The document discusses anecdotal records as a tool in educational psychology used for systematic observation and documentation of significant incidents in student behavior. It outlines the characteristics, purposes, and both advantages and disadvantages of anecdotal records, emphasizing their role in tracking student development and instructional needs. The record should include factual details about incidents, and while relatively easy to do, their reliability may be compromised by the observer's memory and potential bias.

1. Anecdotal Record
By:- Prof. Paramjit Singh and Yudhpreet Singh
Assistant Professor
Khalsa College of Education, Ranjit
Avenue, Amritsar.

2. In Educational
Psychology there
are Tools and
Techniques.
Tools and techniques of Educational Psychology

3. Tools for data collection
The term tool refers to any device or
implement used collect factual information or data
required for the study of some phenomenon or a
problem.
Tools are used to systematically record
information or to precisely measure the data.
Tools and techniques of Educational Psychology

4. The important tools used for collecting
data in the field of Educational psychology
are the following:
 Tests
 Anecdotal Record
 Cumulative Record
 Check List
 Rating Scale
 Questionnaire
 Psychological Test
Tools and techniques of Educational Psychology

5. Anecdotal
Record

6. An anecdote is an
account of an event in a
child’s day. The record
of this event can be
detailed or brief. These
short reports describe,
in a factual way, the
incident, its context, and
what was said or done
by children.
INTRODUCTION:-

7. What is Anecdotal Record?
Objective account of pupil behaviour
Incidental (informal) observation
Specific description not generalised
Cater significant incidents
Tools and techniques of Educational Psychology

8. A factual record of an observation of a
single specific, significant incident in the
behavior of a student. It is a written
description of a specific incident for which a
teacher has observed.

10. According to Brown and Martin,
Anecdotes are descriptive
accounts of episodes or
occurrences in the daily life of the
student.
According to Raths Louis, An
Anecdotal record is a report of a
significant episode in the life of a
student.
Tools and techniques of Educational Psychology

11. According to Traxler, this record, as the
name implies, involves setting down an
Anecdote concerning some aspect of
pupil behaviour which seems significant
to the observer.
According to Zann, D. Willard, an
anecdotal record as a simple
statement of an incident deemed by
the observer to be significant with
respect to a given pupil.
Tools and techniques of Educational Psychology

12. contain a factual description of:-
what happened,
when it happened
under what circumstance
the behavior occurred.
contain a record of single
incident.
significant to the pupil’s
growth and development.
CHARACTERISTICS:-

13. Continued…
 Notes written by the teacher regarding student language
behavior, or learning.

14. Where teachers
document and
describe significant
daily events, and
relevant aspects of
student activity and
progress.

15.  Are taken during student activities or
at the end of the day.

16.  to provide
information
about students'
development
over an
extended
period of time.

17. to identify the instructional needs of students.

18. • Concentrate on only one on two behavior
observation should be selective.
• Record should be complete.
• They should be kept by all teacher and not only
by the student teacher.
• Record the incident or action as soon as possible
after it has happened
PRINCIPLES:-

19. • They should have a compiled and field.
• The teacher should have practice and training in making
observation and writing Anecdotal record.
• Name of the student, class and school, date of
observation.
• Setting background of the incident.
• Recommendation concerning the behavior.
CONT..

20. Purpose of Anecdotal
Records

21. provide information regarding a student's
development over a period of time

22. provide ongoing records about
individual instructional needs

23. capture observations of significant
behaviors that might otherwise be lost

24. provide ongoing documentation of learning that may
be shared with students, parents and teachers.

25. ITEMS IN ANECDOTALRECORDS
• Torelate the incident correctly for drawing inferencesthe
following items to beincorporated.
• Thefirst part ofan anecdotal record should be factual, simple
and clear.
• Name of the students
• Unit/ ward/ department
• Date and time
• Brief report of whathappened.

26. Conti…
• Thesecond part of an anecdotal record may include
additional comments, analysis and conclusions basedon
interpretations andjudgments.

35. Advantages

36. Reasonablyeasyto do.
Do not stopyou from interacting with the child – can be
recorded later.
Useful for planning and learning.
You can focus on one area of development or skill at a
time.

37. No special training neededfor the observer.
Observer can catch an unexpected incident no matter
when it occurs, for it isusually recorded afterwards.
Theobservation can beusedtofocus specifically on the
behaviors of interest.

38. Disadvantages

39. Theobserver’sinvolvement may influence thechild’s
behavior.
Relieson the memory of theobserver.
Somedetail may beforgotten eg. Direct quotes.
Difficult tousefor researchpurposes.
Theobserver may overlook many crucial behaviors to
focus on a specific behavior.