EPSY 5260
Fall 2013
Stanley BPS Teacher Prep Program Guidelines for the Child Study
UCD Instructor of Record: Sue Sava
Stanley BPS TPP Assignment Advisor: Lynne Forstot
[These guidelines are meant to scaffold your progress toward meeting the UCD scoring
rubric requirements on the last page of the UCD course assignment handout.]
OBJECTIVES OF THE CHILD STUDY ASSIGNMENT
This child study project provides an opportunity to deepen your understanding and
knowledge of child development and enhance your skills of observation.
You will be able to:
 describe your knowledge of current research in the area of child development
 apply varied strategies of child observation
 record information with objectivity
 contrast first impressions with data-driven conclusions
 link a child’s behavior to developmental norms
 determine possible causes for challenges or celebrations in learning
 identify children’s developmental needs when planning curriculum
 identify children’s developmental needs when designing the classroom
environment
 link direct observational data with perspectives from child development theorists
PROCEDURES
Beginning on Monday, October 7, you will have eight weeks to record and synthesize
observations of a specific child (or small group of age-level children) in your classroom.
Your study will focus on three major developmental domains: physical,
social/emotional and cognitive development. To support interpretations and deepen
insights into observations during this period, you will read chapters related to each of
these domains from a minimum of two to three texts on child development, as well as
child development handouts provided by the Stanley BPS Teacher Preparation Program.
Your completed product, in a 3-ring binder, is due on Thursday, December 12, 2013.
1
OUTLINE (A–F) OF CHILD STUDY EXPECTATIONS & PROCEDURE
GUIDELINES
To formally begin the Child Study assignment you are required to write a descriptive
Initial Profile of your study child, revealing your first impressions of him/her. (It is
important to have these initial first impressions in order to contrast them with your datadriven conclusions later in the study.) In addition, you should formulate some questions,
specific to this child, which may guide your later observations during your observational
studies. An example of an Initial Profile is provided on page 13 of this packet of
guidelines.
A. Initial Profile of Your Study Child (1-3 pages). September 19th – 26th
* Please bring a hard copy of the completed Initial Profile to seminar on
September 26th. Lynne Forstot will respond to your Initial Profile by October 3rd.
PLEASE DO NOT BEGIN OBSERVATIONS ON A CHILD until your Initial
Profile is approved on October 3rd.
Procedure:
a. Select the child or age-level group you plan to study. As this is a course
in typical child development, please choose a child whom you believe
is typical in her/his development and is not on an IEP.
b. Write a “first impression” description of your selected child.
For anonymity, assign the study child a pseudonym, or alternatively,
just a letter, e.g. “T”. State the child’s age in years and months as of
September 1, 2013. State the child’s grade level and how many years in
attendance at his/her current school. If you have the information and
consider it pertinent, you might list other elementary schools this child has
attended prior to the child’s current placement and whether or not the child
attended preschool.
c. Provide a thumbnail sketch about the study child’s family.
For example, number of people in the family, siblings, cultural context,
pets, the study child’s birth order, special needs or circumstances of the
family, etc. Note: In some cases, some information about the family may
be confidential. Just include pertinent information that is easily available.
d. State why you selected this particular child or age level to study.
Consider why this particular child interests you. For example, perhaps
you are attracted by the child’s personality. Does the child remind you of
someone? Perhaps you are puzzled by the child’s behavior. Perhaps you
are wondering how best to support this child.
e. Develop key questions you hope to pursue through this study.
You might choose to focus on a particular idea, such as, how does play
contribute to enhance your child’s learning? If he/she experiences choice
time, why might choice time be important to your child? Alternatively,
you might decide to focus on the tools the child uses to navigate conflict.
Perhaps you are curious to explore what conditions may have contributed
to apparent talents and abilities.
2
B. Observation/Data Collection & Reading Child Development Research
October 7th – November 22nd
Between these dates, you will record observations and data about your study
child, both inside and outside the classroom at different times of the school day.
To broaden your perspective you will also take the opportunity to observe the
child at P.E., music or other “specials” when the child is not with his/her
classroom teacher. You are encouraged to utilize a variety of observational
strategies to collect information and insight about the study child.
