Child Observation Essay -- Child Development Project

Leroy is a 2nd grade African American student at Martin Luther King Elementary School. He is 8 years old and lives with his mother and two older brothers. His favorite school subject is math. He likes to play video games and basketball, especially when he is playing with his friends. Leroy’s favorite holiday is Christmas, for he gets to visit his grandma and enjoy all the delicious foods that his mom and grandma cook. When asked where would he go if he can go anywhere, he responded with Skate Park. He likes to skate around the park with his brothers. Leroy wishes to be like his older brother when he grows up. Leroy is a competitive student even among his friends. He likes to read at the same table as his friends or in the same room with them. When his friends are present, Leroy is more cooperative. He follows instructions, and he puts more effort into his readings. He wants to perform better than his friends; however, once he begins to struggle, Leroy loses his motivation to succeed in the task. According to Svinicki (2005), Leroy’s behavior and attitudes portray a student with a performance goal. To be more specific, a student with a performance approach goal, for Leroy’s main interest is to appear competent. The main reasons for the effort he puts in are to surpass his peers in order to receive recognition and attention. After determining Leroy’s goal orientation, my goal was to encourage him to shift from performance approach goal to achievement goal. I believe shifting Leroy’s goal orientation will benefit Leroy in numerous ways. He will be intrinsically motivated to read, which will increase his engagement in the reading games that we perform together. When he is engaged in learning the contents for himself, h... ...uring challenging tasks. In order to encourage Leroy to shift his goal orientation from performance approach goal to mastery goal, a variety of supports may need to be provided. Leroy needs to learn in an environment that minimizes competition and supports failures as learning opportunities. He needs to witness his accomplishments and recognizes that it is his effort and not ability or inability that resulted in his success. It may take some time for Leroy to shift his goal orientation from a performance approach to an achievement goal, but I believe with the right support and encouragement, Leroy will be able to develop a mastery goal. Works Cited Dweck, C.S. (2007). The perils and promises of praise. Educational Leadership, 65(2), 34-39. Svinicki, M. (2005, February). Student goal orientation, motivation, and learning. Idea paper #41, Idea Center.