Ava De Jonge

Ava De Jonge
4.3.20
EDFD 401
Child Development Case Study Analysis

Introduction:
Child’s Age - 16
Child’s Gender - Male
The observation took place on March 3, 2020, in my parent’s house

Part 1: Cognitive

Conservation
To determine the student’s cognitive state, I started testing the knowledge of
conservation, which consisted of three categories: liquid, mass, and area. First, I started out
testing the students with the concept of liquid. For the task, I set up a can of soda containing 12
fluid ounces of liquid. I then set up three containers varying in shape and size that could hold 24
ounces, six ounces, and 14 ounces of liquid. I discussed with the student the amount of liquid
contained in the can and then the amount of liquid that each empty container can hold. I then ask
the student, if I poured the liquid into each one of these containers would the liquid from the can
have the ability to fit in all three containers without overflowing? The student successfully
identified that the liquid from the can of soda would not fit in the six-ounce container because
the liquid would overflow.

The following challenge I created for this student to determine knowledge regarding
conservation was mass. For this activity, I set up a few cans of soup, all containing the same
contents and mass. I showed the student the multiple cans of soup and asked if they had the same
mass? The student successfully replied, yes. I then proceeded to open a can and pour some of the
soup into a saucepan. I then asked if all of the cans of soup still have the same mass, the student
successfully replied stating that I removed some of the contents making the amount inside the
can to have a smaller mass than the other cans of soup. I proceeded to change the masses of the
cans of soup and preform similar questions as to the mass of the cans. Every time the student was
able to identify that the mass changed correctly.

For the finals task regarding the knowledge of conservation, I challenged the student to
identify area. I set out a small box, and next to the little box, I set out three varying sizes of
wrapping paper: one that fit perfect, one that was way too small, and one that was massive. I
posed this activity as a goldy locks situation and that he needed to identify which piece of

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wrapping paper he thought would fit. The student picked up the too-small piece of wrapping
paper and put it aside. He then proceeded to do the same action with the piece of wrapping paper
that was too big. The student then pointed at the piece that would fit perfectly. I proceeded to ask
him why he believed he chose the correct piece of wrapping paper. He continued to tell me that
the one that was too small was obviously not going to fit as it would only cover one side. He then
said to me that the piece that was too big would fit around it… a few times. Overall, the student
was able to successfully complete and identify liquid, mass, and area. This allows me to
conclude he has cognitive development beyond the sensorimotor stage.

Seriation
Seriation is the following task to test to determine the student’s cognitive state. For this
task, I created an activity where the student would have to arrange books on a shelf, depending
on the height of the book. The student took all of the books off the shelf and then found the book
that appeared to be the tallest in the collection. He suddenly grabbed other books to place on top
of the tallest book to see which book is the second tallest and so on. The student was able to
quickly identify the order in which the books should be placed on the shelf. However, one of the
books from the collection was hiding while he was arranging the books, so when all of the books
were placed back on the shelf, the student noticed a book was left on the floor. He was able to
successfully place the missing book back on the shelf and maintain the order of books from the
shortest to the tallest. I can identify that this student has developed beyond the preoperational
stage of his cognitive development.

Transitivity
The third aspect of cognitive development is the concept of transitivity. For this activity, I
chose 14 random photos, which included apple, picture of Alaska, eggplants, firetruck, puzzle
piece, Blue Jay, blueberries, football, carrot, fish, peppers, hawk, toothbrush, and phone. I
introduced the activity to the student, and at first, he was very hesitant because he thought it is
childish and dumb. However, he was willing to cooperate. The student was able to identify
prominent grouping, such as color. The student struggled with identifying themes such as color
and then moving the pictures into the appropriate clusters. He became very distracted and
overwhelmed when he was trying to find grouping for the various images. I then aided him by
suggesting specific grouping, such as food. The student became very frustrated, so we moved on
to the following tasks. I believe the ability to think abstractly to create groupings was stressful
for him, especially because the images were colorful and very random. For this reason, I think
the student has not fully reached the formal operational stage of his cognitive development.
Materials Included:
Apple, Picture of Alaska, Eggplants, Firetruck, Puzzle Piece, Blue Jay, Blueberries, Football,
Carrot, Fish, Peppers, Hawk, Toothbrush, Phone

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Number of Categories Name of Categories

Sort #1: Color Blue, Orange, Red, White, etc.