Develop and include a scheduled plan for your observations so that you are
deliberate in planning for multiple strategies to be utilized at different times of the
day and in different situations. You will include this scheduled observation plan
in the final Child Study with your observation notes. Of course, there will be
many opportunities for spontaneous observations that you will also include in
your study.
Many of your notes are likely to be anecdotal. Providing your notes are legible,
these observations may be informal and do not need to be typed.
**All observational notes should be dated.**
**All observational notes should use a pseudonym to protect anonymity.**
Note: Descriptions of several naturalistic observation strategies are outlined in
Ways of Studying Children, Almy & Genishi; and Observing and Recording the
Behavior of Young Children, Cohen & Stern.
Along with your observations during this period, you will also read from a variety
of available child development literature, being sure to review major theorists on
child development such as Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, Gesell, Kohlberg, Bandura,
Malaguzzi, and Gardner. Consider how some of these theorists’ ideas “fit” or
help you interpret your study child’s behavior and stage of development.
The instructor of record suggests one approach to assembling a comprehensive
picture of your study child.
a. A traditional approach is to consider your study child’s development in
terms of the three major domains (physical, social/emotional, and
cognitive), comparing your naturalistic observations with what you
read as norms or standards in published text.
As you assemble information, it may be helpful to focus on one
developmental domain for a period of two weeks before moving on to
another.
Following each developmental section, (physical, social/emotional, and cognitive)
summarize the information gathered through your observations, note taking and
readings. Take time with each section to write a thoughtful, reflective piece,
citing references (using APA style) from the variety of texts you have utilized.
3
C. Observation/Data Collection & Integrating Child Development Research
October 7th – November 22nd
Integration of Child Development Research
Referencing child development theory is an important part of this study,
appearing multiple times in the scoring criteria. You will want to bring life to
your child study by using rich stories, examples, and anecdotes to share what you
have observed in your child rather than simply stating what you observed.
Further, you will connect these observations to theory (refer to bibliographies as
resources for references). Use these resources to deepen your knowledge about
theories of development and learning that will in turn enrich your understanding
of your child. We want to encourage you to think critically about the theories to
which you are connecting and to demonstrate this process of critical thinking in
the narrative of your child study.
Critique the theorists as you are integrating their work into the text of your Child
Study. For example: “While my Piagetian tasks seemed to show that my study
child was not yet demonstrating concrete operational thinking, my interpretation
of my observations appear contrary to this conclusion.” You might find that you
have observations of your child that call certain theories into question and while
some of your observations might align with these initial theories, others might
refute them – discuss this in your narrative and expand on why you might be in
the process of developing a different perspective than what a particular theory
suggests. We also want to encourage you to go beyond relying on theory alone to
describe and make sense out of what you are observing, and instead develop a
variety of your own hypotheses that might explain the behaviors that you are
observing. We want to hear your ideas and your opinions that may or may not
concur with more formal theories. This process of critically examining your
observations from a variety of perspectives will help you to better understand
your students and more importantly, help you to better support your students’
success in school.
Example of Integration of Child Development Research:
On several occasions I observed Sarah (2.5 years old) hit her classmates.
Resources reveal that this type of physical behavior is common with this
age group since they lack the verbal capacity to communicate their needs
and desires to others (Bukatko & Daehler, 2006; Davies, 2001).
Connections can also be made to the sensorimotor stage in Piaget’s theory
of development that suggests children encounter their world through
means of physical interaction (Brown & Thompson, 1998). Beyond being
considered a common behavior with this age group, I often wondered why
Sarah hit her classmates. I noticed that her hits often seemed to indicate
the desire to play a game with another child and actually served to invite
the other child into the game with her. Research has found that hitting can
be a strategy that children use to enter into play with others (Calvin &
James, 2004; Smith, 2009). Other times I noticed that Sarah often hit
another child after he/she had hit her. This particular observation connects
with Kohlberg’s second stage of moral development that implies I do to
you what you do to me (Kohlberg, 1995). In other words she may have hit
4
the child simply because the child hit her. Finally, I noticed that she
seemed to hit more on days when she did not nap as long. Perhaps she hit
more on these days because she was feeling tired and frustrated. Overall, I
do not feel that Sarah was trying to be aggressive in any way with other
children when she hit – instead she seemed to use hitting as a form of
communicating her desires and feelings to others. Trying to understand
Sarah’s hitting behavior from a variety of perspectives, rather than just
stating that this is common for this age group, has helped me become a
better support for her in these moments and I have noticed the frequency
of this behavior decrease over time since we have better supported her.
