The Importance Of Child Observation

Observation is a process of observing or monitoring through noting or recording people or specific situations (Palaiologou, 2013). Observation is a method widely used in most if not all early-years settings by practitioners to collect evidence or track a child’s learning journey. It is also used to inform planning. Roberts – Holmes (2011) acknowledges the expectation of Early Years professional’s use of observations set by the Early Years Foundation Stage. Observation is also a key method used by Early Years Researchers which enables a wide range of both qualitative and quantitative data to be captured through use of specific observation methods. Observations methods such as a narrative or learning story can provide a naturalistic insight into …show more content…
Roberts-Holmes (2011) suggests interviewing more than one child at a time to provide a more relaxed and social atmosphere whereas Newby (2010) argues that this may be distracting and the respondent may be dominated by the other, nonetheless Newby (2010) agrees paired or group interviews can deliver good data . When interviewing children, Sargeant and Harcourt (2012) note that questions should be understood and structured clearly in a way that the child understands. They also state that questions should not lead answers to a certain response. Folque (2010) suggests that the researcher should provide multiple opportunities for children to answer questions or have discussions in a formal and informal manner in order for a more effective interview. Unlike questionnaires, interviews will not be anonymous but will remain confidential; this should be made apparent to all who participate. Similar to all methods respondents need to be aware of how data will be used, who will see it and their right to opt out at