Observation

 Is the process of watching a child at work or play without interfering in

the activity. The observed words and actions of children as they
interact with their surroundings and other people.

Recording
 Is the process of documenting the observed activity or behavior.
Although many teachers do this naturally a systematic approach helps
ensure that children are observed participating in many different
activities over time.

Formal observation
 A natural way of assessing a child's skills and development

 Include standardized tests and research instruments

 Provide important information, they require specialized training for
recording data on carefully design forms.

Informal observation
 The child is typically unaware they are being observed and will
therefore not modify their behavior in any way.

 Observation methods to collect data.

 Easier to use and more appropriate for program planning.
 They include observing children in the classroom, collecting
samples of their work, interviewing parents, and taking with
children.

Different Child Observation Methods

A. Anecdotal Records
 Is a record of some significant item of conduct, a record of an
episode in the life of students, a word picture of the students in
action, a word snapshots at the moments of the incident, any
narration of evens in which may be significant about his
personality.

Characteristics of Anecdotal Records:

 They should contain a factual description of what happened, when
it happened, and under what circumstances the behavior
occurred.
 The interpretations and recommended action should be noted
separately from the description.
 Each anecdotal record should contain a record of a single
incident.

The Purpose of Anecdotal Records:

  To document the event as clearly and accurately as possible.
 To substitute for vague generalizations about student’s specific
exact description of behavior.
 To understand individual’s basic personality pattern and his
reactions in different situations.

Guidelines for Making Anecdotal Record:

1. Keep a notebook handy to make brief notes to remind you of
incidents you wish to include in the record. Also include the
name, time and setting in your notes.
2. Write the record as soon as possible after the event. The longer
you leave it to write your anecdotal record, the more subjective
and vaguer the observation will become.
3. In your anecdotal record identify the time, child, date and setting

Advantages of anecdotal records

 Needs no special training.
 Use of formative feedback.
 Open ended and can catch unexpected events.
 Can select behaviors or events of interest and ignore others, or
can sample a wide range of behaviors' (different times,
environments and people).

Disadvantages of anecdotal records

 Only records events of interest to the person doing the
observing.
 Quality of the record depends on the memory of the person
doing the observing.
 Incidents can be taken out of context.
 May miss out on recording specific types of behavior.

Uses of anecdotal records

 Record unusual events, such as accidents.
 Record children's behavior, skills and interests for planning
purposes.
 Record how an individual is progressing in a specific area of
development.

 It provides a means of communication between the members of

the health care team and facilitates coordinated planning and
continuity of care. It acts as a medium for data exchange
between the health care team.
 Clear, complete, accurate and factual documentation provides a
reliable, permanent record of patient care.
B. Event Sampling

 Is usually a series of short observations to confirm a child’s

behavior pattern in order to provide suitable strategies to manage
the child’s behavior effectively. It is like keeping a clearly focused
diary of the child’s behavior.

The “ABC” format records:

 A for Antecedent (possible triggers, behaviors, action)

 B for the Behavior (a summary of the observed behavior)
 C for the Consequences (what happened immediately after the
behavior/event.

ABC/Event Sampling:
 Event sampling gives the observer a very efficient way to
collect
data on a targeted behavior because it concentrates only on the
behavior. Over time, these samples of behaviors serve to
represent the child’s behavior in this one particular area of
development. In event sampling, the observer records every
 example of the focus behavior as it naturally occurs during a
specified time period

Advantages:
1. This method can uncover causes and effects of behavior
2. Results of observation can be used to plan appropriate
interventions at individual child’s developmental level

Disadvantages:
1. Results cannot be generalized to another child or group of
children.
2. Event sampling requires time and skill to code behaviors and
record incidents
3. It is not always easy to establish the causes of behaviors.

When to Use
1. Event sampling can be used to explore causes and effects of
behaviors.
2. Event sampling can be used when a child behaves in ways
that are typical for him or her or when a child shows repeated
inappropriate behavior.
3. When the schedule seems inappropriate for a group of
children event sampling may help identify the problem.

A form could be developed that might include the following

components:
1. Targeted behavior
2. Causes of misbehavior
a. Antecedent events
b. Consequences of behavior
c. Interpretation information from observations
3. Behaviors to be encouraged
4. Strategies to be used in intervening
5. Follow-up – later observations to see if the problem is solved.

Example of Event Sampling: