INHE 2003 Week 3 Observation Write-Up Example

Course	INHE 2003 Human Development
Week	Week 3
Paper type	Observation write-up
Length	About 580 words, 5 pages
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Walden University
Program	BS in Integrative Health
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for INHE 2003 Week 3

Twelve Minutes at the Sandbox Edge: An Observation Write-Up With a Setting Note, a Running Record in Two-Minute Intervals and an Interpretation Mapping the Entries Onto Parten's Categories, From Solitary Play Through Onlooker and Parallel Play to a First Step Toward Associative Play

Student Name

Walden University

INHE 2003: Human Development

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title gives the length of the observation and the sequence of play categories the interpretation finds.

Setting Note

Place: a public playground sandbox in a city park. Time: a weekday at about 10:30 a.m. Child: appeared to be about three and a half years old. Other children: two children of about the same age building a mound at the other side of the sandbox, with adults on nearby benches. No names, photographs or identifying details were recorded. The observer sat on a bench about fifteen feet away and did not interact with the children.

What this page is doingThe setting note gives only what a reader needs to judge the observation, and nothing that could identify the child.

Running Record

Table 1

Running Record in Two-Minute Intervals

Minute	What the child did
0 to 2	Sat at the sandbox edge alone, digging a hole with a plastic shovel and pouring sand into a bucket
2 to 4	Continued digging; looked up twice toward the two children building a mound
4 to 6	Stopped digging and watched the other children for about a minute; did not speak
6 to 8	Moved closer, about three feet from the other children, and resumed digging with similar movements
8 to 10	Dug beside them without speaking; glanced at their mound several times
10 to 12	Held out the shovel to one of the children, who took it and used it on the mound; the child then patted sand onto the mound

Entries record observed behavior only; interpretation follows in the next section.

Interpretation

Parten (1932), observing nursery-school children during free play, described six kinds of social participation, starting with unoccupied behavior and solitary play, moving through watching others, which she called onlooker behavior, and playing alongside them, parallel play, and ending with two kinds of playing together, associative and cooperative. Her categories remain a common way to describe young children's play, and the course textbook presents them as a way of observing social development (Lally & Valentine-French, 2019).

The first four minutes fit solitary play: the child played alone with materials, with no apparent attention to others' activity in the first two minutes and only brief glances in the next two. Minutes four to six fit onlooker behavior: the child stopped playing and watched the others without joining. Minutes six to ten fit parallel play: the child played beside the others, with similar materials and actions, but without interacting. The shovel exchange in the last two minutes is a first step toward associative play, in which children play together and share materials, though the brief exchange was not yet sustained joint play.

What this page is doingEach part of the record is mapped to a category, so the interpretation can be checked against the observed behavior.

What the Sequence Suggests

The sequence, from playing alone to watching to playing beside to a first exchange, follows the order of Parten's categories within a single twelve-minute episode. Rubin et al. (1978), studying preschool and kindergarten children's free play, found age differences in social and cognitive play, with older children showing more group play, which fits treating these categories as part of development rather than as fixed traits. In this short observation, parallel play appeared to serve as a bridge: the child moved closer and played alongside before offering the shovel.

Limits

This was one short observation of one child, so it shows a sequence that happened once, not the child's typical play. The child's age was estimated. The observer could not hear the children well, so some quiet speech may have been missed, which could change how the last minutes are categorized.

References

Lally, M., & Valentine-French, S. (2019). Lifespan development: A psychological perspective (2nd ed.). College of the Canyons.

Parten, M. B. (1932). Social participation among pre-school children. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 27(3), 243-269. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0074524

Rubin, K. H., Watson, K. S., & Jambor, T. W. (1978). Free-play behaviors in preschool and kindergarten children. Child Development, 49(2), 534-536. https://doi.org/10.2307/1128725

What the INHE 2003 Week 3 instructions ask for

For this assignment you observe a young child in a public setting for at least ten minutes and write up what you saw. Begin with a setting note: place, time, the child's approximate age, who else was present and how you protected privacy. Record behavior in a running record at regular intervals, describing only what you could see or hear. In a separate section, interpret the record using one named framework for social or play development, citing its source. Say what the sequence suggests and support that with research. Close with the limits of a single short observation. Cite the textbook and one or more studies in APA style, and record no names or identifying details.

Inside the INHE 2003 Week 3 example

The sandbox write-up's setting note names a city park on a weekday morning, a child of about three and a half and an observer fifteen feet away who did not interact. Table 1 gives six two-minute rows, each a plain description, from digging alone to holding out the shovel. The interpretation introduces Parten's six categories and assigns each stretch of the record: the first four minutes to solitary play, the next two to onlooker behavior, minutes six to ten to parallel play and the shovel exchange to the edge of associative play. The next section suggests that parallel play served as a bridge, supported by Rubin et al. The limits section notes the estimated age, one episode and speech the observer could not hear.

Where the marks sit in the INHE 2003 Week 3 rubric

The separation between recording and interpreting is weighed most heavily. Graders look for a running record free of judgments, so a reader could check the interpretation against it. The interpretation should name a framework accurately and connect each category to specific minutes of the record. Privacy steps belong in the setting note. A section on what the sequence suggests earns more when it draws on research rather than personal impression. Limits should name concrete threats, such as estimated age or missed speech, rather than a general disclaimer. Write-ups that mix interpretation into the record, or that label behavior without pointing to the entries, tend to score in the middle.

INHE 2003 Week 3 help: mistakes that cost marks

Before you go, decide on intervals, such as every two minutes, and prepare a simple two-column sheet. Sit where you can see without joining, and write only actions: "moved closer," not "wanted to join." Afterward, read Parten's categories in the textbook and mark which stretches of your record fit each. Notice any change across the episode, since a sequence gives you more to say than a single category. Then list what you could not see or hear, and how that might change your labels. Keep names, photos and other identifying details out of your notes entirely. Tutors can read your record and flag any line that slips into interpretation, and the sandbox write-up above shows the format.

Get a INHE 2003 Week 3 example written to your instructions

If your section assigns a different setting, such as a library story hour or a grocery line, a model write-up in that setting shows how the record and interpretation should be laid out. Send the prompt and rubric; it returns within 24-48h, first one free. List any observation rules your course sets.

More INHE 2003 papers and BS in Integrative Health samples

INHE 2003 Week 3 questions, answered

Where can I find a free INHE 2003 Week 3 sample paper?

The sandbox observation write-up, with its setting note and running record, is reproduced above.

What framework does the INHE 2003 Week 3 sample use?

Parten's categories of social participation in play, from solitary and onlooker behavior to parallel, associative and cooperative play.

Why is the running record kept separate from the interpretation?

So a reader can check each label against what was actually observed.

What sequence did the child show?

Solitary play, then onlooker behavior, then parallel play, then a first shared exchange with a shovel.

What limits does the write-up name?

One short episode, an estimated age and quiet speech the observer could not hear.