D. Hard Copy Summary
October 24th
Provide a hard copy summary of your progress thus far for Lynne Forstot on
October 24th. Lynne will respond by Oct. 31st
E. Assembling Final Product November 22nd – December 12th
During the final weeks, assemble and organize your observational notes and
readings under the three traditional major developmental domains.
 Include examples of children’s work, photographs, charts etc. to illustrate
your final product.
Final Summary
 The final chapter should summarize your total findings to provide a
comprehensive profile of your study child, together with your thoughts
and interpretations of what you have observed.
 Write a narrative, which synthesizes your observational notes with
readings from child development literature.
 Reflect on what you have learned about this child since writing your
initial child profile. Are there any surprises? Do you see this child
differently?
 Consider the questions you asked yourself at the beginning of the study.
Did you find some answers? Are those questions still relevant? Do you
have new questions to pursue?
 In what ways did your reading affect your perspective of this child?
 Consider how your study child could be further supported in his/her
strengths and challenges.
 Has this study influenced your thoughts for planning a classroom
environment and curriculum for your study child’s age group?
F. Final Child Study due December 12th
Lynne Forstot will first assess the quality of each Child Study and make
recommendations (based on the attached criteria) for Sue Sava. The Child
Studies are then passed on to Sue Sava for final review and grading (based on the
UCD scoring rubric on the last page of the blue UCD course assignment). Should
your work not meet minimal requirements, it will be returned to you with
guidance toward improvement, in which case, you may receive a grade of
incomplete for this required assignment. You are advised to review the attached
criteria and UCD scoring rubric before you submit your work.
5
Note: Final Checklist provided on page 12.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAINS
For further recommendations and suggestions on how to observe your study child using
the three developmental domains (physical, social/emotional, and cognitive), see the
following pages. Please note: the domain of “play” will fall under social/emotional.
1. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT: some suggestions for observing
Following are a few questions for you to consider and to get you started. You are not
limited to these starting points and you may not be able to respond to every question or
suggestion posed here.
For 10-15 minutes at different times of the day (Monday-Friday), maintain informal
observation notes, describing specific aspects of your child’s physical development.
Suggested Physical Characteristics to Consider
Observe the general appearance of the child (or children) you have selected to study.
 Work with your classroom teacher to assess the heights and weights of all your
classroom children. How does your study child compare with others of the same
age and gender? How does he/she compare with national norms? (Growth scale
provided in handout.)
 What other attributes are characteristic of this child?
 Can you ascertain this child’s usual mode of tensional outlets?
 What physical similarities does the child share with others of the same age?
Which characteristics seem dissimilar?
 Make note of his/her dentition. Has he/she begun the age of the loose tooth?
What effect, if any, on speech or social interaction is affected by his/her stage of
dentition?
 Does your child have a favorite piece of clothing he/she likes to wear, e.g. a
particular cap, shirt, boots, long dress, etc?
Observe the quality of his/her movement. Would you describe his/her general mode to
be quick, plodding, light, hesitant, confident, flowing, awkward…? Does he/she seem
particularly graceful and spatially aware of surroundings? Does he/she seem to express
mood through the way he/she moves or sits? Is there a difference to his/her quality of
movement inside and outside the classroom? Observe how he/she uses large motor
muscles. Does he/she seem well coordinated?
Make two, 5-10 minute, running records of your study child engaged in physical activity.
During an unstructured time outside (recess, lunch break), the other, inside the classroom,
(blocks, drama, art, crafts or simply moving around the room…) Follow this notation
with a few sentences indicating your thoughts or interpretations on what you observed.
