EYS1011 Studying Child Development: Event Sample Observation Method

Event Sample Observation Method: The method involves the observation of an event for a prolonged period of time, to understand the nature or frequency of an event. The advantage of this method is that it can help the researcher observe in a very natural setting, and since the person who is being observed, is not exactly a respondent, and is caught unawares, objectivity can be ensured (Padgett 2016). The negative point here, however, is that each finding is different, and cannot be applied for a different person, incident or circumstance.

Time Sample Observation Method: This sampling method is used to measure the frequency of behaviour of the observed person over a span of time. The advantage is that it is a quick and very effective way of measuring the behaviour of an observed person (Csikszentmihalyi and Larson 2014). The disadvantage, however, lies here that it requires much time and adequate training for the teacher to learn this method, and during this observation, a teacher cannot interact with the student.

Sociogram Observation Method: Sociogram is an interesting research method, that involves the visual description of the relationships existing between the members of a particular group. The positive point of this observation technique is that it is very time-effective, systematic and informative by nature. However, the disadvantage here is that the response to the questions is highly limited, and also the research can also fall prey to the Hawthorne Effect (Tubaro et al. 2016).

Narrative or Free Description Observation Method: In this observation method, the teacher records the events as they are happening offering a detailed and sequential view of the behaviour of the children, as it is happening. The advantage is that it offers a detailed, comprehensive account of a student’s behaviour, and this method is also rich in focus, while the disadvantage is it is very time-consuming.

Checklist Method: Also known as a tick-list, this method involves the observation and the act of ticking off each behaviour or skill that is expected of a child at his age. The advantages of this method involve the fact that it helps evaluating the progress of a child over a span of time, as well as compare the acquisition of his skills, with that of the other children, and it is also not very time-consuming (Centofanti et al. 2014). However, the disadvantage here is that if the observation is made solely depending on the checklist, then several important information can be missed out, as the checklists do not comprise of all the important information.

Child Tracker/Movement Record: This observation method helps in observing the behaviour, attitudes as well as skills of a child or a group of children as he or they wander around a room, or play in the playground. The positive aspect of the observation method is that it helps in careful and detailed observation of the child, and offers a comprehensive idea about the acquisition of the skills, while the negative aspect is that it often is highly time-intensive.  

Task 2:

Objectivity is defined as the ability of a person to perceive, explain or describe an incident in a way, that his personal experiences, opinions, judgments or preferences do not intervene with his interpretation of the facts concluded about the incident. On the other hand, subjectivity is a foil to the concept of objectivity, and it is defined as the tendency of an individual to interpret any incident based on his personal opinions, preferences or prejudices.

While collecting any research data, as well as analysing the same, objectivity is highly critical. It is objectivity alone that helps in enhancing the credibility and reliability of data. While conducting a research, the researcher needs to ensure that his findings are true and authentic, and hence it must be carried out objectively, or else the researcher may manipulate the data to serve his interests, thereby influencing the findings of the research. Besides, objectivity is highly recommended in case of primary data collection method. For example, a researcher may arrange his questions in a way, or convince his respondent in a way, that he ends up providing responses favouring the research findings that the researcher has wished to conclude. Hence, objectivity is important, as it may influence the research outcome, and the veracity of research findings becomes questionable. Often the respondents themselves respond in a biased way, and hence greater sample number is advisable for generalizing a response (Gray and Kontos 2015). For instance, while measuring employee satisfaction level in an organization, the General Manager, may be biased and try to state that his organization offers huge satisfaction to its employees. In such situations, the perspectives of employees belonging to other designations must also be considered before generalizing the conclusion (Jukola 2016).

Confidentiality is an important ethical consideration, as often the research requires the respondents to share confidential and highly sensitive data that should not be disclosed to the public. For instance, a respondent may not be willing to disclose his salary or age to the public, or an employee speaking against the management of his company may be unwilling to get his identity disclosed to the company authority. However, at times, research information has to be shared, if it is related to the research question, and can influence the direction of the research outcome. In such situations, the identity of the respondent is kept anonymous

Reference List:

Centofanti, J.E., Duan, E.H., Hoad, N.C., Swinton, M.E., Perri, D., Waugh, L. and Cook, D.J., 2014. Use of a daily goals checklist for morning ICU rounds: a mixed-methods study. Critical care medicine, 42(8), pp.1797-1803.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Larson, R., 2014. Validity and reliability of the experience-sampling method. In Flow and the foundations of positive psychology (pp. 35-54). Springer Netherlands.

Gray, J. and Kontos, P.C., 2015, May. Immersion, embodiment, and imagination: Moving beyond an aesthetic of objectivity in research-informed performance in health. In Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research (Vol. 16, No. 2).

Jukola, S., 2016. The Commercialization of Research and the Quest for the Objectivity of Science. Foundations of Science, 21(1), pp.89-103.

Padgett, D.K., 2016. Qualitative methods in social work research(Vol. 36). Sage Publications.

Tubaro, P., Ryan, L. and D'Angelo, A., 2016. The visual sociogram in qualitative and mixed-methods research. Sociological Research Online, 21(2), p.1.