Method Features
What is a Method of Observation?
When we discuss methods in the observational process, we are talking about the “How to do it” part of the process. The word method refers to “a way, technique, or process of or for doing something; a careful or organized plan that controls the way something is done; a plan” (Merriam Webster, n.d.). In the context of observation, you must decide what method to use when observing a child.
We will discuss several methods in this text, and you will employ them as an observer and teacher. You must know which method is the best one to use, depending on the circumstances. Each method has unique characteristics. Some methods are better to use in certain situations. For instance, if you want to get a baseline for behavior modification, you would use a frequency count. If you are going to see how much a child is progressing with their language, you might use a checklist combined with anecdotals. Before choosing your method, you must make some initial observations to decide which method would work best depending on the behaviors you want to observe. From this point, you will plan and decide on the method to use in a specific situation based on the child’s behaviors.
Features of Methods of Observation
For the new observer or teacher, picking the right method can be overwhelming. To help you decide which method will work best, you can refer to the following features that categorize methods into different groups. These features include open-ended versus closed-ended, degree of selectivity, and degree of inference. Each method has different levels or amounts of these features.
An observer can figure out is a method is open-ended or closed-ended by asking yourself, “Can I add more to the observation?” Adding more to an observation refers to raw data. Raw data are the descriptions, observations, documentation of the behaviors, and events as they initially occurred (Bentzen, 2009). Raw data is the objective description you record as your observation of the child. Your notes and the written documentation are raw data. As you begin to learn about the various methods for observing, you will find some methods are more open-ended, like the narrative and anecdotal, and other methods are more closed-ended, like the frequency count and rating scale. For instance, with an anecdotal, you can add more information to the method if you decide to observe for a longer time and document what you see and hear. On the other hand, a frequency count is tallying the number of times a child does something. There is no raw data (no objective description) when recording this method, so it is considered a closed-ended method.
Another feature of the methods of observation is the degree of selectivity. Degree of selectivity is a feature of observation and recording methods that determines how many behaviors are targeted for observing at one time (Bentzen, 2009). The question to ask yourself when considering the degree of selectivity is, “Am I observing everything the child is doing and saying, or am I only focusing on a specific behavior?” Methods of observation vary in their degree of selectivity. For instance, a narrative is unselective because you will observe all of the child’s behaviors simultaneously. Everything the child does and says during the narrative observation should be written down. An example of a selective method would be an event sampling. When you observe a child using event sampling, you are focusing your observations only on one behavior. A teacher might choose to use an event sampling when a child in their classroom hits other children. The teacher would be selective in only observing the child and recording the event sampling when the child hits or acts aggressively toward other children. You will consider the degree of selectivity when deciding which observation method is best to use in a situation.
The final feature for the methods of observation is the degree of inference. According to Merriam Webster (n.d.) the definition of inference is “a conclusion or opinion that is formed because of known facts or evidence.” As a teacher, you will use inference daily.
When you write your interpretation/evaluation, you are using inference. Inference is a conclusion based directly on observable data, premises, or evidence, but it is not directly observable (Bentzen, 2009). When you reach that conclusion or opinion, you do it as a cognitive process. To determine the degree of inference, ask yourself when observing a toddler, “Is ‘bllbulubbl’ language or not?” The answer to this question is it depends. If the child says, “bllbulubbl” while pointing to their bottle on the counter, we will infer the child is attempting to use language in this observation. Now, if the child says, “bllbulubbl” while running around the playground, we would infer the child is not using language. The sound bllbulubbl is more of an expression of excitement than a word in this situation. As the observer, we must infer how the child is using “bllbulubbl.”
