Observation Research Proposal
Introduction: Have you ever been out at a store, walking through a park, or eating at a restaurant when a child starts having a temper tantrum? An interesting HYPOTHETICAL exercise is to observe how a parent reacts to this behavior when adults they do not know are present. We know through research that parents are likely to behave differently when other adults are around because they anticipate being judged/evaluated by that person.
Instructions: You are to hypothetically address the following research question by proposing an observational research plan. Your well written proposal will be 500 words (minimum). The heading of this proposal should include: name, date, course number/section, and title of the assignment. This assignment is set as a file upload.
Research Question: What forms of discipline do parents use when a child has a tantrum in the presence of others?
Your proposal must include the following:
Where will you do this observation, that is, at what public setting will you do your observation? Include rationale.
How will you conduct this research – overt or covert (refer to course readings)? Give rationale with any ethical concern you might have.
How will you measure/observe tantrum? In other words, what does a tantrum look like? To clarify what you are looking for you need a working definition of tantrum.
How will you measure/observe the concept parental discipline, that is, what discipline behaviors (variables) are you going to record?
Working definition: Based on child development research the working definition of parental discipline is any action taken by a parent to change a child’s behavior (Gershoff et al., 2010). You will have to do some research (suggested links below) to determine behaviors that fit this definition. Remember your focus is discipline not abuse!
How will you measure/observe the concept of “when others are present”? “Others present” is way too broad. What is going to “count” for “others present.” Things to think about: number of people present, proximity to parent and child, stranger, friend accompanying parent, another child, sibling? You want to focus and keep your research plan feasible.
How will you record your observations? In other words, what is your coding system? A coding system is a set of guidelines to help you classify and record behaviors being observed. For example, a tantrum occurs, unknown adults are present, the parent uses more than one discipline strategy. You need to set guidelines as to how you will document this incident.
