Errors in Observation
There are three common errors in the observation process: transmission, omission, and commission (Bentzen, 2009). It is crucial that you know and understand these errors to record objective observations of the children. These errors occur in the recording process.
Error of Transmission
This is when you record behaviors out of sequence. For instance, you observe a child in the block area pick up a block and hit another child. What happened is the other child called the child who hit a “big bad guy.” This happened just before the child picked up the block and hit the child who called them the name. In your observation, you record the following, “picked up a block and hit in the block area. called ‘big bad guy,’ and the teacher came over to tend to the hurt child.”
The name-calling should have been stated before the block hitting. This is an example of the error of transmission.
Error of Omission
The second error in the recording process is the error of omission. This is when you leave out important information. This can happen when you are not carefully observing, coming onto the scene halfway through, or looking down as you are writing out the first part of the observation.
Many times, this error occurs with weak note-taking. It is difficult to observe and record at the same time. The more you observe and record, your skills will improve.
If you do not have enough information, maybe you should not record the observation. If we go back to the example above with the child who hit with a block and the child who called the other a name, an error of omission can be recorded like this, “said something to , and picked up a block and hit them with it.” The word “something” is omitting exactly what the child called the one who hit.
Leaving out “big bad guy” could prompt the reader to think the child, who hit was the instigator when, in reality, the name-caller is the one who provoked the child who hit.
Error of Commission
The third error in the recording process is the error of commission. This is when the observer adds more to the observation. The observer may “think” something happened in one way and record “their version” instead of what happened. Another instance might occur when an inexperienced observer adds more to the observation because they think the director or parent will want more information. Using the same example, the observer will make the error of commission by recording the following observation, “was sitting in the block area playing with the blocks. was playing with a car and driving it all around the block area. At one point, said to , “You are a big bully, and I don’t like you. You are a big bad guy.” picked up a block and hit with it. If the child didn’t say all of this, as the observer, you do not record what you think the child said. You only record what you heard and observed.
These three errors often occur, especially for the person just learning how to observe. It is important to remember to record just the facts, only the facts, and nothing but the facts! The more accurate you are in recording your observations will benefit the child.
References
- Bentzen (2009), Seeing Young Children: A Guide to Observing and Recording Behavior. Thomson Delmar Learning, Clifton Park, NY