Be sure to include qualifiers such as: maybe, perhaps, possibly, it seems . . .
Pay attention to small muscle strength and coordination. How successfully does the
child handle a pencil, scissors, paintbrush, clay? Is the grasp tight, loose? Observe the
child’s eye/hand coordination. How do the child’s fine motor skills compare with normal
development as indicated through your text readings?
6
Is the child right or left handed? Observe whether or not that dominance is continued
throughout the body. For example, does your right-handed child kick a ball with the right
or left foot? Do not make assumptions. Observe the child in a number of situations
before you draw your conclusion. Check to see which eye is dominant. (An easy check
is to give him/her a tube to look through. Notice which hand he/she uses to pick up the
tube and which eye he/she uses to peer through.)
Consider your study child’s general health. Note his/her attendance during the three
week observation period. Note reasons for absences. Frequent colds. Runny nose.
What about stamina? Do you notice a difference in energy at different times of the day?
In what ways does the child show fatigue? What do you notice about your study child’s
nutrition? Observe what he/she brings or chooses for lunch and how much of it he/she
actually eats.
Check school records. When did your subject child last have a vision and hearing exam?
Is there anything of note on his/her health records to indicate concern? Remember that
all records are confidential. Discuss findings only with your mentor, advisor and
school nurse.
Literature
At the end of one week’s observation of your study child’s physical development, review
your notes. Compare the profile you are compiling with the texts* you are reading. Does
this child’s physical development seem to fit the usual pattern for his/her age group? Are
there some differences? How might your child’s physical development affect how he/she
responds to the routines and expectations of school life?
*The books you choose may be on the bibliography provided or other books you
come across in the library or bookstore. When referencing text, use APA style.
Note: For an age-level study, ask the same questions and tabulate the responses in
a summary.
2. SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: some suggestions for observing
A child’s social competence will often determine his/her general happiness and
satisfaction with him/herself and the world. As with physical and cognitive development,
well-developed social awareness requires nurture, experience and maturation.
(The category of “Play” falls under this domain.)
Note: There are some educators and parents who believe that social awkwardness or
difficulties companion academic giftedness. Others state that any child can develop
social competence, given experience and guidance. What are your thoughts, based on
your own experiences and observations of your children?
Considerable research is available on different aspects of social development. Read
about the shy child, the aggressive child, the only child, the leader, the follower, the
socially rejected or neglected child. It is likely that in most classrooms, some children
exhibit one or more of these characteristics. You may want to make a sociogram of how
your children fall under these headings. How does your study child fit in with these sub
groupings and acceptance in the class?
7
Assess your study child’s interpersonal communication skills. Read the handout,
“Anatomy of a Conversation” (INREAL University of Colorado Boulder). How many of
these ‘rules’ does your study child observe? How does his/her intuitive knowledge of
these unspoken social expectations seem to affect his/her relationships with others?
Collect a few 2-4 minute anecdotes that illustrate your study child.
 interacting with a peer (one on one)
 a younger child
 an older child
 with a small group
 with an adult
 with his/her parent (if possible)
Describe the styles of social interaction you observed.
Block building is a good activity to observe the quality of interactions between children.
Alternatively, spontaneous dramatic play inside or outside the classroom, provides
interesting information, as does observing children engaged in a game with rules, (board
games, marbles, soccer, etc.)
 Note whether or not your child initiates conversations in some or all of these
situations.
 How does the child respond when another child initiates conversation?
 How successfully does your child participate in group play? With ease, with
conflict, with reluctance?
 Does the child wait to be invited into the group? Is the child easily accepted in
the group? Does the child usually take the role of initiator, follower, disrupter,
peacemaker, etc?
 How does your study child respond to peer conflict?
Further questions to consider:
 Does your child have a special buddy? If so, how dependent is the study child on
this person? Does he/she play with others, too?
 How does your child express satisfaction and dissatisfaction?
 What is your child’s usual mode in dealing with frustration when he/she has
difficulty doing something or makes a mistake?
