Flanagan (1954) regards himself as one of the developers and users of the method called the critical incident technique (CIT). This summary is intended to provide a brief description of this tool which follows a careful order of actions and is used for gathering useful information necessary to explain human behaviour in certain situations.
An incident is “any observable human activity that is sufficiently complete in itself to permit inferences and predictions to be made about the person performing the act” (Flanagan, 1954, p. 1). An incident can be considered critical whenever it describes an action with a clear purpose and consequence.
In order to report observations and consider them as facts, objectivity is essential. For this reason, the CIT “should be thought of as a flexible set of principles which must be modified and adapted” (Flanagan, 1954, p. 9). These principles should include instructions of what to observe and the reasons to do it and can be defined by supervisors or by the observers themselves.
According to Flanagan (1954), there are certain steps to take when delineating general aims. First, the ideas of a number of well-qualified authorities can be collected. Second, those ideas are summarized into a short statement. Third, a general aim is developed and finally, it is analyzed by the authorities. After defining the general aims, observers must receive specific training on data evaluation and classification.
Critical incidents are an effective tool for collecting data. Moreover, to obtain objectivity, rules must be clear and specific. Consequently, four components to collect data are necessary:
a. A delimitation of the situation including information about the place, the persons, the conditions and the activities.
b. A decision on whether or not a specific behaviour which is observed is relevant to the general aim.
c. A decision on how important an effect on the observed incident has on the general aim.
d. The selection and training of the observers. (Flanagan, 1954)
There are four procedures for collecting data: interviews, group interviews, questionnaires and record forms. The most suitable for the educational field might be the questionnaire since, according to Flanagan (1954), “[it] seems to give results which are not essentially different from those obtained by the interview method” (p. 18). Furthermore, teachers could complete the questionnaire anytime and anywhere.
Once the information is collected, it must be carefully analyzed in order to draw conclusions and take proper decisions.
As Flanagan (1954) states, the CIT can be applied to obtain useful information in different fields, such as:
a. Measures of typical performance. People’s behaviour is recorded in a check list that follows specific critical requirements.
b. Measures of proficiency. This is intended to evaluate the degree of proficiency people have in dealing with certain tasks.
c. Training. Specific training programmes can be developed from the analysis of critical incident reports.
d. Selection and classification. Information can be gathered to establish the requirements needed for certain jobs or the possible attitude employees will have.
e. Job design and purification. In order to optimize members’ performance, each role consists of limited tasks according to the information obtained through the CIT analysis.
f. Operating procedures. The data may permit enhancement in operations.
g. Equipment design. Not only does the CIT permit improvement in the procedures but also in the design of instruments and tools.
h. Motivation and leadership. The CIT provides the necessary data to make conclusions on people’s behaviour.
i. Counselling and phsychotherapy. It is suggested that the information collected by means of the CIT may help to explain the development of patients’ improvement.
As outlined earlier, the critical incident technique can be used in different areas. Regarding the study of operating procedures, the details collected may probably allow members to analyse possible causes for their mistakes and achievements and improve their performance. Furthermore, concerning the equipment design, the CIT could be successfully applied to test teaching material such CD-ROMs, course books and videos
In reference to the study of motivation and leadership, the technique may help to enlighten teachers’ feelings towards diverse classroom situations. As a result, specific activities could be organized in a program so that educators have the opportunity to reflect upon their teaching practice and create a basis of teaching principles for their institution.
In conclusion, as Flanagan (1954) suggests, the critical incident technique has proved to be effective in many cases. Therefore it may be extremely advantageous to provide teachers with the possibility of developing it at schools and publishing the achieved results. Thus, professionals in education may show their capability to transform adverse reality.
Reference
Flanagan, J. (1954). The critical incident technique. Psychological Bulletin, 51-4. Retrieved August 2009, from http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=2962
An incident is “any observable human activity that is sufficiently complete in itself to permit inferences and predictions to be made about the person performing the act” (Flanagan, 1954, p. 1). An incident can be considered critical whenever it describes an action with a clear purpose and consequence.
In order to report observations and consider them as facts, objectivity is essential. For this reason, the CIT “should be thought of as a flexible set of principles which must be modified and adapted” (Flanagan, 1954, p. 9). These principles should include instructions of what to observe and the reasons to do it and can be defined by supervisors or by the observers themselves.
According to Flanagan (1954), there are certain steps to take when delineating general aims. First, the ideas of a number of well-qualified authorities can be collected. Second, those ideas are summarized into a short statement. Third, a general aim is developed and finally, it is analyzed by the authorities. After defining the general aims, observers must receive specific training on data evaluation and classification.
Critical incidents are an effective tool for collecting data. Moreover, to obtain objectivity, rules must be clear and specific. Consequently, four components to collect data are necessary:
a. A delimitation of the situation including information about the place, the persons, the conditions and the activities.
b. A decision on whether or not a specific behaviour which is observed is relevant to the general aim.
c. A decision on how important an effect on the observed incident has on the general aim.
d. The selection and training of the observers. (Flanagan, 1954)
There are four procedures for collecting data: interviews, group interviews, questionnaires and record forms. The most suitable for the educational field might be the questionnaire since, according to Flanagan (1954), “[it] seems to give results which are not essentially different from those obtained by the interview method” (p. 18). Furthermore, teachers could complete the questionnaire anytime and anywhere.
Once the information is collected, it must be carefully analyzed in order to draw conclusions and take proper decisions.
As Flanagan (1954) states, the CIT can be applied to obtain useful information in different fields, such as:
a. Measures of typical performance. People’s behaviour is recorded in a check list that follows specific critical requirements.
b. Measures of proficiency. This is intended to evaluate the degree of proficiency people have in dealing with certain tasks.
c. Training. Specific training programmes can be developed from the analysis of critical incident reports.
d. Selection and classification. Information can be gathered to establish the requirements needed for certain jobs or the possible attitude employees will have.
e. Job design and purification. In order to optimize members’ performance, each role consists of limited tasks according to the information obtained through the CIT analysis.
f. Operating procedures. The data may permit enhancement in operations.
g. Equipment design. Not only does the CIT permit improvement in the procedures but also in the design of instruments and tools.
h. Motivation and leadership. The CIT provides the necessary data to make conclusions on people’s behaviour.
i. Counselling and phsychotherapy. It is suggested that the information collected by means of the CIT may help to explain the development of patients’ improvement.
As outlined earlier, the critical incident technique can be used in different areas. Regarding the study of operating procedures, the details collected may probably allow members to analyse possible causes for their mistakes and achievements and improve their performance. Furthermore, concerning the equipment design, the CIT could be successfully applied to test teaching material such CD-ROMs, course books and videos
In reference to the study of motivation and leadership, the technique may help to enlighten teachers’ feelings towards diverse classroom situations. As a result, specific activities could be organized in a program so that educators have the opportunity to reflect upon their teaching practice and create a basis of teaching principles for their institution.
In conclusion, as Flanagan (1954) suggests, the critical incident technique has proved to be effective in many cases. Therefore it may be extremely advantageous to provide teachers with the possibility of developing it at schools and publishing the achieved results. Thus, professionals in education may show their capability to transform adverse reality.
Reference
Flanagan, J. (1954). The critical incident technique. Psychological Bulletin, 51-4. Retrieved August 2009, from http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=2962
