Observational drift: a methodological research proposal for community prospecting in socio-educational services

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PurposeThis article aims to describe the process of application of the technique of Observational Drift for prospection in three territories of Catalonia and to present recommendations for its application in research and socio-educational action with young people.Design/methodology/approachObservational Drift is a qualitative research technique that has proven effective as a practice for community prospection. The process of design and application in the pilot implementation of this technique is presented together with a reflection on the outcome.FindingsThe pilot implementation of the technique has made it possible, within the framework of the research project, to identify methodological recommendations such as the edition of an observation manual; the training of the research team; the identification of supporting computer applications and registration questionnaires. Records of youth dynamics have been obtained in the 3 communities studied: the town of Celrà, the western district of the city of Girona and the “Ciutat Vella” district of Barcelona, 3 environments of different sizes located in Catalonia, Spain.Practical implicationsObservational drift is a qualitative technique that shows, with methodological rigour, the observation of relational dynamics together with the relevant facilities and places, presenting a situational reality. The information obtained must be contrasted with other qualitative methodologies to be transferable. It is a methodological technique that requires a large team and a significant amount of work.Social implicationsThis technique provides the opportunity to carry out prospections, and introduce researchers and professionals to specific realities with a critical perspective. We recommend its use in qualitative research and socio-educational care to improve the design of socio-educational youth care programs and policies.Originality/valueThe use of this technique (Observational Drift) has been provided initial qualitative data to understand youth dynamics in three communities in Catalonia, Spain. This is interesting because helping research to improve community services addressing youth.