Physical Observation Paper FAQ’s

What question am I writing about?

The overarching impetus behind the observation is to think about “How advanced is the physical development of preschoolers and kindergartners?” 
 
Your paper should address a specific question (of your own formulation) about the physical development of preschoolers and kindergartners. 
 
I’ve never done research or written a research paper before. How do I go about it? 
 
If you follow these steps in order you will be off to a good start…
1) Read the section on motor development in the textbook and the background reading on the website. 
2) Brainstorm aspects of motor development that interest you (e.g. coordination, balance, handling objects, etc.)
3) Brainstorm questions, which interest you, that are related to these aspects of motor development. Draw on your personal experiences and the readings (e.g. I’ve noticed they sell big legos for little children and small legos for older children. Is that because younger children have a harder time handling small objects?)
4) Search Psych Info for additional articles related to your question. Reading these over can give you ideas for the kinds of things you should look for when you observe or how you might “rate” children’s behaviors. (Check the course website--there is a sheet posted that walks you through how to use Psych Info.)
5) Try to predict the answer or the kinds of observations you will make based on your reading and the theories discussed in class. 
6) Design an observation sheet that will allow you to record behaviors that will help you answer this question. 
7) Conduct your observations. (**When you sign up for a time, try to choose a time that is going to allow you to see what you want and choose the same time for both groups! For example, if your question is about children’s activity level, then observing during outdoor play would be better than snack time. On the other hand, if your question is about children’s fine motor skills than snack time might be better than outdoor play.)
8) Go over your notes and coding sheets looking for patterns and trends.  
9) Develop some conclusions based on your observations. 
10) Think about whether these conclusions are reasonable in light of the theories discussed in class and other research findings.
11) Draw conclusions about the implications of what you observed (e.g. provides support for theory X but not theory Y; parents/teachers should…, etc.) 
 
 
How’s my observation sheet? 
 
Generally, the more specific your observation sheet, the better. You only have 30 minutes to observe each age group. A good observation sheet should make sure you stay focused! If you start taking notes on the way the children talk or how they interact with the teacher, you might leave with some great stories and some interesting observations, but you won’t be able to answer your question about physical development. 
 
Think carefully about the kind of information that will be most helpful in answering your question. For example…
 
If your question is “Is there a difference in the way preschoolers and kindergartners handle small objects?”, then your observation sheet should include ways in which you think they are likely to differ (e.g. handle with one hand; move object with fingers, wrist, or arm; etc.) and a place to record whether you observed this and to what degree (e.g. a rating scale). For this question, tallying how many times a child fastens clothes or picks up small objects, for example, won’t tell you anything about the way they do so. 
 
“not so good”  

	1	2	3	5
Fastens clothes	√
Uses scissors	√
Picks up small objects	√	√

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“better”
 

	Using one hand	Using two hands	Grasping with whole hand	Using fingers/pincer grip
Picks up small objects	√			√
Fastens clothes				√

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
If your question is “Is there a difference in preschoolers’ and kindergartners’ balance?, you’re your observation sheet should include behaviors which demonstrate good/poor balance (i.e. bump into others or stumble) and a place to tally the occurrence of these behaviors. 
 
The theories in the book only talk about infant motor development, how do I use them to answer my question about preschoolers and kindergartners?
 
The theories attempt to explain motor development in general, although most of the studies have been with infants. It is up to you to extrapolate and infer which aspects of the theory are applicable to your question. You can use other theories too – Piaget’s, for example.