Data

Source

Profession
al
Literature

Initial
Observatio
n

Data Collection Plan

Timeline/Plan for
Intended
Collection
Learning/Purpose
Ongoing search for
and use of
professional
literature to inform
my work throughout
the semester.

I will conduct initial

observations during
lunch time at the
start of the research
process and it will
last for 1 to 2 weeks

Through the literature, I

intend to learn about my
topic, and whats
current in the field. I
also plan to learn from
other researchers
approaches to data
collection, early
intervention methods,
and to see how their
findings may be similar
to or different than the
findings from my study.
Sub-topics for my
literature include: How
children think about
food and understand
nutrition, how children
learn about nutrition,
milestones of children in
the pre-operational
stage, methods of early
interventions, influences
on childrens nutritional
knowledge.
I will use this time to
select the participants
for my study and make
any adjustments to my
research question as
needed. I will be looking
for children that have
seemingly positive
experiences during
lunchtime. Im looking at
what children bring into
lunch during this period
and what they are
eating.

Adaptations/Changes
made during Data
Collection Period
After the initial
observations, I decided
to turn my attention
away from just the
influential forces that
can dictate a childs
nutritional knowledge
and towards understand
how children think,
understand, and best
learn about nutrition.

No Change

Parent
Survey

Classroom
Observatio
n Notes

Lunch
Charts

Informal
Interviews

This survey will be used

I will distribute
to gauge the attitude of
To keep the survey at a
these to my
parents in regards to
reasonable length while
participants
nutrition and lunch. The
still getting rich data, I
families after I have
goal of the survey is to
decided to focus the
their consent forms get a feel of the parents
questions around the
back and signed.
point of view in the
parents lunch packing
Looking to distribute
following areas:
habits, eating habits of
at the start of week
nutritional background,
their children, things
2 or 3.
eating habits for their
they would like to see
children, importance of added to curriculum, and
nutrition in their life and
influences that shape
their childs life, and why their familys nutritional
they pack the foods they
habits.
do.
These observations
will take place
throughout data
collection.

These observations will

focus on what the
children are eating and
possible trends or
patterns regarding
packed food, preference
of the child, what the
child chooses and leaves
behind. Observations
will also take place
during classroom
activities

Lunch charts will be

filled out during
week 2 and week 6
of data collection

These charts will record

what my participants
bring into lunch, what
they eat, and what they
leave behind.

When I noticed most of

my participants brought
in enough food to have a
choice during snack I
decided to create a
snack chart and record
what my participants are
choosing to eat during
that time.

During the
nutritional activities,
I will conduct
informal interviews

The data collected

through the informal
interviews will give
insight to how they think

No Change

No Change

with the children.

Nutritional
Activities

Two activities will

take place during
week 4 and 5 of
data collection.

about food, their

preferences, and what
influences them
regarding food.
The two activities will
center around nutritional
concepts and how to
make healthy food
choices.

No Change