Observation

Observation Video

*In order to protect the privacy of the observed family, you may only access the video from a UC Davis google account.

Children playing Rock Paper Scissors to decide who will go first in mancala

Child 1 explains some basic mancala strategies to Child 2

Children shaking hands after a game of mancala

Context

Child 1 is a fifth grade girl. Child 2 is a first grade boy. The two children are siblings and grew up playing this game together. Child 1 first started playing with her mother at around age 5 and has had more time to play the game and develop strategy than Child 2 who has only been playing the game for a few years.

Observations

Child 1 begins to explain the rules to Child 2 and asks if the observers are ready.
Child 1 and Child 2 rock paper scissors to decide who will go first in the game.
Child 2 wins the rock paper scissors and is very hesitant to make their first move.
Child 1 sees that Child 2 is hesitant and explains some basic strategy to Child 2: "It's good to stack lots of cups at the front"
As the game continues, Child 2 takes much longer to make a move than Child 1.
Child 1 appears to have an advantage in the game which causes Child 2 to exclaim "don't steal mine!" and put his hands on his head in frustration.
After the first game ends, Child 1 counts their marbles by groups of 5 and Child 2 counts their marbles by groups of 2.
Child 2 wins the first game to the surprise of both Child 1 and Child 2. Child 2 exclaims that they "didn't expect to win that." Child 2 is very excited about his win.

Subjections

Child 2's hesitation and long turn length seems to come from feeling nervous about losing the game. Child 2 appears to believe that Child 1 will win because Child 1 has won more in the past which could Child 2 to lose due to placebo effect. Child 2 might think they will lose so they might not try as hard, thus leading to them losing the game and affirming their biases.
Child 2 notes that it's weird to play in front of people that are taking notes on you. The oddity of being observed and watched during a game could impact the game play and commentary of both Child 1 and Child 2. It can be distracting and influential to be observed which can create different behavioral patterns than is typical of the observation subjects.
The differences in how the two children count their marbles seems to parallel their education levels and experience with counting. Child 1 counts the marbles by groups of 5. Child 2 counts their marbles by groups of 2. Child 1 has had more schooling and expereince playing Mancala which may be why they count their marbles in larger groups. Child 1 also counts their marbles faster than Child 2 which demonstrates their expertise in counting and manipulatives.

Additional Analysis and Interpretation

Mancala was used by Child 1 as a tool to teach Child 2 strategy and act as a mentor. This can be observed in the video above and field notes when Child 1 explains the rules to Child 2, offers strategic advice for planning Mancala moves, and practices patience and positive reinforcement while Child 2 is thinking on their turn.

Additionally, the siblings have special terms they have invented to describe Mancala moves. For example, taking a Mancala cup with lots of marbles in it is called "storming the village" by the observed children. The children laugh together at their special Mancala words while playing the game. It appears that playing Mancala has helped strengthen the familial bond between these two siblings by fostering friendly competition and creating teaching opportunities.

Another crucial aspect of this game that contributes to socioemotional learning is the sense of accomplishment winning brings. As noted in the field notes and apparent in the video, after winning a game of Mancala against his older sister, Child 2 becomes excited and proud of his accomplishment. This sense of pride and security carries over onto the next game as well. Child 2 appears to make moves more quickly and confidently in the second game after winning the first game. One can also observe this confidence and security in Child 1 as a result of winning Mancala games. In the video, Child 1 proudly boasts that she is "literally an expert" and can beat her mother in Mancala.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse