Collection of Observations for Researching Children - Assignment Example

Collection of Observations for Researching Children Observations involve carefully watching and systematically recording what is seen and heard in a particular setting (Schmuck, 1997 in Mertler, 2006). Observation is a useful method for use when researching children and their experiences. When the observer/researcher gets to interact with them and even participate in what they are doing, it is also known as “participant observation”. It is defined as "the process of learning through exposure to or involvement in the day-to-day or routine activities of participants in the research setting" (Schensul, Schensul & LeCompte, 1999, p. 91) For this particular assignment, a little girl, Natasha, was observed while she was at day care. Parental consent was sought before the observation as well as consent from the day care administrators. The observer observed Natasha from afar, as she was a stranger to the child and did not want to make her feel uncomfortable. The child needed to be observed in her natural setting. Apart from the goals of learning about assessment techniques and seeing the theories learned in practice, observation for this assignment aims to find information on how to help the child being observed in her growth and development. The observations can assist in planning a developmentally-appropriate program for her to develop her skills in all areas – motor, cognitive, socio-emotional and creative. It can also point out her strengths and weaknesses. Although the following observations were just done on a very limited period, they show glimpses of Natasha’s behaviours in day care and her interactions with the caregiver and her peers. Together with all other observations of Natasha, a more complete and accurate picture of her can be assembled. Narrative 1: Two-and-a-half year old Natasha arrives at daycare smiling, clutching on to a stuffed bunny. However, the minute her mother signs in and approaches the caregiver, Natasha holds on tightly to her mother’s leg, refusing to let her go. The caregiver coaxes her to choose a toy from the shelf and play with it with Adrian who was already seated at the table, doing puzzles. Natasha says “No!” and begins to whimper while her mother tries to pry herself out of her daughter’s clasp. As the mother turns to go out the door, Natasha cries after her, “Mummy!” and reluctantly goes with the caregiver to the toy shelf. Her cries end with a whimper as she wipes her face with the back of her hand. Upon reaching the shelves, she chooses a tray of table blocks, brings it to the table where Adrian was seated and begins building with it. Comments: What was observed was a typical case of separation anxiety for Natasha, expecting that her mother will leave her for a period of time. Being emotionally attached to her mother, it is normal to be anxious at every time they part. She did not want to let go, but her mother needed to leave for work. When her mother left, she cried after her, but she was ready to go with the caregiver to choose her toy. She showed that she was resigned to her situation of being left at the day care and accepted her fate. She seemed to be aware of the routines already. At two-and-a-half, this is a manifestation of maturity and independence on her part. This was the first observation of the observer of Natasha. Natasha noticed her sitting in one corner of the room. The observer smiled at her but Natasha was still whimpering at that time, so she just looked away. However, throughout the day, she would see the observer around the day care and eventually gained familiarity with her. The observer stayed distant until she felt it was safe to approach Natasha more closely. Narrative 2: Natasha was playing by herself at the toy kitchen station. The caregiver squatted near her and leaned towards her to see what the little girl was doing. She asked Natasha what she was “cooking”. Natasha answered without looking up, “Breakfast.” The caregiver probed further to elicit more responses from her, ”Oh wow! Breakfast! Just in time coz’ I’m hungry! Can you tell me what that is?” Natasha kept “cooking” and did not respond to the question. Later on, she said, “Mummy hungry”. The caregiver agreed and said. “Yes, your Mummy is hungry too. You cook her a good breakfast.” Natasha nodded and said “OK”. Comments: The caregiver tried to get to the level of Natasha as she played. She took interest in what she was doing and respected her ideas. She also took the opportunity to expose Natasha to a wider vocabulary and correct sentence construction, as the child has very limited verbal skills as of yet. The caregiver was learner-centered in this simple interaction. At her young age, Natasha was able to express, although indirectly that she was cooking for her mother and not for the caregiver, even if the caregiver said she was hungry. It was as if she did not want to hurt the caregiver’s feelings and did not outright reject her. She just said her mother was hungry, so it was up to the caregiver to take the hint. It was evident that she was thinking of her mother even if they were apart. Time Scale Time Routine Observation 10:15-10:30 Snack Time Natasha sits with 4 other toddlers around the table while they nibble on their snacks. Today, they are eating crackers with peanut butter and apple slices. She puts away her bowl, glass and placemat after she is done eating. 