Abstract:

The study focuses on observation as a research method since this natural method can be used to acquire valid and reliable data necessary to answer research questions or hypotheses. From the point of view of English language teaching (ELT) at the faculty of education, the researchers are the students preparing for the role of teachers of English as a foreign language at the lower and upper secondary levels of education. Observation will be analysed from the perspective of its definition as a research method. The paper will also describe various types of observation and characterise factors that are important for the validity and reliability of this research method. The study will also focus on observation from the perspective of its application, especially on implementation of the method inside already published research papers. Three studies were chosen as the source for collecting information about the use of observation. The studies were selected as representatives of various applications of observation to show the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of using observation as a single research method or a research method complemented by one or two other methods. Studies were chosen according to criteria of purposive sampling, i.e. articles that are believed to be representative of a given set of studies

Keywords:

English language and literature, ELT, observation, research, methodology, teaching.