Name: Nathan Evans

Date: May 1, 2014

Bluefield State College
EDUC 200 Child Adolescent Growth and Development
Case Study
I.

General Information
Name: Kenneth P. Kensington III
Age: 9
Grade: 3rd
Birth Date: December 20, 2004
Resides With: Adoptive Father and Mother
Siblings: One sister, also adopted
Physical Description: Short with black hair and a
medium build.

II.

Background (Interviewed Mother)

Birth Weight: 6lb 8oz
Pregnancy and labor: Due to an international adoption,
limited information is available. The pregnancy was to full
term and the biological mother received prenatal care.

Age for Development First

Crawling: 10 months
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Sitting: 6 months
Walking: 15 months
Talking: 7 months
Toilet Training: 3 years old

III.

Pre-School History (Interviewed Mother)

Kenneths mother said that he has always been friendly.
She never had any problems taking him to pre-school, he
always seemed happy to go. She said he was quick to
make friends and very talkative at a young age. Kenneth
was always aware of what is happening in his
surroundings. He would pick up habits and learn by
observing others around him.

IV.

School History (Interviewed Teacher Mrs. ONeal)

Interviewing Mrs. ONeal. She stated that Kenneth is a
good student. He is very energetic, approachable, and
loves having him in class. She stated that sometimes he
can be too sociable and occasionally needs a reminder to
focus on the task at hand, but it is generally not a
problem. She also stated that when Kenneth is having
trouble with a task he is not afraid to ask for help and
quickly grasps concepts if she helps him one on one.

V.

Observations of Child

Previous to observing Kenneth I had met and talked

with him about a month before. During my initial
interview with his mother he was present and I was able
to make some first observations. Kenneth was very
approachable. He was very sociable and friendly. While I
interviewed his mother he would every now and then
pitch in and try to help his mother answer a question I had
asked and then turn his attention back to watching
television.
I first observed him in Physical Education. They were
doing physical fitness testing so it was more of a social
interaction time. I already I knew Kenneth was very
sociable and was not surprised when I saw him very
energetic and talking with friends. What I found
interesting was that I never saw him interact with female
friends, only male. He and his friends were very social,
and at times would become a little rowdy. But, when an
instructor would ask them to settle down they would for
only a few minutes and resume their interactions.
After Physical Education I was able to observe Kenneth
in an instructional setting. His teacher, Mrs. ONeal, tells
the students that they will have a quiz in a few minutes
and instructs them to study for the time being. At first
Kenneth is inattentive and is more interested in what is
occurring in the room. His teacher asked him what he is
supposed to be doing and after a minute or two he begins
to study. I noticed for the first few minutes after he began
to study his eyes would wander around the room to see
what other people were doing. He was not completely
focused on the task at hand. Once he realized that most
people were studying he turned his full attention to
studying his worksheet.

After being allowed to study his teacher handed out

their quiz. She instructs them to put their name on their
paper and he follows her instructions. At this point I
noticed that Kenneth has a lack of complete focus. His
teacher would read each question of the quiz to the class
and during her reading aloud he would seem inattentive
and let his eyes wander, seemingly ignoring what was
occurring. I also observed his inattentiveness in his body
language. He was very animated. He would wriggle in his
seat, fiddle with his pencil and paper, and let his eyes
wander around the room. But, what was interesting was
after his teacher would finish reading he would turn his
attention back to his quiz and ponder the answer. He was
also very animated in his pondering. He would squint his
eyes or turn his head to one side and you could see he
was focusing on the question. Sometimes he would
reread the question and write down the answer or ponder
the answer, his lips moving while he tried to focus on the
question. This would happen throughout the quiz.
After the quiz I observed him in another social setting,
during lunch. Based on my previous observations in other
settings I knew he was an energetic person and very
social, but with whom he socialized shocked me. In
previous social interactions I noticed he only socialized
with male peers and rarely interacted with females. What
I found interesting was during his lunchtime I saw him
mainly interact with female friends. The lunch table was
perfectly divided; on one side sat all the boys and one
side sat all the males. Kenneth was sitting right at the
divide and focused mainly on his female peers. I believe
this indicated he was socially well rounded.
Finally I observed him in another instructional setting
and during their math lesson. Once again he showed
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signs of inattentiveness and not completely focusing on

the task at hand. Though he would listen to instruction
and do as his was told, he would still be very animated in
his movements, allow his eyes to wander, and sometimes
socialize with those around him; asking a question
pertaining to the task or just general conversation. Yet,
when asked a question or told to work on a certain
problem he would return his attention to the task at hand.
Occasionally he would ask for help on a difficult problem.
Based on my observations I could tell Kenneth is very
well developed socially and mainly a social learner. It
doesnt seem that his social actions impact his education.
He is not afraid to ask for help and generally observes
what the other students are doing and follows suit.
Though his socialness can distract him at times, he is
always able to return his attention to the task at hand.
VI.

Summary
During my observations I concluded that Kenneth is
very well developed socially and is a social learner. He is
very approachable and enjoys interacting with others.
In Vygotskys Theory, interpersonal interactions with
adults or more skilled peers mediate the cognitive
structures created by the larger culture. He also
emphasizes collaborative learning and social interaction
plays a large role in cognitive development. I believe this
most accurately portrays Kenneth. He is a very social
being. During my observations you could see during the
times he was inattentive he would look around the room
to see what other children were doing and follow suit.
This coincides with another developmental theory which I
will discuss later.
Another aspect of Vygotskys Theory that applies to
Kenneth is that children acquire cognitive structures
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primarily by listening to the language they hear around

them. Kenneth exhibited Vygotskys concepts of social
and private speech while taking his quiz. Vygotskys
Theory states that once we have mastered a concept it
becomes internalized and no longer require private
speech. I could tell which questions Kenneth was having
trouble with due to the fact when he would ponder the
question you could see his lips moving trying to better
understand the question. He had not fully internalized the
concept. And on concepts he had already mastered he
would just write without exhibiting any signs of private
speech; they had become internalized.
Kenneth also benefited from another concept regarding
to Vygotskys Theory, scaffolding. During his math lesson
if Kenneth was having trouble his instructor would help
him and walk him through the question. With her
mediation, Kenneth would quickly begin to grasp the
concept. In my interview with his teacher she had stated
that he is not afraid to ask for help and benefits from walk
troughs.
Due to Kenneths socialness he exhibits signs of Albert
Banduras Social Learning Theory as well. Banduras
social learning states children can learn by observing and
imitating others. Kenneths mother stated that he has
always been observant to his surroundings and has been
able to learn from observation. On multiple occasions I
observed Kenneth looking around to see what the other
students were doing and he would follow suit. As his
teacher stated, though Kenneth is sociable rarely did she
have to ask him to return his attention to the current task.
I attribute this to Kenneth simply observing what the other
children were doing and did the same.
In conclusion I believe Kenneth to be your average 3 rd
grader. He is very social and easy to interact with; a
social learner. I believe his social skills are a strength
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rather than a weakness. Vygotskys Theory emphasizes

social interaction is primary in acquiring cognitive
structures. His teacher stated that he is not afraid to ask
for help and quickly grasps concepts if you work with him
indicating he benefits from scaffolding. He would exhibit
private speech on difficult concepts, also indicative of
Vygotskys Theory. He is a social learner and benefits
from observing and being with others. A prime example is
Kenneth observing the action of others and following suit
which is expressed in Banduras Social Learning Theory. I
believe Kenneth is developing normally and is right on par
with his age group and will benefit from being and
learning in group settings.