10:30-10:45 Story Time Natasha sits on the caregiver’s lap while she is read the story, “Runaway Bunny”. She listens intently and points to the pictures and then to her own stuffed bunny which she carries around with her. 10:25-11:05 Quiet Time The children lie on their mats and close their eyes. Natasha hugs her stuffed bunny and turns to her side and takes a nap along with the others. Comments: The observed sessions in this time scale were times that showed Natasha being with other children. It also showed a snapshot of the routines they followed at day care. It was evident that Natasha was able to follow the routines and was quite adjusted to her environment away from home. She knows what to do at certain periods like packing away her things after eating and taking a nap at the appropriate and designated time. Her stuffed bunny is very important to her and the people at the day care respect that. Being a toddler away from home, she needed something familiar to hang on to so that she feels more at ease in her environment outside the home. Checklist Name of Child: Natasha Gender: Female Age: 2 years and 6 mos. Date of Observation: August 6, 2014 Time: 9:35 – 10:00 am. Skill Yes No Comments Points to pictures of common objects when they are named x The caregiver asked Natasha to put away the toys one by one (e.g. blocks, puzzles, play dough, beads) and she was able to put them away in the order that the caregiver mentioned. Can identify objects when told their use x The caregiver showed Natasha some objects and asked her to pick which one was for cutting, which was for writing and which was for painting. Natasha correctly picked the scissors, the crayon and the paintbrush accordingly. Understands question forms what and where x Natasha answers “what” and “where” questions with one word answers. Observer asked her what her name was and she answered “Natasha”. When asked where her mother was, she answered, “work”. Understands negatives no, not, can’t and don’t x Natasha wanted to go to the playground during work time and the caregiver said she can’t because it was not yet time. She went back to her seat. Enjoys listening to simple storybooks and requests them again x Natasha enjoyed “lap reading” during story time as she interacted with the caregiver by pointing to the book once in a while. Comments: Using a checklist from Hendrick (1992) which is developmentally-appropriate for toddlers aged 24-26 months, Natasha’s communication skills, specifically in understanding language, were observed. Such observations include evidences to substantiate if the skills were present or not. In this time sampling observation, the observer had an opportunity to interact with her when she asked the child her name and where her mother was. Natasha gave one-word answers, but they did answer the questions. She also showed proof that she understood the caregiver when she was asked questions and her listening skills were very good. These were signs that her communication skills are developing well even if her speech is not yet well- developed and has a limited vocabulary. Event Sampling Event Time Situation Social Group Dialogue 1 8:15 am Natasha gets a tray of table blocks and sits beside Adrian Natasha & Adrian No dialogue; parallel play 2 8:43 am Natasha plays on the toy kitchen station Natasha & caregiver Caregiver: What are you cooking today, Natasha? Natasha: Breakfast Caregiver: Oh wow! I’m hungry! Can you tell me what that is? Natasha: Mummy hungry Caregiver: Yes, your Mummy is hungry too. You cook her a good breakfast. Natasha: OK 3 9:25 Children go out for outdoor play. Natasha, Sydney, Oliver & Tristan Sydney: Get the ball, Natasha! Natasha: (picks up the ball and throws to Sydney. Natasha laughs when Sydney didn’t catch it. Oliver: Let’s go slide Natasha: (goes up the slide with Oliver. When she reaches the platform, she tells Tristan…) Move now. Tristan: (slides down) Natasha: my turn! 4 10:05 Natasha is on the easel right beside Micah. Natasha & Micah Micah: (painting large red circles) I go round and round the carousel. Natasha: (looks at Micah’s painting and smiles) you go horsey? Micah: yeah. 5 11:20 Adrian grabs Natasha’s stuffed bunny Natasha, Adrian & caregiver Natasha: Mine! (pulls back the bunny) Adrian: I just borrow! (pulls the bunny back) Caregiver: Adrian, give back the bunny to Natasha. Adrian: Here! (gives back the bunny to Natasha). Natasha: (gets the bunny back) Mine! Comments: The observer chose to observe Natasha’s socialization skills for the event sampling. Although her language skills were typical for children her age, she was able to express herself well when she wanted something or responded to others communicating with her. Natasha seemed comfortable with the other children. She does not withdraw when they approach her and interact with her. There are times when she prefers to play on her own, but still in the company of other children. At times when she