USING OBSERVATION AS METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION TO ENHANCE EMPATHY AND CRITICAL REFLECTION AMONGST STUDENTS OF SOCIAL WORK

Abstract

Social work research is an important part of social work practice. It adds to the knowledge base of the profession, facilitates understanding of the challenges facing society and encourages researchers to find solutions to these challenges. The focus of qualitative research in social work in India has likewise been generating and adding to the knowledge base of the profession. More specifically, qualitative methods of data collection have not been interrogated from the perspective of their potential to enhance competencies such as empathy and critical reflection amongst the students of social work. This paper examines the possibility of using observation, a method of data collection in qualitative research, to enhance empathy and critical reflection amongst students of social work. The paper is based on the outcomes of an assignment on observation given to second semester postgraduate students of social work in the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi, India. The assignment required the students to take on the role of marginalized members of society and use observation as a method in the field to record the responses of the generalized others towards them. The assignment also encouraged the students to reflect on their reactions and responses to the behavior of people towards them when they performed the specific roles. The outcome of the assignment points towards the possibility of using practical training in observation as a method of data collection in facilitating empathetic understanding and critical reflection amongst students, when used in conjunction with role-taking.