Child Observation
The child I chose to observe was a ten year old boy whose name is Tyler Cox. Tyler is an
only child who is part of a blended family. His mother, Susan, is married to his stepfather
John and he lives with them in a three bedroom home in Columbus, Georgia. Tyler spends
quality time with his biological father Marc Cox throughout the week and also on the
weekends. Tyler enjoys playing the game soccer so much that his father decided to coach
him as well as a group of children within the organization of Columbus Youth Soccer. He
achieves good grades in school, so soccer is an extra-curricular activity that rewards him
and keeps him occupied during the school year. I observed Tyler on three separate
occasions on the soccer field for a total of three hours during practice. The children
practice twice a week for an hour each day; the practice is mandatory in order to play in
the games. The children have soccer practice on half of a full soccer field so the interaction
is closer and more intimate than playing on a full field.
Observation Day 1
Columbus Soccer Field
April 13, 2012 6:00 p.m.
The first practice consisted of ten children ranging from age 8-10 who were gathered on
the soccer field to start learning the fundamentals of soccer. Coach Cox introduced himself
to the children and the parents then started showing the children the different positions in
the game. All the kids were quiet and listened to the coach as he had them stand in certain
positions. Next, every child had their own soccer ball so the coach had them to practice
rolling the ball with the top of their foot in a straight line from the goal to the middle of the
field. Tyler started kicking the ball with the heel of his foot (since the coach turned his
back), so once the children started laughing it alerted the coach to see what was happening.
The coach saw Tyler acting silly and told him to run a lap around the field; however, Tyler
tried to negotiate with the coach not to run the lap but was unsuccessful. Observing this
negotiation ties into prosocial behavior which is compromising with an adult (Hardwood,
Miller, & Vasta, 2008). Once he was done running the lap all the kids had to place the ball
in between their legs and hop like a bunny, so Tyler placed his hands on the top of his head
