In this case, we could conduct observations of addicted students and record when, where, why, and how they use their gadgets. We could also explore how students’ gadget addictions differ and how are they similar. For example, we might find that students majoring in new media, students that identify as men, and students with high socioeconomic status are more likely than other students to become addicted to their electronic gadgets. We would classify individuals based on social group membership to see how membership in certain specific social groups correlates with electronic gadget addiction. We would likely mail a survey to students on campus. Our unit of analysis would be the individual students. Let’s say that we are going to explore which students are most likely to be addicted to their electronic gadgets. This leads us to a variety of units of observation. Then, we’ll think about how those questions might be answered and with what kinds of data. We’ll consider first how different types of research questions about this topic may yield different units of analysis. For now, let’s consider our previous example study that sought to address students’ addictions to electronic gadgets. We’ll take a closer look at methods of data collection later on in the textbook.
Your unit of observation, on the other hand, is determined largely by the method of data collection that you use to answer that research question. More specifically, your unit of analysis will be determined by your research question. However, researchers are required to clearly define their units of analysis and units of observation to themselves and their audiences. In this case and many others, units of analysis are not the same as units of observation. Perhaps, if we were investigating gadget addiction in elementary school children (our unit of analysis), we might collect observations from teachers and parents (our units of observation) because younger children may not report their behavior accurately. For example, a study on electronic gadget addiction may interview undergraduate students (our unit of observation) for the purpose of saying something about undergraduate students (our unit of analysis) and their gadget addiction. In some studies, the unit of observation may be the same as the unit of analysis. A unit of observation is the item (or items) that you observe, measure, or collect while trying to learn something about your unit of analysis. A unit of analysis is the entity that you wish to say something about at the end of your study, and it is considered the focus of your study. These two items concern what the researcher observes in their data collection and what they hope to say about those observations. These may differ slightly in quantitative and qualitative research designs. When designing a research project, it is imperative to consider units of analysis and units of observation. Define units of analysis and units of observation, and describe the two common errors people make when they confuse the two.
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