is with other children during active play, she does participate and becomes very sociable. Natasha’s responses to others approximate how adults respond to communication. She attempts to answer questions or give her simple opinions when others share something. She can also be assertive of her rights. She is unafraid to approach anybody, even the bigger boys, to move out of her way so that she can pursue her wants. When something is taken for her that she believes should have stayed hers, she is not intimidated and gets it back. Natasha is indeed a pleasure to observe not only because she is as cute as a doll but her independent personality shines through. She is full of spark and exudes a happy disposition. A very pleasant personality, her peers and the adults around her are drawn to her. The observer is an additional admirer of this little girl. Part 2 Report Child’s profile Natasha is an adorable two and a half year old toddler whose mother started with her new office job downtown. The mother drops off Natasha at day care before going to work. This is the first year Natasha is left in a care setting since her grandparents moved back to Scotland. Previously, they took care of the little girl while her parents worked. Now, she spends her day at the day care until her mother fetches her in the afternoon after work. Natasha is the first and only child of her parents. Both are working professionals. Her father is a training supervisor while her mother is a real estate agent. Her flexible schedule at work allows her to spend a lot of time with Natasha. Observation methods used The observation methods used by the observer were narratives, time scale, checklist and event sampling. The observer was at the day care very early in the morning to get relevant information about Natasha. She spent most of the day observing her and noting down all her observations in the various templates. 1. Narratives Narratives are written records of observations about certain subjects. In this case, Natasha was freely observed for a particular time span and all her actions, speech and reactions were noted down by the observer. The observer needs to be focused on Natasha and the context she is in. She needs to be descriptive in her observations so that readers of the narrative will feel as if they have observed Natasha themselves. Narratives may be difficult to write because the observer should capture all the important information at once so she should be able to write everything down quickly. It may be hard to find the appropriate words to describe the observed behaviours but she can be more elaborate later when she does the final narrative report. 2. Time Scale Noting down observations within time samples allows the observer to see what a child does at different times over a period of time. In this case, the observer observed Natasha all morning and for the time scale, it was from 10:15 to 11:05 AM. Natasha was observed within 3 routine schedules namely Snack Time, Story Time and Quiet or Rest Time. Time Scale/Sampling gives the observer a more in-depth view of the child in various situations during the time frame observed. However, it does not necessarily reflect how the child is and her behaviours outside the specific time frame selected. For example, how she is during Snack Time may not be the same when she plays outdoors with her peers. 3. Checklist A checklist is a predetermined list of things to observe focusing on a specific aspect of development. For this observation, the observer chose to observe Natasha’s communication skills, specifically in understanding language. The checklist was taken from Hendrick (1992) and was designed specifically for children aged 24-36 months. It includes the skills and if they are observable or not at the time of observation, along with the comments of the observer to more clearly describe the situation wherein the skill was observed to justify the observation. 4. Event Sampling Event sampling is an observational method to see how often and in what circumstances a child shows a particular behaviour. In this case, the observer chose to focus on Natasha’s social interactions. The observer notes down all the details of Natasha’s interactions such as the time of the interaction as well as the social group and situation they are all involved in. Their conversations, if any, are also recorded. Analysis of observations Programs for children in the UK adhere to standards that result in the key outcomes detailed in the Every Child Matters report. These key outcomes are being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and economic well-being (Baxter & Frederickson, 2005). For younger children like Natasha who attend day care, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2007) guides in planning developmentally-appropriate programs for them. EYFS is a resource for early childhood care and education practitioners to support the needs of young children under their care. It sets standards for learning, development and care for children up to five years of age. EYFS provides a wide variety of information on child development to help practitioners understand how children grow and what they need to help