In addition, some people may give false information, which is why some researchers like to stick to interviews and experiments for increased accuracy. Positivists favour questionnaires, as they tend to be reliable. They are also representative so it can be easy to generalise in most cases. However, questionnaires present a range of practical issues that can affect the reliability. For example, with postal questionnaires the researcher cannot be sure whether the respondent has actually received the questionnaire.
Within this essay I will discuss the results of Jean Piaget’s conservation experiments regarding children's cognitive development. His studies explore how children of varying ages understand the world around them in relation to Volume, mass, number and points of view. Conservation refers to the understanding that a quantity remains the same even if its presentation is changed. I will also explore alternative studies designed to challenge Piaget’s ideas and offer alternative theories about the responses given by the children observed. Piaget saw children as active agents in developing their own knowledge, not merely absorbing and storing information handed to them at school or at home.
c. Naturalistic Observation i. What is naturalistic observation? One way that psychologists sometimes find out about children's language skills is to observe children as they use language naturally, such as while they interact with other children and adults in play groups. This is called naturalistic observation, or field study. People often use naturalistic observation in their daily lives without even knowing it.
This is in contrast to the William Corsaro study, which is directed more towards looking at how children communicate with each other within their own social circle. He also studied children’s personal feelings towards friendships. In an interview with William Corsaro he said that his aim was to understand what the experience of childhood and friendship was like from a child’s point of view (Interview with William Corsaro 2010). From reading this it is clear that although the researchers were all interested in studying children’s friendships, they were looking at it from completely different angles. The Bigelow and La Gaipa (1975) study is a more general look at the subject in contrast to the Corsaro study which seems to be a more personal and individual based study.
In my setting if a child needs extra support or help with an activity we will make sure there is a member of staff available to do this with the child. Piaget said that children require periods of long uninterrupted play and exploration. In my setting the children are given approx 1hr and 20mins of free play where they are allowed to use a variety of activities and toys of their choice. Piaget said that by observing what children say and do gives understanding of intellectual development and
Being objective means children are not generalized or stereotyped, this is important as if children are labeled they live up to them and problems occur, e.g. if someone stereotypes a colored child because of their opinions on their race or culture then the child could potentially result in being exactly how you stereotyped them, whereas this could be changed if you didn’t. To get reliable results you can’t take the child’s family background, skin color, culture background etc into consideration as the results are then biased. As objectivity is proven to lead to reliable results where we can compare results with other studies and analyze the different views to make your results and conclusions stronger. Through observation we assess where children are in terms of developmental stages and therefore provide the best possible care for it in a scientific manner.
There are many strengths and limitations of questionnaires for the study of attitudes to education, which could be practical or ethical issues. Positivists agree with using questionnaires, because they collect quantitative date to identify trends and patterns. They are also reliable because they can be repeated, and they are representative. In contrast, Interpretivists dislike the use of questionnaires, as they believe that they are invalid because they are closed questions that can’t go into detail and they are impersonal due to the lack of depth in answers. Some sociologists often use questionnaires to study issues such as; subject and university choice, bullying and the experience of schooling, achievement and school factors and parental attitudes to education.
E1) Include four observations in the appendix which fulfil the criteria in the assignment task Include 4 observations of one child (same child) in an appendix. The observations need to provide information about the holistic development of the child. Different observation methods must be used. DEMONSTRATE SOUND KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF SUBJECT Analysis of Observations o Time Sampling (1) o Oxford Target Child – Structured (2) o Event Sampling (3) o Narrative – Naturalistic Observation (4) According to the book, ‘How to Observe Children’ by Sheila Riddal-Leech, page 4 “Observations and assessments are used to gather information about a child’s progress. An observation on its own is like a photograph, it can only record what is happening at that specific point of time.
Corsaro, on other hand, used an ethnographic research based on observation of the small and very young group of children. Corsaro at the beginning was observing children from the distance, and then he was waiting for children to invite him into their social group. In the interview Corsaro says “I think a key here is, to be seen not as a typical adult, is to let children bring you in.” (Interview with William Corsaro, 2010). Corsaro in his research tried to find out how children communicate between each other and what the word “friend” means for them.
A concentrated focus is placed on communication skills and problem solving techniques. Children are encouraged to communicate with each other when resolving conflict and problems. Independence is encouraged through self-directed activities. Observations are conducted on each child and parents receive written updates as needed. During my observation at the Rivera Head Start, I looked around and realized a lot of similarities and differences it has; compared to other daycare and preschool centers.