Collecting qualitative data

Questions about why a performer made a particular decision can also reveal their reasoning. This helps someone reviewing the performance understand the performer's perspective, rather than relying only on what was visible from outside.

Observations: watching the quality of performance

An observation collects information by watching an activity and recording what is seen. To collect qualitative data, the observer records descriptions or judgements about the quality of the performance.

For example, a coach watching a team could record that ‘the players communicated clearly and supported each other well’. This is a qualitative observation because it describes the team's play. It gives an outside perspective, rather than the players' own account of how they performed.

Two perspectives on the same performance

An interview and an observation can provide different information about the same activity. A performer might explain that they felt nervous, while an observer describes how confidently they appeared to play. The interview reveals the performer's feelings; the observation records an external judgement of their performance.

Both methods can help identify areas to improve. Because opinions and judgements are often subjective, different people may describe the same performance differently.

• Interviews: ask performers questions and record their descriptions, feelings, opinions or reasons for decisions.
• Observations: watch a performance and record descriptions or judgements about its quality.

Key distinction

An interview gives the respondent's perspective; an observation gives the observer's perspective. Qualitative records describe performance rather than simply measuring or counting it.