them optimize their potentials. The use of this resource will effectively enable early childhood settings to meet the key outcomes outlined in Every Child Matters and to ensure that high quality service is provided to the children. EYFS recognizes the importance of play in childhood, as it provides many benefits. The day care where Natasha attends has a play-oriented approach. It was evident in the observations that play was regarded as an essential activity for the children. Natasha’s room was well-equipped with toys meant to develop certain skills. The day care also had a huge outdoor play environment with a sturdy play equipment that included swings, slides, tricycles, balls and other toys for outdoor play. Since play is very attractive to children, it was used by the caregiver to lure Natasha when she was crying for her mother (See Appendix 1). Upon playing with her selected toy (table blocks), Natasha’s mood changed and she became engaged in her play. She also enjoyed outdoor play, as was seen in the observations that she wanted to go there even if it was not yet time (Appendix 4), and how she was delighted with the slide (Appendix 5). Play has the power in optimizing children’s growth and development and has been heralded as “the highest form of learning in early childhood (Bruce, 2001, p. 112). Allowing children to freely play enhances their quality of life, which they have a right to, as declared in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. At her young age, Natasha’s play with her peers shows her budding social relationships. Play fosters the development of friendships. As children play with other children or adults, they get to know about how other people behave, think and feel. In Appendix 5, it shows various events when Natasha interacted with her peers through play activities. It also manifested how she independently handled various situations. Walker (2009) states, “A modern view of the child acknowledges agency, that is, children’s capacity to understand and act upon their world. It acknowledges that children demonstrate extraordinary competence from birth” (p.98). Natasha did not need an adult to help her up the slide and ask another child to move so she can slide down. She did that on her own. She also understood Sydney’s expression of her painting as she mentioned the word “carousel”. Immediately, she was able to associate it with “horsey”. Language development was also observed throughout the observation session. Specifically, Appendix 4 showed a checklist of observable skills on one aspect of communication, which is understanding language. Natasha manifested a good understanding of language as her caregiver and peers communicated with her, even if her vocabulary is still limited. Lindfors (1987) notes that the child’s language environment includes a set of specific sentences, however, it is not this set of sentences that he acquires, but deduces from these an underlying set of organizational principles and sound-meaning relationships. To illustrate, children as young as two do not talk by simply using the specific sentences they hear, but rather, they construct sentences according to their own early version of organized principles underlying the specific sentences they have heard. Perhaps due also limited language and motor skills, the child’s early linguistic system is different from the adult’s and results in telegraphic and grammatically erratic sentences, such as Natasha’s verbalization of “Mummy hungry” while she was pretending to cook breakfast for her or “you go horsey” as she commented on Sydney’s painting (Appendix 5). Over time, her language system will be revised in many different situations, and her sentences will become more adult-like. For her own purpose, she builds her own rule-governed constructions as she has deduced from her environment (Lindfors, 1987). Although Natasha did not construct her sentences correctly, the caregiver still spoke properly, following correct language conventions (Appendix 2). Adults play a huge role in the language development of children, as they need someone who uses simple language in correct form and is flexible enough adjust his language to suit the child’s (Clay, 1988). Parents and teachers should be good role models in the use of language, as what children learn from them while they are young will likely be carried out up to their adult years. Adults should encourage word play and creativity in children’s language and not always intervene and disrupt their creative language flow by completing their sentences for them. The observer saw how Natasha loved being read to. She actively engages in the story-telling activity, even pointing to the pictures and including her bunny in the story. In allowing such behaviour of engaging children in their own learning, learning becomes more meaningful and relevant to them, especially if it ensues in a warm and supportive setting such as the one observed, with the caregiver reading the book to Natasha, who sits on her lap. This makes retention of concepts and skills easier to achieve. Books and sharing stories are just a few of the learning materials and activities that enhance communication, language