Observation #1: Children
Observing people in an informal setting allows you learn more about who they are as a person. You can learn about what makes them uncomfortable, how well they handle social situations, and what they excel at. Observing children in an informal, unstructured setting gives you a glimpse into how they have developed and how well they handle social situations at their young age. Observation #1: Children details an observation made on a group of children during their recess time at a local elementary school and the connections made to previous readings and topics covered in class.
Brief Overview
This observation took place at an elementary school located in southern central Maryland. The school is set in an urban community, where most children qualify for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program through the government. The observation group is a group of first grade students. Students in this group are approximately six years old to seven years old. They are of African, African-American, or Latino decent. There are 15 females and 6 males within the observation group. This group of students have varying home lives. The home lives range from a typical home to being homeless, to having only one parent, to having no parents, or to having little to no income.
Observation Overview
The students were escorted outside to recess at eleven-thirty in the morning. The students were walked down the sidewalk toward the equipment. Once their feet touched the grass, they were allowed to run. Students took part in various activities. They played on the different types of equipment, ran around in the field, played football as a group, or socialized with each other near the slides.
Key Points I noticed several instances during the observation time that caught my attention. The first noticing I made was while watching a group of male students play football in the field. The students were setting up plays, passing the ball, and pretending to be their favorite football player, but they never tackled each other. They know they are not allowed to tackle at school. Another noticing I made was while watching a groups of female students socializing by the slides. The females were laughing and giggling loudly as another female student, who was not part of their group, was engaged in pretend play. This made the other student upset. The group of female students went to the teacher to defend their actions towards the excluded student. I also noticed a group of students, both male and female, were playing a game I had not heard of before. They actually created the game on their own. This game had rules and consequence for breaking the rules. Some other students stood around and watched the group play without actually playing themselves. There were even a few students digging in the sand. They were not digging together, but simply sharing the same space while being aware of their peer.
Analysis
The key points above are examples of two child/human development theories. The theories being discussed in this analysis are Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development and Mildred Parten’s Stages of Play. When looking at Erikson’s theory, the students in this observation group fall under the industry versus inferiority stage. According to Saul McLeod from SimplyPschology.org, the industry versus inferiority stage “It is at this stage that the child’s peer group will gain greater significance and will become a major source of the child’s self esteem. The child now feels the need to win approval by demonstrating specific competencies that are valued by society, and begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments.” (2008). These students seek the approval of their peers. This is evident throughout the observation. The students want to win at the games or even just be socially accepted by their friends in social situations. When they did not feel like “the best” or like they were accepted, they informed an adult of their problem. Looking at Parten’s theory, the group of students fit into several stages of play, primarily associative and cooperative. The students who were seen digging in the sand demonstrated that they were in the associative play stage. Kay Sikich, an early childhood educator at District 196 Community Education Center, defines associative play as “children are still playing independently but often do the same thing as other children. For example, if one child puts on a dress-up outfit, another child will put one on also. The children will begin to interact through talking, borrowing and taking turns with toys, but each child acts alone.” (2006). The student digging in the sand acknowledged that the other student was there but did not play with each other. Another example of associative play from the observation was when the students created their own game and a few students stood around and watched them play instead of engaging in the game with them. Even though the students did not play the game, they were aware of what was happening and were engaged in conversations with the players. A group of students was engaged in cooperative play. Cooperative play is “when children have acquired the skills to interact together for the purpose of play. Speaking and listening skills are more developed so children can communicate with each other. Children can share ideas and tell each other what to do. Communication about play is the critical skill of cooperative play” (Sikich, 2006). The groups of students who demonstrated this stage of play were the students who were playing football demonstrated this stage of play because they were communicating what needed to be done on each play and they were playing the game together as a team.
Connections
While observing the children, I began to make connections to my prior knowledge. These connections are supported by previous readings from this course. Some of the aforementioned key points are connected to previous reading that have been completed in this course. These connections are being made to Lives Across Cultures: Cross-Cultural Human Development by Harry W. Gardiner and Corinne Kosmitzki. The first connection that I made to the text is in chapter two. This chapter discusses theories and methodology of human development. Specifically, I am referencing Super and Harness’s Developmental Niche. There is a table on page thirty one that describes the components of a developmental niche. These components include things such as “...family structure (e.g., nuclear, extended, single parent, blended), presence of multiple caretakers, parenting styles, play and work patterns” (Gardiner, 2011). The students that were observed come from ethic and cultural backgrounds that are different from my own. While keeping the components of he developmental niche in mind, I could clearly see how the different components affect how a child acts with their peers. If students are taught at home that they are superior in all areas, then that carries over into how they perceive other people as being beneath them or inferior to them. Also, in chapter two, there is a table on page fourty-one that shows Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. According to this table, the students that I observed demonstrated that they are within the conventional level in stages three and four. The book defines stages three and four as “good-child orientation” and “ law and order orientation” (Gardiner, 2011). The good-child orientation is when a child “ conforms to the rules to avoid disapproval by others” (Gardiner, 2011). The law and order orientation is when a child “conforms to rules to maintain social order” (Gardiner, 2011). The students demonstrated being in these stages by following the play- ground rules without being told to do so. They also informed teachers of wrong behaviors that they experienced. The students who were doing the wrong behaviors demonstrated remorse for their wrong doing.

References
Erik Erikson | Psychosocial Stages | Simply Psychology. (2008). Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

Gardiner, H. W., & Kosmitzki, C. (2011). Lives across cultures: Cross-cultural human development (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson.

Sikich, K. (2006). Welcome to Independent School District 196. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://www.district196.org/ec/TeacherCurriculum/KaySikichTheFourStagesofPlay.cfm

Appendix
Observation Notes

Background
• Students are 6-7 years old.
• Elementary school is in an urban community.
• Many students receive assistance from the Free and Reduced Meal Program.
• Students come from various family backgrounds o 2 students are homeless o Several come from single parent homes with multiple siblings
• 21 students were observed o 15 females o 6 males
• Students are of African, African American, and Latino decent.
• Time of Observation: 11:30 am
• Context: Recess

What Occurred
• Students were walked to the playground by the teacher
• Students were eager to begin playing.
• Students walked down the sidewalk but ran when their feet touched the grass.
• Students played on various equipment
• A few students were digging in the sand but not digging for the same reason
• A large group of male students were playing football and pretending to be their favorite football players. They did not tackle each other.
• A group of female students were socializing together. Another female student walked by, who was not in their social circle. The group of girls began laughing in her direction. The other student informed an adult of what occurred.
• A group of students created their own game to play. The game had rules and consequences for breaking the rules. A few students stood near the group and observed them as they played. They interacted with the students playing the game without playing the game themselves.