Use of behavioral observation to augment quantitative data when studying clinical teaching

Observation of behavior to study clinical teaching provides advantages over the use of questionnaires alone. The great advantage is the richness of the data. Problems encountered in the process, e.g., gaining access to subjects in multiple institutions, selecting non-volunteer subjects, obtaining informed consent in a manner which will not bias the data, becoming unobtrusive and non-threatening to subjects, coping with the unpredictability of the clinical setting, and staying in the role of researcher in spite of temptations to enact other roles within the setting, are all foreseeable and to some degree preventable. Being aware of the potential obstacles permits the investigator to plan for them and to be less emotionally aroused as each new problem arises. Other nurse researchers are encouraged to utilize these techniques; the experience can be not only valuable in terms of realistic data obtained, but also can be an extremely rewarding experience.