and literacy skills. These help concretize learning for very young children in the company of other learners who may contribute much to their shared learning (Roskos and Christie, 2011). Next Steps to Support Natasha’s Literacy Development Based on the observations, Natasha is growing and developing very well. She is a healthy, sociable and independent toddler who is well-supported by her family and caregivers at the day care centre. To further support her development, especially in her literacy development, and enhancement of her learning experiences, the adults around her need to provide her with developmentally-appropriate activities to encourage her to develop and use her cognitive skills. Piaget and Vygotsky were theorists who thoroughly studied how children learn. Piaget theorized that children need to be active participants in the learning process as they are not mere passive learners (Brewer, 2001). He believed that questioning leads children to think philosophically and designed tasks that call upon high-level cognition; problem solving, reasoning, and understanding of complex concepts (Siegler & Ellis, 1996). Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development shows how a child’s mind works in different stages from the time they are infants all the way to their adolescence. He explained that children begin to think in very concrete terms and progress to thinking in more abstract terms. Concrete experiences with actual objects, symbolic play and language are all important in the development of thinking skills (Brewer, 2001). Natasha is in Piaget’s Pre-Operational Stage. This is characterized by the emergence of the ability to represent objects and knowledge through imitation, symbolic play, drawing, mental images and spoken language (Piaget and Inhelder, 1969). Natasha is very open to learning and there are times when she tries to express what she learned in a variety of ways. She knows the people around her, can identify simple objects and pictures. She follows directions well with the appropriate motor actions, however, her motor skills still have a long way to go to be fully developed. Piaget recommends that toddlers like Natasha should be allowed to discover and explore their world in order to understand it better. The curriculum for their learning needs to be child-centered, meaning it should adjust to their developmental level and not the other way around. Hence, adults should create environments conducive to Natasha’s learning such as providing age-appropriate toys, books and other learning materials and providing her with opportunities to play and discover on her own with their supervision (Lindon, 2001; MacNaughton and Williams, 2004). Vygotsky (1978) believed that learning should ensue before development can happen. His perspective is that cognitive development is influenced more by socialization with others than by individual experiences. A zone of proximal development (ZPD) defines up to where children should learn. This zone is within the guidance of an adult or in collaboration with more capable peers (Broadhead, 2006; Wertsch, 1985). This implies that ZPD is formed within interactions between the learner, his or her co-learners and the tools they utilize while being engaged in a common activity. Vygotsky advocated play-based instruction. He believes that play is a tool of learning and the child’s mind develops with this tool. It follows that children who are not allowed to engage in experiential play-based learning do not develop critical thinking structures but are constrained to the practices of passive learning (Vygotsky, 1978). Emergent literacy theories are consistent with the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky. It is based on the belief that literacy is actively constructed with children’s interaction with their environments and the people around them and these bring about learning (Piaget, 1959). Vygotsky (1962) contends that children become literate when they converse and become involved in literacy acts with adults. This interaction between adult and child is called ‘scaffolding’ and happens when a wiser and more adept adult gently guides a child through the necessary steps in literacy activities while relinquishing autonomy little by little to the child until such time he can do in on his own. . Roskos & Christie (2007) agree that essential literacy skills like print concepts and alphabet knowledge may be developed with literacy-enriched dramatic play, games, reading of stories, dictation of language experiences and other “fun” activities descriptive of play. They have also advocated for ‘blended’ literacy programs featuring guided and child-led play opportunities directly connected with the academic curriculum, emergent literacy strategies and short lessons with focused and direct instruction (Roskos et al., 2010). Reflection of personal and professional learning Baxter, J. & Frederickson, N., (2005) “Every Child Matters: Can educational psychology contribute to radical reform?” Educational Psychology in Practice, Vol 21, No. 2 Bruce, T. (2001) Learning through Play: Babies, Toddlers and the Foundation Years. