Essay On Class Observation

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Method
Setting
I conducted my observations in two upper division courses at a California University. These two classes were held in different classrooms, class A was held in a lecture hall and class B was held in a classroom. Observations started 10 minutes before the lecture and the interviews were held at random with two members, one from each class. The observations of class A took place in Social Science Lab 100 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:00-6:20pm and for class B, it took place in Social Science Lab 248 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30-4:50 pm. Due to the close proximity of the two classes, as soon as I was done interviewing students in class A I would head over to class B and continue on with the observations. The classroom for class …show more content…

Instead of the front, the back of the lecture hall was getting packer faster. Thus, I turned to student M and asked her why the back got packed faster, and she stated that, “In big lecture halls, no matter where you sit you can still hear the professor. The only difference is that you can do whatever you want in the back without the professor noticing. Whereas the front you actually have to pay attention.” A comparable answer was given during my second interview with student K, who for the most part sits in the back. I had asked her regarding her reasons for choosing where she prefers to seat, to which she responded: "I usually like to sit in the back because I always use my computer and I tend to get distracted a lot. Whereas those who sit in the front need to make eye contact with the professor, which is something that I am not good at all. I also tend to always check my phone, and I feel like it would be rude and I don’t want to be called out for it in front of the whole class.” Both situations mirror the picture that the individuals who sit in the front have no other choice yet to tune in and focus. Ultimately, regarding the two observations and interviews the explanations behind the seating area reflects on the setting, regardless of whether it is a classroom or a lecture hall, as well as reflecting whether students have an intention to pay attention or