EDU 145 Child Development 2
Time Sampling
Introduction:
Observation is the key to understanding young children and their development. Teachers learn about a child’s physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language domains as they watch children in multiple learning experiences. Through your observations you will learn to identify appropriate observation techniques (competency # 4). Observation also allows you to meet the CPCC core competencies of communication, critical thinking and information technology and quantitative literacy.
Outcome Assessment Standards: NAEYC Standards
Standard 1: Promoting Child Development
Standard 3: Observing, Documenting and Assessing to Support Young Children & Families.
Support Skill 3: Written & Verbal Skills CPCC Core Competencies Communication, Critical Thinking, Information Technology & Quantitative Literacy

Description of Specific Assignment Requirements
Adapted from Observing Development of Young Children (Beaty, 1990))
In the time sampling method, the observer records the frequency of a behavior’s occurrence over time. The behavior must be overt and frequent (at least once every fifteen minutes) to be a candidate for sampling. For example, talking, hitting, and crying are such behaviors, because they can be clearly seen and counted. Time sampling thus involves observing specified behavior of an individual and recording the presence or absence of this behavior during short time intervals of uniform length. The observer must prepare ahead of time, determining what specific behavior he/she will look for, what time interval he/she will use, and how he/she will record the presence or absence of the behavior.
Specifics about Time Sampling
The particular behaviors are usually determined by previous formal or informal observations made to discover exactly what the observer needs to be concerned with in sampling.
The decision is made about what time intervals to use.
The decision is then made about what and how to record on the sheet, which is usually blocked into time intervals.
Check marks or tally marks can also be used if the teacher wants to know how many times the behavior occurred, rather than its presence or absence. This is called event recording and is concerned with the frequency of the behavioral event.
Furthermore, the teacher may be more concerned with specific categories of aggression rather than just aggression in general. In that case each of the categories can be given a code.

1. Students will use the attached form to record the frequency of behaviors.
2. Students will identify 5 specific behaviors that are typical of the age of the child that they are observing.
3. Once the student identifies the specific behaviors, the student will code these behaviors to use during the observation.
4. Students will conduct this observation for at least one hour.
5. Please review the video tutorial on how to code and conduct a time sampling observation.
Time Intervals
You will first need to identify the behaviors (at least 5 different behaviors) that you wish to watch for during your observation. Make sure that these behaviors are age appropriate for the child that you are observing. For example you may have seen your child exhibit certain behaviors during your previous observation. List those behaviors here and then during the time intervals only look for those particular behaviors. You will then need to code the behavior. Coding a behavior is as simple as the first letter of that particular behavior. For example, biting may be the behavior and B is the code for biting. You will use the code when you are observing, this will save you time from writing out the name of each behavior.
Once you begin your observation you will be recoding several bits of information. The first bit of information is the duration recording. This part of the observation simply identifies if the behavior exists or does not exist in the given minutes. The first set of numbers from 1-10 are the minutes. Under each minute, you would indicate if the behavior occurred during that minute. If you see the behavior, simply place a 1 in the empty box. If you do not see the behavior then place a 0 in the box. Remember that you need to observe for these behaviors for at least 60 minutes.
Duration Recording (1 indicates the behavior has occurred and 0 if it does not occur).
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

During the observation you will be watching the child to identify how many times, the frequency, the behavior is observed. For each minute of the observation you can use tally marks to indicate how many times you observed your five different behaviors.
Duration of Recording (frequency of the behavior)

The final bit of information that you will gather will be the actual behavior that you have observed (this is why the coding was so important). For each minute of the 60 minutes you will record, using your code, what behaviors you observed.

I have provided you an observation sheet that you can print off and use during your observation. Please see the page below.
Time Sampling Observation
Observer: Date:
Time: Child’s Age

Behavior Code

Duration Recording
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Event Recording (frequency of behavior)

Event Recording (behavior observed)

Duration Recording
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Event Recording (frequency of behavior)

Event Recording (behavior observed)

______________________________________________________________________________
Duration Recording
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

Event Recording (frequency of behavior)

Event Recording (behavior observed)

Duration Recording
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40

Event Recording (frequency of behavior)

Event Recording (behavior observed)

______________________________________________________________________________

Duration Recording
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50

Event Recording (frequency of behavior)

Event Recording (behavior observed)

Duration Recording
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60

Event Recording (frequency of behavior)

Event Recording (behavior observed)