In this article, the authors address some of the scientific challenges associated with using observation as a research method. The authors ask how researchers contextualise and understand observation in terms of its theoretical underpinnings and how it is conducted. Using a vignette in the kindergarten context, the authors explore how observation…

As the world came to grips with the coronavirus diseases (COVID-19), educational institutions and the society at large faced the challenge of figuring out how to continue with teaching and learning in such a context. Many countries, including South Africa made efforts to help contain and suppress the spread of COVID-19. In the South African…

This research focuses on using digital photography to record observations of young children. The observations discussed are young children engaging with music as a communicative language. Digital media has become an inexpensive method to collect research data to communicate children's activities in early learning settings. Like all technologies,…

Identification procedures for autism spectrum disorders in paediatric settings include screening and routine clinical surveillance. Screening tools are perceived as challenging, and a preference for direct observation has been reported in Ecuadorian paediatric settings. Augmentative observational procedures could prompt the application of…

This classic text has been helping teachers better understand young children's behavior for over 6 decades. Now available in an updated seventh edition, this popular resource is designed to deepen pre- and inservice teachers' understanding of children (birth--age 8) as unique individuals within a developmental context. Observation notes recorded…

Emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) frequently occur in young autistic children. Discrepancies between parents and other informants are common but can lead to uncertainty in formulation, diagnosis and care planning. This study aimed to explore child and informant characteristics are associated with reported child EBPs across settings.…

This paper introduces researchers and scholars to psychosocial qualitative methods when researching affective aspects of classroom pedagogy. It theorises affect as felt processes that defy representation circulating in teaching and learning. Turning to the psychoanalytic field of infant observation, the author outlines the immense potential of…

The current study examined the influence of observing another's lie- or truth-telling -- and its consequences -- on children's own honesty about a transgression. Children (N = 224, 5-8 years of age) observed an experimenter (E) tell the truth or lie about a minor transgression in one of five conditions: (a) Truth-Positive Outcome -- E told the…

The purpose of this scoping review was to explore operationalizations and related conceptualizations of young children's engagement in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. The literature search was conducted in March 2021 across ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, with the aim of identifying studies where child…

Research on emergent autism spectrum disorder increasingly uses observational measures to investigate parenting of young children with or at elevated likelihood of autism. This systematic review analysed 21 papers narratively, including 13 unique 'coding approaches' and 63 parenting constructs. Through a comprehensive consensus decision-making…

Helping has many positive consequences for both helpers and recipients. However, in the present research, we considered a possible downside to receiving help: that it signals a deficiency. We investigated whether young children make inferences about intelligence from observing some groups of people receive help and other groups not. In a novel…

In this article, we present kindergarten children's ideas about thermal phenomena before any educational intervention took place. In order to capture and account for the heterogeneity of the kindergarten group in this study, first teachers observed children's exploration behavior, task orientation, science interest, and language comprehension in…

A 'Dialogical Approach to Observation' proposes refreshed and enhanced interpretation of dialogue. It attends to potential dialogical relation depending on "how" the protagonists regard others. Rather than assuming any exchange whatsoever is dialogue, the nature of the observed interaction indicates it is dialogical. Buber's…

Reliable and valid assessment of parenting and child behaviors is critical for clinicians and researchers alike, and observational measures of parenting behaviors are often considered the gold standard for assessing parenting and parent-child interaction quality. The current study sought to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Coder…

As early childhood educators of young children, we recognize that children draw what they know from cultural transmissions, moving through many developmental transitions with drawing. As children's skills developed, a PreK/Kindergarten teacher in a university laboratory school classroom with 27 children was interested in studying ways children can…