What are some of the difficulties that may arise during an observation? This post, I will be discussing some problems faced by observers at times in a naturalistic observation setting.
Often, a child may get distracted when they know that someone they know very well is present in the class. Distraction from their usual routine or simply the task at the present moment may affect the outcome of the observation to a certain degree.
In fact, other distractions may be more subtle leading to certain confounds in the observation. For example, the child may display demand characteristic behaviour. This means that the child may, with the intent of seeking approval from the known observer, behave in a manner that he or she thinks the observer expects from him or her.
The child might also display performance anxiety. Not understanding why the observer is there in school on that particular day might result in unwanted anxiety and drop in performance which might not be as bad on any usual days.
What are some other difficulties that might be encountered that you could think of or even have experienced yourself?
How may we prevent possibilities of such difficulties?
If the observer is someone the child knows very well, it may be helpful to inform the child
before the observation period to prepare him or her that the observer will be visiting the school. Set up a schedule or mark on the calendar for the child so that he or she can anticipate when the school visit will be. Explain or go through with her the reason for the visit and constantly assure her that everything should be as per normal and that nothing will be disrupted even when the observer is present.
If the observer is someone whom the child is not familiar with, it might be feasible to arrange an observation of more than a day. This is the ensure that the observer gets well acquainted with not just the child but also his or her classmates and peers in school. On the first day of observsation, there might be a possibility that the child and children may get too anxious or excited due to the presence of a new adult in class.
Do you have any other suggestions that you could think of that could help deal with the difficulties encountered during an observation? feel free to comment or send me an email for further discussions.
Next post, we will be looking at the program of Categorization. I will be discussing with you the importance of learning the concept and skill of categorization.
Please visit my website at www.triumphantkids.com for information regarding the services I provide.
Email me at davensim@triumphantkids.com for any further questions or suggestions.
No comments:
Post a Comment