Educ 1000 - Human Development Spring 2004 - Växjö University: Dr. Helen Mongan-Rallis

Observation of 2-6 Year Old Children

Observe children aged 2-6 in their natural environment (e.g. home, daycare, playground, library).

Obtain permission from the children's parent or teacher (unless you are in a public area, such as a playground, Simhall, or the downtown Växjö library). Be sure to tell them that the purpose of the observation is for a course assignment, that you will not be testing the children in any way. Explain that you merely want to observe children in a normal situation.
Arrange a time when you can observe. Plan at least one hour of observation. During this time, do nothing but observe (and take notes). You must be free to be in the background and cannot be responsible for the children during the observation.
Put yourself in as unobtrusive a place as possible. Move around as the children move. Do not invite any kind of contact with the children; do not make eye contact with the children; do not smile; and do not talk except when the children talk directly to you, in which case say you are busy and will play later.
For one hour try to write down everything the children do. Write down speech (if you understand it), describe movements, and behaviors. Describe only what you see and hear, free of evaluation and intent.
When you have completed the observation, reread what you wrote and consider the following questions in your analysis:

Analysis guide and questions:

Did you manage to keep all description of intent out of your record? Were you able to remain objective? (comment on your experience and level of success with with trying to do this)
Since you probably could not write down everything that the children did and said, think about what you left out, and add any additional notes to your observation notes.
Did you find that you paid more attention to some aspects of behavior than others, such as listening to language, rather than noting physical movements?
What would such bias do to the kind of information you could obtain from your narrative?
What do you think were the effects of your presence on the children?
Note the children's ages, describe their physical appearance, and describe the setting in which you observed.
Refer to the milestone chart (p. 151) and describe the motor development of the children you observed. List the specific skills.
Describe specific examples of cognitive development through the play activities you observed in the children (refer to p.157).
Describe evidence of the development of theory of mind (pp. 160-161) that you observed in the children.
Describe evidence of language development in the children (pp. 164-168) as far as is possible, given that you probably couldn't understand much of what they said. List specific examples.
Note whether or not you observed any private speech with any of the children. Give examples.
What characteristic patterns of friendship did you observe in the children?

Educ 1000 - Human Development Spring 2004 - Växjö University: Dr. Helen Mongan-Rallis