DEDICATION

This child study report is dedicated to my Mother Miss. Aminata Bintu Mansaray and my
fiancée Memunatu Fatmata Bangura for their motivational and inspirational role
throughout my course. To my uncle Mr. Victor Leigh and my aunt Ms. Eleanor William
Jarret for their financial and material support, to my family for giving hope and a reason
to yearn for a meaningful life.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I want to acknowledge the Almighty God for his guidance and protection towards me and
my family throughout. Special attention is given to the Principal of Kankaylay Islamic
Secondary School Waterloo, Mr. Abdul Deen Turay who has been serving as my mentor
since 2020.
Sincere appreciation goes to all lecturers of the Freetown Polytechnic with special
consideration to Political Science Department.
I also extend my profound thanks to the parents of Mohamed Koroma who allowed me
use their child for this study.
DECLARATION
I, Joseph Shekuyeh Deen, hereby declare that this child study report is a work carried out
by myself and I owe every responsibility about it. It has never been submitted to any
other institution, both academic and non-academic for any purpose. In this regard, I am
the sole author of this study.

Sign:………………..…
Name of Researcher: Joseph Shekuyeh Deen

Student I.D: B966

Department: Political Science

Program: Bachelors of Art in Education

Sign:

Date: October, 2023

Name of Child: Mohamed Koroma

Name of the Teaching Practice School: Kankaylay Islamic Secondary School

Class/Level: J.S.S Three (3)

Sex: Male Age: 15 years D.O.B 9th November 2009

1.0 Introduction

1.1 A CHILD

A child (pl.: children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty,
“O’Toole, MT (2013) St. Louis MO: Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 345” or between
the developmental period of infancy and puberty “Rathus SA (2013) Cengage Learning.
p. 48”. It may also refer to an unborn human being “Cengage Learning. p. 48”
"Child". Merriam-Webster.com. 11 April 2023” The legal definition of a child generally
refers to a minor or otherwise known a person younger below the age of maturity
“"Child". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 5 January 2013”. Children generally have
fewer rights and responsibilities than adults. They are classed as unable to make serious
decisions.
The 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as an
individual who has not attained the age of 18 years.

1.2 A CHILD STUDY.

A child study is a comprehensive look at a child’s developmental progress. It is used to

determine if a child could potentially have a developmental delay or disability. A child
study summarizes the information available from all sourced, child, parents, teachers, and
specialists “EDUPEDIA”.
Child study is the process of observing with the aim of learning more about a particular
child or children. It is a detailed examination of a child as a single case. Child study is an
attempt to find out as much as possible about a particular child by spending time with the
child and learning about his/her physical, mental, character as well as personality and
relevant facts about the environment in which the child is growing(Farrant 1984).
By studying a child, we can learn more about why they develop the way they do and also
the most effective ways to help them to develop as responsible citizens with positive
contributions to make in society.

1.3 Relevance of a Child Study

Child study makes the teacher to become knowledgeable in child development so as to

