Question 1

All published checklists are valid and reliable.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 2

What are the strengths and uses of the event sampling method?

Accepted Answer

Mapping available space can help teachers find out how the space is being used, where the children and adults are moving, how traffic flow could be better regulated, what is of interest to individual children, or how much time children spend in different areas of the space. Mappings can help resolve difficulties such as adults and children colliding with one another, noise that interferes with quiet activities; messy play materials spreading to "clean" areas such as book corners, accidents occurring because of slippery floors, or a variety of other safety issues. Teachers can draw furniture and materials on a bare plan of the room to try to configure an ideal arrangement to promote safety and improve access to important activities and learning centers. 
A detailed map of the whole area and its contents can be copied and tracking lines added to indicate the movements around the room of some or all of the children. Alternatively, acetate sheets can be overlaid on the map and used to draw what was tracked. Layering the acetates can then show the spots where the greatest activity is occurring; frequently, these are the places where accidents occur. Adults can assess the environment based on the results. When individual children are tracked on the map, information about their interests, movement within the group, gross motor skills, and concentration span may become evident.

Question 3

Write a list of behaviours that you think are typical of most four-year-olds. Use your list of behaviours to create a mini-checklist. With a child who is four years old check-off each of the behaviours that you see demonstrated. Your observation should be undertaken over two to three hours. After this evaluate your efforts and determine the strengths and weaknesses of your mini-checklist.
Note: Review the assessment rubric for this task. It offers details that will help you prepare for the task and be successful as you carry it out.

Accepted Answer

List of typical behaviors of most four-year-olds:

1. Constant movement and high energy levels
2. Short attention span and easily distracted
3. Developing independence and wanting to do things by themselves
4. Emotional outbursts and difficulty controlling emotions
5. Engaging in imaginative play and creating their own world
6. Curiosity and asking a lot of questions
7. Testing boundaries and pushing limits
8. Developing social skills and wanting to interact with others
9. Difficulty with sharing and taking turns
10. Developing language skills and expanding vocabulary

Mini-checklist:

- Constant movement and high energy levels: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Short attention span and easily distracted: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Developing independence and wanting to do things by themselves: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Emotional outbursts and difficulty controlling emotions: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Engaging in imaginative play and creating their own world: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Curiosity and asking a lot of questions: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Testing boundaries and pushing limits: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Developing social skills and wanting to interact with others: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Difficulty with sharing and taking turns: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

- Developing language skills and expanding vocabulary: 
   - Observed 
   - Not observed

After evaluating the checklist, the strengths include its simplicity and ease of use. It allows for quick observation and assessment of the child's behaviors. However, the weaknesses may include the subjective nature of some behaviors, such as "emotional outbursts," which may vary in interpretation. Additionally, the checklist may not capture all the nuances of a four-year-old's behavior. Overall, the mini-checklist provides a basic framework for observing and assessing a four-year-old's typical behaviors.

Question 4

Evaluating a child's use of the English language against a normative profile may be unfair if the child's first language is Spanish.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Focus your attention on one child within a group. Prepare an ABC format for Event Samplings. On this prepared chart record every time a child makes a bid for attention or initiates any communication. Afterwards see if you can determine a pattern and what it might mean.
Note: Review the assessment rubric for this task. It offers details that will help you prepare for the task and be successful as you carry it out.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Focus your attention on one child within...

Question 6

Checklist observations

Accepted Answer

A)   may require inferences to be made as items are recorded
B)   must not have inferences documented as they are recorded
C)   require the use of norm referencing
D)   must not cite any evidence

Question 7

What responses might you make to a checklist that indicated that a child did not demonstrate all the creative skills typical of a child of her age?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What responses might you make to a...

Question 8

If a checklist is used and all the items are checked off, it means that the child is very intelligent.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Observation charts

Accepted Answer

A)   can help the caregiver to appreciate the child's development in a holistic sense
B)   offer opportunities to contextualize behaviour.
C)   provide in depth data on a child's development
D)   can be relied on as a sole source of observational data.

Question 10

Checklists can be quick and effective ways of recording a lot of developmental information.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

What do we need to be mindful of when attempting to implement good practices?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What do we need to be mindful...

Question 12

The "severity" of a behaviour recorded in an event sampling refers to

Accepted Answer

A)   the degree to which the behaviour is serious or cause for concern
B)   the degree to which the child's violence hurts another child
C)   the degree to which the parents think that the behaviour is worse than their other children's behaviour
D)   the degree to which the behaviour is considered to be in need of medical intervention

Question 13

Checklists are not theory-bound.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

What kinds of things might you look for if you were selecting a checklist for use with a culturally diverse group of children?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What kinds of things might you look...

Question 15

Making your own checklist criteria may offer you information you are seeking.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

A checklist of preschoolers' skill development will be suitable for all 4-year-olds.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Rather than record everything you see, how might you choose which of a child's behaviours to record?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Rather than record everything you see, how...

Question 18

Behavioural charts

Accepted Answer

A)   are viewable by all those in the educational setting.
B)   hold the view good behaviour is the correct reason for their use
C)   reveal the cause of behaviour
D)   are recommended for use in early learning settings.

Question 19

If you had to observe and record using a ready-made checklist comprising gross motor and fine motor skills, how would you know if the checklist was any good?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you had to observe and record...

Question 20

How could you record behaviours quickly when you are looking to see whether the child exhibits a particular skill?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How could you record behaviours quickly when...

Exam 6: Methods of Observing and Recording

All published checklists are valid and reliable.

What are the strengths and uses of the event sampling method?

Evaluating a child's use of the English language against a normative profile may be unfair if the child's first language is Spanish.

Checklist observations

What responses might you make to a checklist that indicated that a child did not demonstrate all the creative skills typical of a child of her age?

If a checklist is used and all the items are checked off, it means that the child is very intelligent.

Observation charts

Checklists can be quick and effective ways of recording a lot of developmental information.

What do we need to be mindful of when attempting to implement good practices?

The "severity" of a behaviour recorded in an event sampling refers to

Checklists are not theory-bound.

What kinds of things might you look for if you were selecting a checklist for use with a culturally diverse group of children?

Making your own checklist criteria may offer you information you are seeking.

A checklist of preschoolers' skill development will be suitable for all 4-year-olds.

Rather than record everything you see, how might you choose which of a child's behaviours to record?

Behavioural charts

If you had to observe and record using a ready-made checklist comprising gross motor and fine motor skills, how would you know if the checklist was any good?

How could you record behaviours quickly when you are looking to see whether the child exhibits a particular skill?