 What kinds of situations or circumstances cause your child to laugh or otherwise
show happiness?
Have you noted any situations where your study child has demonstrated empathy or
compassion for a peer?
Utilize some of the scenarios provided in Sarah Glover’s seminar on moral development
to examine the stage of your study child’s moral development.
Read chapters on social and moral development from at least two texts, as well as
handouts provided.
SUGGESTIONS TO OBSERVE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PLAY IN
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (as a part of social/emotional development)
8
As a part of your social/emotional development observations, make a checklist to
observe your study child’s spontaneous play choices over a period of one week.
What style of play dominates? Imaginative group play? Solitary play?
Constructive? Investigative? Organized games? Do his/her choices change daily?
Does he/she seem to stick to a routine? Does he/she play alone or with others?
Is he/she part of the ‘action’ as an initiator, participant, or, is he/she usually on the
fringe of the group, trying or hoping to ‘get in’? Does he/she seek adult
companionship rather than that of peers? Times to observe might include Choice
Time, recess, transition times, before or after school.
As you observe children at play, consider what they are learning about
themselves, what skills they are developing, what value in all developmental
domains there may be in human play. Consider the importance of your study
child’s ability to play cooperatively as a determinant to the quality of his/her
social life. In what ways does the ability to play impact cognitive growth? What
might be the school’s role in providing opportunities for spontaneous play?
Read chapters from at least two child development textbooks on the subject of
play. A useful book for understanding young children at play is You Can’t Say
You Can’t Play by Vivian Paley.
Summary
Using the information gathered, summarize what you now perceive as the style and
quality of your study child’s social interactions with peers, adults, etc. In what ways is
he/she like others in his/her group? In what ways does your study child seem different?
In what ways does your study child’s emotional and moral stage of development affect
his/her social development? Does your new information suggest considerations for
differentiation of classroom curriculum and/or environment for this child or age group?
3. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT: some suggestions for observing
 Consider what we mean by intelligence.
 Consider whether or not a child’s academic performance is wholly indicative of
his/her intelligence or cognitive development.
 Consider what it is that most tests really measure.
 Read chapters on cognitive development from textbooks on child development.
 Read about Howard Gardner’s theories on Multiple Intelligences. Read Frames
of Mind for more in-depth information on Gardner’s theories.
 Try out some Piagetian tasks with your pre-K or K, 1st, 2nd grade child/children.
Were you surprised with some of your study child’s responses? Do your findings
suggest implications for planning curriculum for this child? How do your
findings support your other observations or inferences about your study child?
(Please remember this is only a “snapshot in time.”)
 OR for your 3rd through 6th grade children, observe their responses to solving
logic problems (some examples provided).
 Observe your study child’s mathematical concepts and style of thinking.
Interview Strategy
9
Interview your study child (and partner child if selected) to ascertain how the child
perceives and understands the world. Prepare some questions for an interview. If
possible, ask the questions one on one. For comparison, ask the same questions of
another child of the same age. Record each child’s responses. For pre-K and K, 1st, 2nd
grade children, questions might include:
 Where do dreams come from?
 What makes rain? What makes clouds move?
 What are the rules to the game? (If you are lucky enough to find a group playing
either a board game or a game of their own design ask, “How do you win?”
“Who makes the rules?”)
Note: The questions above are selected from questions Jean Piaget asked of children as
he investigated how children think at different developmental stages. Other questions
pertinent to older children could include:




How does a television (or computer) work?
What is war? What is peace?
What does it mean to be a friend?
What would you buy with a hundred dollars?
Problem Solving:
 Look for opportunities to observe your study child in a variety of problem-solving
situations; e.g. an academic problem, a social challenge, art or craft activity,
games of chess, Stratego, Battleship, Master Mind, etc. What is your study
child’s typical response when faced with a problem to solve?
 What strategies does the child utilize? Does the child employ multiple strategies?
Does the child exhibit perseverance? Excitement? Is the child quickly
discouraged?
