EDT 222/207/508 Case study of an individual student
Introduction and Rationale:
For this last field visit activity you will collect and analyze data for a study of an individual student. Case studies utilize a variety of sources to develop a comprehensive description of an individual student. This more complete picture of the individual student enables the teacher to provide a better quality learning environment.
Procedures :
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Choosing a case study student and collecting data. Consult your teacher during your first or second observation about your choice of case study student and about what data is appropriate to collect. For this study your main source of data will be observations of the student. You may also ask questions of the teacher, talk with the student, and/or ask the student to complete tasks that provide indications of their development if these activities are appropriate given the classroom and school in which you are observing. Make every effort to insure a respectful and objective evaluation of all aspects of an individual's development.
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Confidentiality. The information you gather about this student is confidential and you are ethically and legally bound to honor this confidence. This means that you must not discuss this student with anyone in a way that could identify the student. (There are exceptions that we will discuss in class). Any written or oral reference to this student must NOT include the student’s real name or any other information which would identify her or him.
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Creating observation guides. You will create observation guides for gathering data for your case study. Each observation guide must include three to six questions and a list of concepts related to an aspect of development (physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional or moral). Bring your observation guide with you to field visits to direct the focus of your data collection. Hand in your observation guides attached to your notes.
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Format of observation notes.
Take notes using a five column format (time/source, description, concepts, analysis, reflection/recommendations).
Paper :
Prepare a five page report which summarizes four areas of a student’s development, offers recommendations for supporting the students’ positive development, and noting limitations to you observations. Use the following headings in your report: Physical development, Cognitive development, Linguistic development, Social development (or Emotional development or Personal development), Recommendations, and Limitations.
The report must include the following:
Introduction – Provide a brief introductory paragraph to the student, classes, and school you observed. Do not identify the school, teacher, or student by name. Use a pseudonym for the student.
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For each of the four areas of development you discuss :
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Analyze the student’s development in light of what you have learned about development.
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Support you analyses with evidence from your observations.
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Note discrepancies between what you observed and typical development or ways that the case illustrates diversity in development. Provide hypotheses for the discrepancies / diversity. Be sure to support your hypotheses with evidence from your case study and as well as theories and facts from your study of human development.
Be sure that each paragraph in this section begins with a topic sentence that is an analysis statement about your case study student’s development. (You paragraphs should not begin with general statements about development or specific observations of your student.)The
remaining sentences in each paragraph should support your analysis statement.
Make recommendations for giving positive support to the student’s developmental process. In making these recommendations refer to contextual factors (e.g. classrooms, families, peer groups, communities and society) that are important influences on this student’s development. You do not have to have a recommendation related to every area of development.
Summarize the limitations of your case study. Explain what aspects of development you were not able to learn about and what additional data you would need to overcome these limitations.
Attach the grading rubric for field visit reports to the back of the paper behind your observation guides and notes and writer’s checklist. Use a cover sheet on the front with your name and other necessary information.
Feedback. You must have at least one EDT 222 classmate give you feedback on your case study report before turning it in.
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