Lunch Time Observation Sample

I completed three 30 to 45 minute observations at three different lunch times, in varying temperatures throughout the course of two week. I conducted my observation from 12:30 to 1:00pm on Wednesday, 12:30 to 1:15pm on Thursday, and 12:30 to 1:00pm on the following Friday. My observation location was located at a table that faced the machine, at this location I could see both what flavor, toppings, and vessel (what the subject put their ice cream in) of the person at the machine. I took field notes on my laptop; many students are on their laptops in Lenoir, so I was not payed attention to. I was perceived as an insider so all the subjects interacted with the ice cream machine as they would do not under observation. The data that I collected on each subject was their (assumed) gender, race, and their body type (I only differentiated between normal and athletic and did not end up including this info). I also collected on what they served themselves, I record the flavor they got along with what vessel they put the ice cream in. I recorded if they got toppings, relative size of the serving, and any other interesting notes. Finally, I made the assumption that those who were wearing a backpack and put their ice cream in a cone or a coffee cup were most likely leaving the dining hall and I took note of the number of people who did this.
Demographics …show more content…
According to my data, 62% of ice cream patrons are female where in comparison the percentage of females at UNC is 57.4% (UNC, 2017). Similarly, 65% of the observed were white, 14% were Asian, 8% were black, and 6% were Hispanic. At UNC, the demographic is 62.2% white, 12.8% Asian, 8% black, and 7.2% Hispanic (UNC, 2017). The demographics support my belief that ice cream is something that people across all cultures can enjoy. It does not matter your race, gender, or cultural background ice cream is a treat that many can