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Purpose: Making observations and connecting observations to theories are key skills for social workers to develop. The purpose of this assignment is to connect what you observe to theories that you have been learning about in assessing child behavior.
Directions:
Observe a child for 30 minutes. You should observe them for 30 minutes at one time, rather than conducting several, shorter observations. During the observation, you should not be interacting with the child, to the extent possible. If you are choosing to observe your own or a close relative’s child, it is important to be as objective as possible in your assessment. If you are not able to do that, you should choose to observe a friend’s or an acquaintance’s child. It would be very helpful for this assignment to select an informative activity to observe. For instance, if you are observing a toddler or a school-aged child, you may choose to observe them while they are engaged in a game or another type of activity. If you are observing an adolescent, you might want to do so while they are interacting with family or friends.
Take notes about what you are seeing as you observe the child. In your notes, you will want to include descriiptions about what you see (ex. child grimaced when served broccoli; child played Candyland for 5 minutes with 5 year old friend and then walked over to mother for a hug). Pay attention to the bio-psycho-social-spiritual-cultural aspects of the child as well as developmental milestones that you might observe. Make sure that you also pay attention to aspects of the environment. If there are other people interacting with the child, describe them and their interactions. Describe the physical environment as well as the social environment (e.g. there are colorful posters on the walls of the classroom that say “Be Kind”; the TV was on in the background; etc.)
Write a 4-6 page, double-spaced paper with 12 point Times New Roman font. Follow the outline below and label each section of your paper with the bolded headings:
Introduction: This section should provide information about the child/adolescent including name (not the child’s real name), age, gender, race/ethnicity, where you observed the child, type of activity observed, who was with the child/adolescent during the observation, their ages and relationship to the child/adolescent, etc.
Assessment of child in their environment: This section will be the bulk of the paper. Throughout this section of the paper, you will write about specific things that you observed and connect them to one or more of the theories listed.
In our class, we have been learning about both traditional and critical theories that have been developed to explain child development. Choose two theories, one traditional and one critical. Examples of traditional theories: ecological systems theory; attachment theory; Erikson; Piaget; Kohlberg or Gilligan. Examples of critical theories: theories of racial, ethnic, and gender identity development; relational cultural theory; feminist theory; critical race theory; queer theory; intersectionality.
In this section of the paper, you will write about specific things you observed and connect them to the theories you selected. For example, you can write about a specific behavior you observed in the child and connect it to a developmental stage based on Piaget. You can then consider how that same behavior could be interpreted using critical race theory. You may also choose two different behaviors and analyze each of them with one specific theory (e.g., behavior #1 analyzed using Erikson’s theory and behavior #2 analyzed using relational cultural theory).
As you are writing this section, please be specific when you describe the behavior/observation you selected. In addition, be specific about ways in which your chosen theories can help interpret this behavior(s). In other words, how do the theories covered in class assist you in interpreting the meaning of this behavior?
Self-Reflection: After writing your observations, consider your reactions to what you have observed. This section can be written in the first person, since you are talking about yourself and your own reactions.
What thoughts and reactions do you notice in yourself in response to what you have observed?
How might your own experiences, beliefs, or values be relevant to your interpretations?
What similarities and differences do you identify between the child’s social location and your own? How might these similarities or differences be relevant to your interpretations?
References: You should use references as evidence that you cite to support your thoughts/interpretations and observations of the child/adolescent. At a minimum you will use your textbooks as sources. You must cite at least 2 sources from our course syllabus in your paper, although you may cite more. You may use peer-reviewed articles, academic books, and credible websites as well. Use APA 7 format for references and citations.
If you do not have access to observe a child or adolescent, you may choose to watch one of the following videos:
Growing up Poor in America: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/growing-up-poor-in-america/Links to an external site.. Choose one of the three stories featured in this documentary
Omarina’s Story: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/omarinas-story/Links to an external site. and The Education of Omarina: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/the-education-of-omarina/Links to an external site.. You need to watch both if you are choosing this option.
Children of Syria: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/children-of-syria/Links to an external site.
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