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Observation of a Child Aged 7
I. Introduction
The child observed is a boy aged 7 named Nolan. His native language is English. He has one half-brother (aged 6 months) and two step-brothers (also 7) who are twins. The boy is Caucasian and lives in an urban environment in a middle-class neighborhood.
The child was observed on November 15th, 2007, from 12 pm to 6 pm while at an entertainment facility wherein there are a number of activities for children, such as ziplining, wall climbing, trampolines, dodge ball, and ice skating. The child was with his father, who watches the child on the weekends since the father and the mother are separated and the mother is now married to another man. I decided to observe this particular child because I am friends with the father and he did not mind if I conduct this observation. The first half of the observation thus took place at the entertainment facility and the remainder took place at the home of the father.
IIa. Observation
Nolan’s physical presence is robust. He jumps on the trampoline for an hour.
His disposition is upbeat. He connects well with his father and enjoys playing with the other children. Nolan is somewhat awkward with adults, however. He does not look at them when he speaks to them and shuffles about as though he were uncomfortable whenever he is saying something to them.
Nolan plays dodgeball for an hour and then stops to consume a hotdog before running off to wall climb. He is restless and will not sit still for long. He does not listen well to his father who asks him to slow down with his food. His father does not take a stern approach with Nolan.
Nolan ice skates for two hours. Nolan tells his father that he is lacing his skates in a new way taught him by his step-father...
Nolan loves to skate.
In the car ride home Nolan falls asleep.
At home, Nolan wakes and plays video games for two hours while eating pizza. His father lets Nolan play for longer than they agreed.
At this point, Nolan’s disposition is no longer upbeat. He shows some petulance. His mode of thinking is automatic but he displays a remarkable degree of learning because the video game he is playing is very complex and requires skill, attention, and understanding. His father wants to avoid a meltdown so does not push Nolan too hard and leaves him to his video games.
IIb. Documentation
The first artifact is something that Nolan said that was unprompted. He asked if I was married and said that it’s okay if people don’t get married. “You don’t have to get married. You don’t have to be married to have a family.” Since this information was unsolicited, I assumed it was something his father or mother had told him and it was now a sentiment that he was repeating to me. It is a significant artifact because it helps to explain Nolan’s background, his biological parents having never married and now being separated, while his mother has married a divorced man who already had two children from a previous marriage.
The second artifact is something that Nolan said in his art class at school that he repeated. He called his teacher a “big butt” and said, “She has big butt because that’s what she has. I got in trouble—for saying she has a big butt. Even though it’s true.” This artifact is significant because it illustrates Nolan’s difficulties in school. He started school a year early (in a Montessori program) and was obliged to repeat a…
References
Berk, L. (2014). Development through the Lifespan. NY: Pearson.
Collins, W., Russell, G. (1991). Mother-child and father-child relationships in middle childhood and adolescence: a developmental analysis. Developmental Review, 11: 99-136.
Eccles, J. (1999). The development of children ages 6 to 14. The Future of Children,9(2).
NAEYC. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://oldweb.naeyc.org/about/positions/dap3.asp
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