Factors That Affect Observation
Observation Is Not Easy
It would be best if you considered personal and environmental factors that can affect your ability to observe young children effectively. These factors can be something temporary like you are not feeling well, or more life long, like a bias. Bentzen (2009) lists five areas that can affect your ability to observe in a classroom:
- Sensitivity and Awareness– certain things will interfere with how you “see” the child. Some of us are more sensitive to certain things than others. Being aware of your sensitivity is essential to ensure accurate observations are being recorded.
- Fatigue, Illness, and Discomfort– These factors can affect your ability to stay on task. You can become distracted and lose focus on what you are observing.
- Influence of Self or Personality– Sorting out “you” from what you view. Individual attitudes, experiences, needs, desires, and fears act as filters that affect how you observe and what you notice when observing.
- Controlling our Biases– Be aware of your biases. We all have them, so being aware of your biases can help you manage them. Be mindful of favorite children and children who display behaviors that challenge you. These children can cause us to lose our objectivity when recording observations.
- Setting and Situation– These are factors that you generally do not have too much control over. A particular situation occurs in a setting. The setting is the physical space, and the setting is the social and psychological influences in a specific setting. The size of the room can make it difficult to hear a child across the room. If there are drums in the music area, it can also be challenging to listen to conversations. There is also a difference in the children on a rainy day versus a windy Santa-Ana day or a substitute teacher.
Conclusion
A new teacher can become overwhelmed during their first year of teaching. It takes time to become a skilled observer. You will find yourself spontaneously recording things children say and do on sticky notes and scrap pieces of paper. There will be times when a child displays behaviors that set of red flags or cause you concern. When this happens, you need to plan your observations ahead of time. The questions presented in this chapter will help you plan your classroom observations. If you are a student observer, you will use these questions to prepare for each method discussed later in this text. Lastly, no matter if you are a teacher, observer, or both, you will experience the various factors that affect observation. Know what the elements are so you can mitigate any consequences during your observation.
References
- Bentzen (2009), Seeing Young Children: A Guide to Observing and Recording Behavior. Thomson Delmar Learning, Clifton Park, NY
