Seeing Young Children : A Guide to Observing and Recording Behavior

Seeing Young Children is an extensive guide to observing and recording the behavior of children from birth through age eight. This text uniquely blends the theoretical and practical aspects of observing and recording behavior. The author begins with a discussion of the basic meaning of observation and why it is so important to human functioning. General guidelines for observing children are an extremely important component of this text, as are the basic elements of observing and recording behavior. A full six chapters are dedicated to detailed discussions of eight recording techniques or instruments and the advantages and disadvantages of each. In what is perhaps the most important material of all, the author discusses the interpretation of one's observations, implementation of findings, and ongoing evaluation. And, finally, the last five chapters are dedicated to the actual observation exercises through which students can test their skills. Specific by age group, each chapter provides students with observation objectives, instructions as to procedure, and background information on many functional areas.