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Clay, M. (1998), By Different Paths to Common Outcomes, Stenhouse Publishers, Maine Lindfors, J.W., (1987), Children’s Language and Learning, 2nd Ed. Prentice Hall, Inc., Walker, T.(2009) Chapt. 8: Modern Childhood. Reader 1.Working With Children In The Early Years, The Open University The Early Years Foundation Stage, (2007) Effective practice: Play and Exploration © Crown www.everychildmatters.gov.uk Appendix 1. Narrative 1: Two-and-a-half year old Natasha arrives at daycare smiling, clutching on to a stuffed bunny. However, the minute her mother signs in and approaches the caregiver, Natasha holds on tightly to her mother’s leg, refusing to let her go. The caregiver coaxes her to choose a toy from the shelf and play with it with Adrian who was already seated at the table, doing puzzles. Natasha says “No!” and begins to whimper while her mother tries to pry herself out of her daughter’s clasp. As the mother turns to go out the door, Natasha cries after her, “Mummy!” and reluctantly goes with the caregiver to the toy shelf. Her cries end with a whimper as she wipes her face with the back of her hand. Upon reaching the shelves, she chooses a tray of table blocks, brings it to the table where Adrian was seated and begins building with it. 2. Narrative 2: Natasha was playing by herself at the toy kitchen station. The caregiver squatted near her and leaned towards her to see what the little girl was doing. She asked Natasha what she was “cooking”. Natasha answered without looking up, “Breakfast.” The caregiver probed further to elicit more responses from her, ”Oh wow! Breakfast! Just in time coz’ I’m hungry! Can you tell me what that is?” Natasha kept “cooking” and did not respond to the question. Later on, she said, “Mummy hungry”. The caregiver agreed and said. “Yes, your Mummy is hungry too. You cook her a good breakfast.” Natasha nodded and said “OK”. 3. Time Scale Time Routine Observation 10:15-10:30 Snack Time Natasha sits with 4 other toddlers around the table while they nibble on their snacks. Today, they are eating crackers with peanut butter and apple slices. She puts away her bowl, glass and placemat after she is done eating. 10:30-10:45 Story Time Natasha sits on the caregiver’s lap while she is read the story, “Runaway Bunny”. She listens intently and points to the pictures and then to her own stuffed bunny which she carries around with her. 10:25-11:05 Quiet Time The children lie on their mats and close their eyes. Natasha hugs her stuffed bunny and turns to her side and takes a nap along with the others. 4. Checklist Name of Child: Natasha Gender: Female Age: 2 years and 6 mos. Date of Observation: August 6, 2014 Time: 9:35 – 10:00 am. Skill Yes No Comments Points to pictures of common objects when they are named x The caregiver asked Natasha to put away the toys one by one (e.g. blocks, puzzles, play dough, beads) and she was able to put them away in the order that the caregiver mentioned. Can identify objects when told their use x The caregiver showed Natasha some objects and asked her to pick which one was for cutting, which was for writing and which was for painting. Natasha correctly picked the scissors, the crayon and the paintbrush accordingly. Understands question forms what and where x Natasha answers “what” and “where” questions with one word answers. Observer asked her what her name was and she answered “Natasha”. When asked where her mother was, she answered, “work”. Understands negatives no, not, can’t and don’t x Natasha wanted to go to the playground during work time and the caregiver said she can’t because it was not yet time. She went back to her seat. Enjoys listening to simple storybooks and requests them again x Natasha enjoyed “lap reading” during story time as she interacted with the caregiver by pointing to the book once in a while. 5. Event Sampling Event Time Situation Social Group Dialogue 1 8:15 am Natasha gets a tray of table blocks and sits beside Adrian Natasha & Adrian No dialogue; parallel play 2 8:43 am Natasha plays on the toy kitchen station Natasha & caregiver Caregiver: What are you cooking today, Natasha? Natasha: Breakfast Caregiver: Oh wow! I’m hungry! Can you tell me what that is? Natasha: Mummy hungry Caregiver: Yes, your Mummy is hungry too. You cook her a good breakfast. Natasha: OK 3 9:25 Children go out for outdoor play. Natasha, Sydney, Oliver & Tristan Sydney: Get the ball, Natasha! Natasha: (picks up the ball and throws to Sydney. Natasha laughs when Sydney didn’t catch it. Oliver: Let’s go slide Natasha: (goes up the slide with Oliver. When she reaches the platform, she tells Tristan…) Move now. Tristan: (slides down) Natasha: my turn! 4 10:05 Natasha is on the easel right beside Micah. Natasha & Micah Micah: (painting large red circles) I go round and round the carousel. Natasha: (looks at Micah’s painting and smiles) you go horsey? Micah: yeah. 5 11:20 Adrian grabs Natasha’s stuffed bunny Natasha, Adrian & caregiver Natasha: Mine! (pulls back the bunny) Adrian: I just borrow! (pulls the bunny back) Caregiver: Adrian, give back the bunny to Natasha. Adrian: Here! (gives back the bunny to Natasha). Natasha: (gets the bunny back) Mine! Read More