupations change over time and the causes that lie behind these changes. The study had a qualitative design. The participants were two working, married mothers, i.e. individuals considered to have highly complex patterns of daily occupations. The data analysis was performed by using thematic content analysis.
Results:
The results showed that the stimulated-recall interviews, based on the graphs, facilitated new insights that came to light concerning the scope of the participants' daily life. The method enabled the participants to reflect on their patterns of daily occupations and become aware of changes relevant to explain the causes for engaging in occupations the way they did.
Conclusions:
The method thus seems useful in research and practice for occupational therapists working with individuals with a need to change lifestyle.
Related Concept Videos
Methods of Documentation II: POMR
Data Collection by Observations
An astronomer viewing the motion and brightness of stars in the sky and recording the data is an example of observational data collection. A botanist recording...
Naturalistic Observations
Methods of Documentation IV: Focus Charting
It typically involves three columns for recording information:
Longitudinal Research
Observational Studies
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One example of...

