Running Head: CHILD OBSERVATION STUDY

Child Observation Study Josh Borders Ivy Tech Community College Central Indiana

Running Head: CHILD OBSERVATION STUDY Human development is an inevitable factor of life and to become an effective educator, one must learn the variety of ways a child develops throughout their lifetime. Not only do the children grow physically in size, which is certainly the most noticeable, but they also grow socially, emotionally and cognitively. Although researchers have observed many universals (similar patterns) in development, there are also other elements that must be taken into consideration. All children develop at different rates and the realization of this helps parents, and educators alike, keep the diversities of child development in perspective. Furthermore, hereditary and environmental dynamics shape how a child progresses. Whether the affect is due to genetics or the milieu in which they are raised, a child will unavoidably be a product of what they are subjected to in their early years (Ormrod, 2011). For this particular study, the Examiner (myself) has performed an observation and interview of an adolescent to assess their physical and motor, cognitive, as well as social and

emotional developments. By monitoring and interacting with this particular student, the Child, the Examiner is able to identify what stage of development is currently obtained. Furthermore, by interviewing the child and asking specific questions, the Examiner is afforded an even deeper look into the psychological progress the Child has gained thus far. Applying data collected from observational studies give educators the ability to compare and contrast different students rates of development, which in turn allow them to create appropriate lessons for a diverse population of students. Not to mention, this information can also reveal the vast array of learning styles and intelligences that future students may possess. According to psychologist, Jean Piaget, it is with children that we have the best chance of studying the develo pment of logical knowledge, mathematical knowledge, physical knowledge, and so forth (Piaget, 1968).

Running Head: CHILD OBSERVATION STUDY The subject of this study, the Child, is an eleven year old, male sixth grade student at

Perry Meridian Sixth Grade academy in Indianapolis, IN. He excitedly informed the Examiner, at the beginning of the interview, that he would be twelve in less than two months. The Child has two younger male siblings, ages seven and ten, as well as a mother and father whom live together but are not married at the present time. He currently possesses his fathers surname, but the Examiner established direct contact with the Mother. When asked about his younger brothers, the Child displayed a typical response for youthful siblings, which included eye rolling and a slight smirk. This led the Examiner to conclude that his brothers, most likely because of his position as the eldest, often perturb the Child. When questioned about weekday routine, the Child expressed his participation in extra curricular activities once the school day is completed. He recently joined the swim team and became extremely enthusiastic as he explained his experience thus far. The Child exuded much confidence when describing a situation where his swimming coach praised him for his swimming skills, considering his young age. Moreover, other weekday activities included homework and playing with friends in the neighborhood. As for weekend events, the Child mentioned sleepovers, video gaming, and attending school sporting events. One activity the Child mentioned was going roller-skating on the weekends until he began getting bullied so he no longer attends these events. The Examiner noticed the confidence that he previously showed; vanish when discussing the bullying incident. The Child is small in stature compared to his classmates of the same age, but seemed to accept this fact as something he cannot control. The Examiner quickly continued the interview by inquiring about the types of foods the Child favors. Outback Steakhouse was the first thing mentioned by the Child, followed by an

Running Head: CHILD OBSERVATION STUDY

exclamation about his love for steak and mashed potatoes. He also spoke about how he enjoys eating cereal, but then went off on a tangent about a birthday party he had where his mom ordered him a peanut butter cake. He went on to say that he is not a big fan of peanut butter, but he had so many friends at the party that he didnt mind the flavor of the birthday cake. When the Examiner inquired about medical information, The Child laughed out loud as he told a story about sticking a beetle in his ear when he was younger. He jokingly said that there was still a beetle leg somewhere in his ear. Talking about this appeared to ease the tension that came from the earlier discussion about being bullied at the skating rink. Aside from the beetle incident, the Child informed the Examiner that his only other health issue was his lactose intolerance and a sprained knee the year before. According to the Motor Development Chart, a school-aged child should be able to use physical activities to develop and integrate gross and fine motor skills (University, 1998). At the age of eleven, the Child exhibits the appropriate physical and motor skills that are expected and uses these skills to function on a daily basis. He also uses these skills to participate in the aforementioned sporting activities. Furthermore, the Child expressed a strong interest in music and dancing, with R & B and Rap being his favorite genres of music. Some children begin puberty from 10-12 years of age, but the Child became very bashful when the Examiner mentioned this topic. The next topic discussed was social roles and behaviors. The Child immediately spoke of using manners at school and when visiting a friends house. The Child made certain that the Examiner was aware of his politeness in the appropriate setting. He even went as far as saying that he knew that he was supposed to be polite when addressing adults, but could relax when

