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PREPARATION. You will be observing preschool children’s behaviors through videos on the internet. There are plenty of videos, you can find them by googling “Preschool Child Observation” or some version of that google search. You should watch the video for at least 40 minutes, it can certainly be longer. If you find a video that is less than 40 minutes then you will have to watch at least two shorter videos.
Before you start observing, use the index of your text to locate appropriate sections that describe the expected behaviors of a child the age of your subject. Focus on: language, cognition, social interaction, motor abilities, socialization, emotional development and gender roles. Your note taking will be much more productive if you have prepared. Use a notebook or have an observation tool (e.g. rating scale, score sheet, etc.) to guide the observation process. Observation tools enable you to be more objective.
OBSERVE and RECORD. Most likely the child in the video will not be named so you can give the child(ren) a pseudonym for ease of reporting. Note the following: setting, age (approximate if necessary), sex, distinguishing characteristics (dress, appearance, etc.). This gives you an idea of how to make detailed observations of several developmental issues. There is LOTS more you can observe and report!
Observe as much as possible in your time allotted. Take notes on the activities the child(ren) engages in, the objects used (and how), the quality and quantity of social interactions Some examples of the kinds of things to watch for:
Language, cognition, social interactions, emotional development, motor and perceptual
competence, socialization, and gender role development.
• Specific instances of behaviors you find interesting; i.e. pro-social behaviors,
sympathetic/empathetic behaviors, aggressive behaviors, etc (Does the child initiate? Is the child seeking attention? If so, positive or negative? Is the child seeking play? Comfort? Assistance?) How about the interactions with other children?
• Individual children whom you find especially interesting; i.e. a child showing effortful control, emotional self-regulation
• Groups of kids—dyads, small groups, large groups; who constitutes the groups (boys, girls, younger, older), what size groups do what things, etc.
• Activities—what kids do (play with toys, draw, build, read, watch others, etc.), how they do those things, how long individuals or groups stick to an activity (and what kind of activity)
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Take notes on the content of language, write down, verbatim, some of the language interactions or vocalizations. What stage of language development is the child exhibiting? Take notes on motor development and coordination, and indications of use of concepts or cognitive stages of development (ie: what cognitive concept must be mastered to play Hide-and-Go-Seek?).
Social interaction—how kids interact in dyads, small groups, large groups; how the get along under various circumstances
Types of play demonstrated
o Non-social activity
o Parallel play
o Associative play and cooperative play
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o Socio-dramatic play
o Note instances where children cycle through types of play
• The room and its resources—different activities take place in different areas of the room,
though not necessarily; each room has areas for games/building/writing, reading, arts, computer, playing house (kitchen etc.), and a snack table.
WHILE YOU ARE OBSERVING Understand that everything you see or hear is confidential. All information obtained for class projects, research or other scholarly purposes is confidential within legal limitations. (I realize these videos that you are viewing are in the public domain, this has been left in from the in-person observation instructions just for you to keep in mind that confidentiality is normally important for these types of exercises)
• Spend the first few minutes orienting yourself to the environment. Tune in to what you should be observing. Remember that it is easy to get off track and lose focus.
• Understand that you are observing for a short period of time and you may not fully understand the dynamics of the situation that you are observing (previous history, what happened five minutes before you arrived, etc.). A good observer reports on the situation objectively and leaves subjective interpretations out.
• Do not engage in conversations with other observers about the program, the staff or the children you are observing. Staff, children or parents may overhear your comments, positive or negative.
• Observers should not interfere in any way. Please be as unobtrusive as possible.
• Do not engage in conversations with the people you are observing. Let them know that
they should carry on with their normal everyday tasks and activities.
WRITING THE REPORT. Read your notes carefully and think about how to organize the information for your report. Organize the top of your report as follows: Subject(s): Pseudonym Date: Age: Time: Sex: Setting:
Next, provide a general description of the setting, the child’s presentation, the other people in the setting, etc. Don’t go too crazy here, because you will probably find you are short on space. The major body of your paper will be reporting your observations and interpreting through the lens of a developmental psychologist. Whenever possible, you should relate observations to what you have learned in class and to the textbook. Do not simply describe or list what you observed. Interpret or explain what your observations illustrate about the child’s stage of development. This is the most important part of this assignment. These interpretations should be thoughtful and should be applied to as many of the observations as possible. You should include at least 5 examples of behavior that illustrates course concepts from each of the 3 domains (biosocial, cognitive, psychosocial) for a total of at least 15 specific examples. If you wish you may end the report with a personal reaction to the experience.