Sort #2: Number of items within the photos More than one object, One object

Sort #3: Objects Wholeness Objects missing pieces, Objects untouched

Sort #4: Looking Beyond the Main Object Color, Other objects in the background

Notes:
- Hesitation at first
- Quickly was able to identify obvious grouping
- Struggled with identifying a theme such as color and then moving the pictures into
grouping depending on the color - distracted/overwhelmed
- Needed to move on due to frustration

Inferred Reality/Abstract Thinking

For the final task to determine where the student’s cognitive development is, I created an
activity to test abstract thinking and inferred reality. I found three puzzles and three logic
questions online. I change them a little in case the student has completed any of the puzzles or
logic questions in a previous time. I then asked the student to pick three activities he would like
to achieve, whether that be two puzzles and one logic question and so on. The student decided to
choose the three logic questions, so I asked him why he wanted those three activities. The
student explained that he believes that the three logic question would be the easiest because, in
one of his classes, they worked on logic questions. In the attached document, I included the
activities the student completed along with his responses. The student answered two out of the
three activities incorrectly. While this activity does not directly determine his cognitive state as
some logic questions are very hard. I believe that the questions I provided challenged his ability

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to read carefully while challenging his ability to think abstractly. I also believe that I can
determine his cognitive state through this activity because he decided to choose the easiest
activities to minimize the effort he needed to put into the activity. I also attempted to ask the
varying student questions to determine inferred reality and expand on abstract thinking. The
students became frustrated with many questions I was asking, so I finished this activity by
asking, why do we have seasons? The student replied, “the sun,” however, he was not able to
expand beyond the response of the sun.

Part 2: Physical

Gross Motor Skills

For this part of the child development case study, I analyzed the student’s physical
capabilities. The categories of the student’s physical attributes consisted of his gross motor skills,
fine motor skills, and his physical description. For the gross motor skills, I constructed two sets
of activities, one that the student is familiar with and often does and then an unfamiliar activity
that is not practiced. I did this because the student is an athlete; therefore, I wanted to challenge
his gross motor skills. For the familiar task, I had the student perform; I asked him to kick around
a soccer ball and then kick the ball into certain goal areas. The student was able to complete this
task as expected due to the fact he is a soccer player. I then challenged him to an unfamiliar task.
This task consisted of him balancing on a yoga block while throwing a ball to certain goal areas.
The first thing I noticed that was different between the familiar and unfamiliar task is that the
student kicked the ball with his right leg; however, he balanced on his left foot first. I assumed
these activities that he would balance on the same leg that he kicked the soccer ball. I asked the
student to switch to the opposite leg in both the familiar and unfamiliar tasks. I then questioned
him if changing his legs felt different or impacted his ability to succeed. The student told me that
he could perform both of the tasks on either leg with great success.

Fine Motor Skills

For this section of the physical assessment, I created two different tasks once again as the
student plays video games often; therefore, his fine motor skills may be better than the average.
For the familiar tasks, I ask him to play whatever video game he would like. I noticed that when
he plays video games, he typically only use his thumbs to play his video games. I then asked him
if there were are games that he had to use his other fingers to click a keyboard or other buttons.
The student told me he usually only plays video games with his thumbs. So I then decided to
create an activity where his fine motor skills may be challenged as the motions are not daily
activities. I set up a bunch of Q-Tips on the ground and handed the student tweezers. I then asked
him to pick up all of the Q-Tips with the tweezers and place them into a cup. The student was
able to complete the task. I ask him if he found the activity challenging, and he did not think it
was difficult whatsoever.

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Physical Description
For the physical description, I asked the student a few essential questions such as weight
and height; however, I asked the student to include any physical descriptions he thinks is
valuable to note. The student is about five feet, two inches, and weighs approximately 95
pounds. He wanted to mention that he is taking the time we have during the quarantine to “beef
up.” The student has very straight teeth even though he has never had braces; he claims he got
the good genes because all of his siblings had braces. He said although his teeth are straight, his
nose is another situation. He said that he has a severely deviated septum, which makes it hard to
breathe. I also ask the student to create an ideal outfit, given that he was wearing pjs. He stated
that he would want to be wearing Lulu Lemon joggers, Yankees hat, gold chain, and a Guess
shirt of any color. He also mentioned he would like Balenciaga triple black with white laces. He
said he does not have any of these actual articles of clothing, but he said it would be fun to live
the “lush” life while in quarantine. I then asked the student what he thinks he smells like when he
practices hygiene. He quickly responded by stating, “the exhilarating scent of coastal woodland.”
He assured me that’s what it says on the bottle of his body wash and then followed by showing
me the bottle. I then asked the student what he smells like when he does not practice hygiene. He
stated, “week old soccer socks with a hint of burnt Cheez-it dust and an ever so slight waft of old
spice.” The student has no other comments he thinks would be necessary to note.