 Does the child talk about it, find solutions through trial and error? Seek help from
a friend or an adult? Does the child express physical or vocal frustration? Does
the child give up quickly? Does the child stay with the problem for a long time?
Language Development
Read chapters on language development from one or two child development texts.
Record and transcribe 2-3 language samples of your study child in a play situation. Each
sample might be a 5-10 minutes observation and recording. Does this brief observation
provide new insights into the child you are studying? What do you know about
languages spoken in the home? Comment on what you have learned from these samples.
Focus on the child’s word choices, vocabulary, sentence structure and length of
sentences. Comment on what you have learned from collecting these language samples.
How do your observations and readings inform you about your child’s comprehension
and use of language?
Creativity
Provide examples of the ways your study child demonstrates creativity. Is it through the
visual arts, written arts, movement, music, mathematics, humor, problem solving?
Humor
10
What does your study child find to be humorous? Give some examples. What further
insights into your study child are gained through knowing the child’s style of humor?
Interests
Does your child exhibit a passion or intense interest in one or more school subjects, or
something the child does outside of school? If so, how long has the child had this
interest? When and how did it begin? How does this interest affect the study child’s
school life and interpersonal relationships?
Secondary Sources of Information
Check off the apparent academic competencies of your study child or children. Ask your
mentor to do the same. Do the two lists agree? Are there areas in which you perceive the
study child, or children, differently?
If available, review your study child’s last two report cards, progress sheets and/or
portfolio. Does the profile there seem to match your own impressions of your study
child? Note abilities, interests, and /or struggles that surprise you.
From the information gathered from report cards, various teachers’ reports, etc. describe
your study child’s academic competencies in mathematics, reading, writing, and science.
Add to this profile any information you have gathered about your study child’s prowess
in the arts: music, visual arts, movement, poetic voice, etc. Compare this information
with your own observations. Is there a match? How well do these reports fit with your
own growing knowledge of your study child?
Are there abilities and strengths of this child that are not reflected in the child’s report
card? For example, consider his/her sensitivity to others, creative thinking, problem
solving abilities, sense of humor, powers of observation, artistic style and grace of
movement.
Summary
Using the information gathered, summarize what you now perceive as the style and
quality of your study child’s thinking and cognitive abilities. In what ways is the child
like others in his/her group? In what ways does your study child seem different? Does
your new information suggest considerations for classroom curriculum and/or
environment that might further support this child or group of children?
11
FINAL CHECKLIST
Before submitting your work, please check that you have included the following:
 Title Page
 Table of Contents
 Initial Profile (original). It is important that you do not revise your
original Initial Profile (unless you are requested to do so). It is critical
to demonstrate growth from your first impressions to your final datadriven summaries.
i.
Original description of child (first impressions)
ii.
Description of family background
iii. Reasons for selecting this child
iv.
Questions you wish to pursue

Physical Development: description of your study child’s physical
development, illustrated with observational notes, anecdotes/stories,
and supplemented with notes from readings.

Social/Emotional Development: description of your study child’s
social/emotional development illustrated with observational notes,
anecdotes/stories, and supplemented with notes from readings.
i.
Play: description of your study child’s choice and style of play
with observation notes, etc.
ii.
Moral Development: description of your study child’s moral
development with observation notes, etc.

Cognitive Development: description of your child’s cognitive
development, illustrated with observational notes, anecdotes/stories,
and supplemented with notes from readings.

Final Summary: summary of what you have learned about this child,
including thoughts and interpretations about your observations with
consequent implications for the curriculum and the classroom
environment that could support this child’s strengths and challenges.
i.
Responses to original questions posed in your introduction.
(These thoughts may also be included within the text of your
final summary.)
ii.
Concluding statement about what you’ve learned through this
study.
12

References: cite all articles and chapters from texts that support your
narrative (APA style).

Scheduled Observation Plan & Copies of Observation Notes:
informal (legible) observation notes should be dated and organized
chronologically. It is acceptable to place them in the back pocket of
your binder along with your scheduled observation plan.

Appendix: if not incorporated into the text of your study, examples of
children’s work and photographs, etc., may be placed here.
13