Running Head: CHILD OBSERVATION STUDY he was among his peers. Also, the Child admitted that he realized that he gives his parents a hard time, especially in regard to his younger siblings. However, he supplemented his candidness by acknowledging that he appreciated all that his parents do to make sure he is cared for properly. This is a testament to the Childs self-reflection, because he is able to identify that he has faults and needs to work harder to show his appreciation to his parents. When the Examiner asked the Child about his relationship and interaction with the opposite sex, the Child began to display a great deal of confidence and self-assurance. He

informed the Examiner that he currently has a girlfriend that he sits with at lunch everyday and that he had his first girlfriend in preschool, although he didnt really understand the concept at that time. Furthermore, he addressed the use of technology to communicate with girls and said that his parents gave him a cell phone, so he text messages with his girlfriend regularly. According to Jeanne Ellis Ormrods Educational Psychology: Developing Learners, cognitive development is defined as developmental changes in a persons thinking, reasoning, and languages. Taking this concept of cognitive learning a step further, Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development was formed. Piaget theorized that there are four stages of cognitive development that include: Sensorimotor (beginning at birth), Preoperational (emerges at age 2), Concrete Operations (Seen at ages 6-7), and Formal Operations (shown at ages 11-12). The first two stages have already been completed for the Child, but the latter of the two are currently in the process of developing. The Child displays an ability to differentiate between his own and others perspectives. Also, the Examiner tested the Childs class inclusion abilities by laying different denominations of coins on a table and asking the Child to group them by color. Then the Examiner asked the Child to group them by their value. The Child concluded that the

Running Head: CHILD OBSERVATION STUDY coins could belong to more than one group simultaneously. The formal operations stage of Piagets theory is just beginning to emerge for the Child, so it was not yet possible to readily identify these characteristics. This is something that will continue to take shape for the Child over the next few years. Socially and emotionally, development for the Child is progressing as expected. When using Eriksons Theory of Industry versus Inferiority, the Child describes the positive reinforcement and feedback that he receives from his coaches, teachers, and parents. He further explains that his mother is responsible for pushing him to perform to his maximum ability mentally. While on the other hand, his father focuses his efforts on encouraging the

Child to remain vigilant with his commitment to sports and physical activities. These are typical traits of mothers and fathers, because the maternal instinct is to mold the mind, while the paternal instinct focuses on the physical aspects of life. Finally, the Child displays his awareness of empathy when he tells the Examiner about his grandfather passing away last year and how difficult that was for his mother and grandmother. He understood that this was a trying time for his family and that they needed to help one another cope with this loss. In conclusion, this study has given the Examiner extensive insight into the thought processes and overall development of an adolescent, while simultaneously providing an opportunity to fine-tune research skills. Although, interviewing a child is not always completely reliable, due to their lack of perspective at such a young age, as well as their inability to completely divulge information to a stranger, it can be helpful when studying cognitive and fine motor skills development. Using the information gathered from this study, the Examiner can utilize the variations of child development within their future classrooms.

Running Head: CHILD OBSERVATION STUDY Reference List University of Akron. School of Social Work University Partnership Program. The Field Guide to Child Welfare Volume III: Child Development and Child Welfare. Judith S. Rycus and Ronald C. Hughes. Child Welfare League of American Press. 1998. Retrieved on 13 February 2012 from Web.

http://uppua.org/pdfs/CW%20II%20Handouts/Effects%20of%20Abuse%20and%20Negl ect%20on%20Child%20Development/Development_Chart_for_Booklet.pdf Piaget, Jean. Genetic Epistemology. Marxists Internet Archive. Columbia University Press. 1968. Retreived from Web. http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/piaget.htm Ormrod, J.E. Educational Psychology: Developing Learners. Pearson Education Inc. 2011. P 2073. Retrieved from Text.