Writing Assignment 3 Observing Children in Their Natural Environments HDFS 105 20 points The purpose of this assignment is to give students a sense of how research is conducted with children using observational techniques Your goal in this observation is to identify whether gender differences in behavior occur among preschool children STEP 1 Select a research question Select ONE of the following questions to address for this assignment The question you select should guide your observation One of the first 3 questions may be easier for getting more observation notes 1 Do preschoolers segregate themselves by gender 2 Do boys play differently than girls 3 During a group situation e g snack time story time do girls behave differently than boys Note this will require you to check the schedule observe at a specific time 4 Are girls more social than boys STEP 2 Decide whether to observe in CDL or ECDL Keep in mind older preschool children will probably give you better notes and social interactions We recommend observing toddler or preschool classrooms you ll see the most at the CDL not infant rooms STEP 3 Observe in CDL or ECDL You must observe for at least 30 minutes If more time is needed to observe an interaction of interest or to be able to adequately discuss your research question then do so Consider how many children you will observe Depending on the research question you select it may be most efficient to focus on fewer children instead of more We recommend somewhere between 5 10 During your observation write down the following information Date of observation Location CDL or ECDL Time observation began AND ended Situation e g play time snack time Note if you observe more than one situation Age gender of children observed Detailed notes of your observations Describe what you observe not your conclusions save those for your paper Be objective Note what the children do and say not how you think they feel Note spoken words and other verbal responses e g cries screams laughs nonverbal communication e g smiles frowns menacing gestures startle responses These notes can be in bullet point form as long as they are very detailed expect to have at least 2 3 pages of detailed notes 1 STEP 4 Write your assignment Please follow the outline below in writing your assignment Cover Page Your research question Observation information This can be in list form Date of observation Location CDL or ECDL Time observation began AND ended Situation e g play time snack time Note if you observe more than one situation Age gender of children observed Conclusions Report double spacing Start the report on a new page Use 12 point Times New Roman font with 1 margins and Type a two page report on your conclusions regarding your research question using evidence from your observations You MUST refer to your observation when describing your conclusions If for example you conclude that girls participate in more physical play than boys you would need to support this with specific examples from your observation Do not just answer your research question with a yes or no explain how why you think this is the case This is the important part of the assignment This part must be in formal paragraph paper format Within the report discuss developmental tasks or milestones of this age and how your observations aligned did not align with these Use professional writing correct spelling and grammar 12 point Times New Roman font 1 margins and double spacing Observation Notes Include your detailed and descriptive notes from your observation You can type your notes or insert a picture of handwritten notes into your assignment as long as your notes in the picture are legible Grading Rubric Item Cover Page Grading Criteria Included a cover page which clearly identifies research question Points Cover Page Report Report Format Notes Included required information about observation date location time situations age gender of children Clearly discussed conclusions based on observations The discussion is directly related to the selected research question and includes references to observations to support conclusions drawn Included developmental information or how their observations conclusions align or do not align with developmental tasks milestones of the age of children observed Report is well written and following formatting guidelines double spaced Times New Roman 12 pt font 1 margins Included typed observation notes OR a clear picture of their hand written notes from the observation 1 2 7 2 2 6 TOTAL 20 2