Abstract
This booklet is a guide to using observational research methods in medical and health-care education. Emphasis is given to the role of observation in providing concrete, detailed descriptions of how educational events unfold. It is suggested that observational methods have a valuable contribution to make to our understanding of the structures, functions and 'mechanisms' of educational activities. Three approaches to observation are described: participant observation, interaction analysis and fine-grained sequential analysis. Questions of reliability and validity are addressed. Finally, some sources of further information are given.

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