The study of things you have actually seen, rather than things you have heard about or read about.

Gathering information about things that can be observed. For example, by visiting an organization, one can directly collect information on the physical surroundings. By observing meetings, one can observe who shows up, how people interact, and what decisions are taken.

A research technique in which a researcher observes and records behavior or an event as it occurs.

Direct observations involve opportunities to view the specific behaviours or tasks being performed as defined in the competency standards. The observation can occur in any convenient context where such behaviour can be demonstrated

Observing the student to clearly identify when problem behaviors occur, what happens right before a problem behavior, what the problem behavior looks like, and how people respond to the occurrence of problem behavior. Direct observation data help you develop a hypothesis statement about why problem behavior occurs, and confirm that your hypothesis is correct.

A method used to obtain specific relevant information about a student's targeted behavior by watching and recording.