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CHDV
137 (3): Cognitive Development
Spring,
2002
Dr.
Weissman
Project
#1 ~ Child Observation
Objectives:
1.
To introduce students to the method of observation.
2.
To discover the advantages and disadvantages of using observation
as a means for learning about cognition.
3.
To expose or re-familiarize students to children in the
preschool-age range.
4.
To begin to apply theories and concepts of cognitive development
to children in the real world.
Task:
Observe
a child in a daycare or preschool setting for 20 minutes.
Preparation:
Decide
where you will conduct your observation.
Prepare
to spend about 40 minutes working on the observation (20 for observing
and 20 for writing comments)
Bring
with you: Observation recording paper (see below), a writing utensil,
and a watch.
Method
& Format:
Once
you are in the child-care setting spend a few minutes familiarizing
yourself with the set-up and activities. Choose a target child for your
observation. Choose a start time. Once you begin, you will be observing
for 20 consecutive minutes. If you are observing with a partner, you
need to begin and end your observation at the exact same time. Remember:
Do not talk with your partner during the observation!
Observe
your target child.
Column
1: Time - Be sure to frequently record the time on the left hand side of
the page.
Column
2: Observation – In the observation column, RECORD EVERYTHING THE
CHILD DOES IN AS MUCH DETAIL AS POSSIBLE. Behaviors should be recorded
as objectively as possible; this column should not include any
interpretations about his/her thinking or behavior. Record specific
behaviors, for example: Max says to another child “I am the daddy, and
you are the mommy,” rather than Max plays house with another child. Be
sure to note the context of behavior and the responses of others.
Column
3: Comments – Record your comments about and/or interpretations of the
child’s behavior.
Observation
Format: Sample
TIME
BEHAVIOR OBSERVED
COMMENTS
9:10
TC is sitting at the sensory table.
looks content, busy
He fills one large cup with rice and then pours
it into a smaller cup. TC looks at the large cup.
looks puzzled
Mrs. T asks him “what are you going to do with
the leftover rice?”
TC smiles and shrugs his shoulders.
He seems confused about why all
the rice did not fit into the 2nd cup.
9:11
C1 approaches TC and says “let’s play”
TC says “ok” TC
seems enthusiastic
C1 says lets go over there (points to blocks)
TC looks down, puts down the cups, and walks
looks a bit disappointed about leaving
toward the block area.
what he is doing.
You
will need to have several sheets of paper ready to go, and more
depending on how large you write.
Be
sure to write neatly as you will need to turn in a copy of your
observation record.
Written Report (due Thursday, March 7th):
Your
paper should include the following 3 sections (be sure to use APA-style):
Method
In
a couple of paragraphs describe what you did to collect your
observation. Who did you observe (participant)? Was the child a boy or
girl? What is his/her (approximate) age? Where were you? Describe the
setting. Did you use any special procedures or coding schemes?
Results
Summarize
your findings (your observations). Overall, what was the child doing?
This section should not include any interpretation – it is only a
summary of the behaviors. Again, just a SUMMARY, do not give a complete
description of all actions. Rather, you should tell a coherent story.
You might first provide an overview of the entire observation period and
then maybe give summary details of the activities. For example, you
might want to discuss how much of the time was spent playing alone
versus with others, the number of activities engaged in, the types of
activities engaged in, and/or the similarity/difference among
activities. You may want to refer to specific time points in your
observation. Remember, except for any categorization that you develop,
this should not include any interpretation.
Discussion
Interpret
your results. What do you think about this child’s cognitive
development? Can you relate your observations to anything you have heard
or read in this class? Specifically, you might want to focus on the
topics we have covered up to this point (e.g., perception, language and
communication, and/or Piaget). Also, what role, if any, did observer
bias play? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of
using observation as a technique for assessing cognitive development?
Include
your observational record as an appendix to your paper. (It does not
need to be typed)
I’m
looking for quality, not quantity, but you can probably do this in about
3-5 pages.
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