Part 3: Moral

Right vs Wrong
The final step in collecting information to determine the student’s development, I needed
to ask questions as to what the student thinks is right or wrong. In the attached document, I list
most of the questions I asked the student; however, I asked a few questions that I believe are the
most important to recognize. The questions I believe are important are: if the speed limit is
55mph, but your friend is going 60 mph, is that speeding? What if you found 20 dollars sticking
out of the couch would you take it? What if your sibling found your 20 dollars sticking out of the
couch? Would it be okay for them to take it? If your friend is doing poorly in class and you guys
have a big test coming up, would it be okay for them to cheat to receive a better grade in the
class? I believe the way the student responded to the fundamental questions above indicate where
his moral development is. I first asked him, if the speed limit is 55mph, but your friend is going
60 mph, is that speeding, the student replied no. This shows that stage four, which is also known
as law and order, has yet to be reached. I can conclude this because going 60 mph in 55 mph is
technically speeding according to the law. I then asked the student, what if you found 20 dollars
sticking out of the couch? Would you take it, he replied, yes. I then flipped the question to
impact him by asking, what if your sibling found your 20 dollars sticking out of the couch?
Would it be okay for them to take it? The student replied that it would not be okay for his sibling
to take his money. I then concluded that this student has beliefs that indicate he is still in stage

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two, which is known as an eye for an eye. I then concluded by asking, if your friend is doing
poorly in class and you guys have a big test coming up, would it be okay for them to cheat to
receive a better grade in the class? The student replied it would not be okay to cheat on a test,
which makes me believe that the student is transitioning into stage three of moral development.

Values and Beliefs

I asked the student various questions to determine his values and beliefs and the specific
questions can be viewed on the attached document. From the questions, I determined that this
student values a teacher who is hardworking and committed to helping students. He also
appreciates teachers who are kind to him and interact with him both in and outside of class. I also
noted this student prioritizes his friends greatly as he states he would spend his free time talking
to friends rather than working on homework. He told me that he appreciates friends who share
similar interests. However, this student does not highly prioritize or have a great interest in
school. I asked the student if he puts the same effort into soccer and school, he is not sure the
effort is the same, however, he would rather be at soccer than school.

Part 4: Commentary

This opportunity to analyze a student’s development allowed me to further my

understanding of child development but also reflect on how it applies to teaching. I think that

while students who are in the same age grouping are at similar development stages, all act and

think differently. For example, in this situation, the student has stage two transitioning into stage

three development can have morals that may not align with another student; however, both

students are in the same developmental stage. I think this is important to note as a teacher

because when teaching, I may have to adapt my ways of approaching certain concepts to fit the

needs of my students better. I will need to do so because I do not offend their moral but rather

challenge the moral development stages of my students so they can grow. Building off how

students all learn and process concepts differently, during the cognitive assessment, I challenged

the student too far, which resulted in frustration and confusion. As a teacher, I will need to be

aware of the student’s cognitive stage so that I can teach them without too much confusion and

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frustration. I also need to be patient because when I was testing the student during this case

study, I often became frustrated that the student could not solve simple tasks. I think to some

degree, I let the relationship of the student and I have get the best of me. As a teacher, I will need

to be vigilant not to let my emotions go due to the bonds I will create with my students.

I believe that it is essential for all teachers to understand the cognitive, physical, and

moral development of our students as it could set us apart for providing the best education for

our students. With knowing the development stages of our students, we can protect and provide

our students with the proper help they need. For example, a female student entering puberty

might need help if they get their period for the first time. This can be very embarrassing for

many girls during this time as they have no control over it or have experience controlling it.

Therefore by understanding the stages of physical development, teachers can provide students

with the help they need to make the transition to different developmental stages easier. I think

that by knowing the cognitive and moral development of our students, we can significantly help

our students in the class, in social situations, and for their future developments. As stated

previously, as teachers, we can dramatically impact the students learning by adjusting our

teaching to suit the understanding of concepts for students better. We can also aid students in

creating strategies to succeed in class better and beyond. I think that by understanding student’s

moral and cognitive development, we can even understand why they act and react the way they

do. For example, if a student is resistant to help with passing out the paper, we as a teacher

understand that they may still be in an egocentric state. Therefore, they may want something in

return for passing out papers. As a teacher, we can challenge or accept the stage the student is at.

For example, in the situation of the student passing out the paper, we could say thank you or give

the student a piece of candy. Overall, I think the ability to analyze a student’s development

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provided me with the insight I might have overlooked otherwise. I think it is crucial as a teacher

to understand our student’s development stages as we can aid the student greatly by

understanding what is happening beyond what we see.