support children’s proper growth, development and learning in the following specific
ways:
Child study helps a teacher to understand different circumstances and factors that
influence development and learning in children.
It exposes teachers to acceptable ways of conducting child study.
Gives the teacher basis for advising parents on their children behavior and needs.
Child study guides and helps the teacher to plan his teaching task using appropriate
methods to support teaching- learning process.
Give genuine and reliable feedback in regard to child’s progress.
Through child study problems, children are addressed accordingly.
Also the knowledge gained from a child study can equip the teacher/researcher with the
following skills:
Gain knowledge of developmental milestone.
Understand the early learning process of a child.
Learn relationship building skills.
Provide a hand on learning experience.
Advocate for early childhood education resources and initiatives.
(1) Gain Knowledge of Developmental Milestone.
In this type of program, you will learn about the developmental milestones child make
from birth until age five (5). These include crawling speaking in full sentences, and
everything in between. This knowledge will help you learn to work with different age
groups and how to best help them learn. In fact, the majority if a child’s brain
development occurs during the first three years of life and educator can help children
reach developmental milestones at different ages. There are several programs for
educators and even parents to build professional knowledge about early year’s education.
(2) Understand The Early Learning Process.
An early childhood education degree is a chance to learn about the specific tools that
help a young child love learning, something that will benefit them the rest of their lives.
The first five years of a child life are pivotal to their long-term success and educators can
be part of it.
(3) Learn Relationship Building Skills
This is unique opportunity to learn about the important relationship between parents and
educational professionals, as well as the relationships between educators and other
community leaders. Early childhood development professionals need to be able to work
with parents to help them teach their children at home. At the same time educators must
manage relationship with community members to find the best resource s and
opportunities for the learners.
(4) Provide a Hands – on Learning Experience
In addition to classroom work, graduates from this kind of program often gain the
opportunity to provide their students with unique hands-on learning experiences. Instead
of showing students colors on paper, teachers will often use other resources such as
blocks, toy sans and water to help them learn shapes, texture, colors, numbers and
elements. If you really want to interact with students in creative ways you will no doubt
benefit from an early childhood education program because it often focused on hands-on
learning through experience rather than instructions.
(5) Advocate for Early Childhood Education Resources and Initiatives
Advocacy is an important part of any early childhood education professional’s life. Many
graduates go on to improve the educational system for generations to come through work
at the local, state and national level and that’s because early childhood education
professionals have the knowledge resources and experiences to help influence officials in
ways that not many others can.
Many educational professionals who work with young children must also advocate for
their students’ needs not only to governmental bodies’ but non-profit organizations and
other groups as well. They work to get the best resources, experiences, and ultimately the
best education for their students, no matter what area they are from, who their parents are,
and what type of background they come from.
1.4 FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A CHILD FOR STUDY.

There are various factors to consider when identifying a child for study:
 Outstanding characters: that is a child who either shows restlessness or
hyperactivity, extreme curiosity, ever punctual or clean child, one who seeks
attention and love or a very talkative child.
 Behavioral disorders e.g. emotional imbalance, moody, anti-social behavior like
fighting, use of vulgar/abusive language, frequent crying for no genuine reason.
 Performance in class work.
 Lack of requirements i.e. ever lacking pencils or snacks.
 Persistent indiscipline e.g. routine late coming to school, failure to complete class
work, fighting.
 Distance from home to school – the distance has implications on time and transport
costs.
 The type of family/attitudes of parents (as may be observed at school).
2.0 CHILDS INFORMATION

2.1 HOME BACKGROUND

Mr. Mohamed Bamgura is presently the guardian of Mohamed Koroma. They live at No.
11 Yansanneh Lane Lump, Waterloo, about two hundred meters away from the school.
Mr. Bangura has an extended family that comprise a total of fifteen dependants. Three
out of those fifteen are Mr. Bangura’s biological children, the rest are relatives from both
maternal and paternal lineage. Mr. Bangura is a farmer and he is married to Mrs. Aminata
Bangura (Rogers). Mrs. Bangura is a trader.
2.1a Family Background: Mohamed Koroma now lives with the Bangura family. They
are a close-knit family with strong religious beliefs but as well religious tolerance. The
majority of the Bangura family are practicing Muslims and they are fervent in prayer,
though few members of the family do practice Christianity also.

Mohamed Koroma is a 15-year-old boy who is currently in JSS three (3) at the
Kankaylay Islamic Secondary School Waterloo. He lives with his uncle in an extended
family of fifteen (15). Mohamed's guardians are supportive and they prioritize education
for every child in the family. Mohamed has been described by his teachers as an active
and promising student.

Mohamed’s Father was the late Mr. Lamin Koroma, he was a palm wine tapper who
passed away in the early 2017. He was the bread winner of his family, he used the
income generated from the wine tapping to provide education and other amenities for his
children. He was very hardworking, focused and a responsible father-friend figure who
cares a lot for his family.

His Mother; Mrs. Fatmata Koroma (Nee-Ba ngura) is a single mother, who takes care of
the home and four children. She used the proceeds from her petty business to support her
children. Due to the burden on a poor widow, Mr. Mohamed Mungulu Bangura (the elder
brother of Mrs. Turay) decided to take Mohamed Koroma for caregiving. The four
children of the wodow Mrs. Turay are listed by sequence of their age; Seiwa Koroma,
Alie Koroma, Mahamed Koroma and Isatu Koroma.

Father: Mr. Samuel Turay is a business owner and a graduate of Business Administration
from Fourah Bay College. He is a hardworking and responsible father who provides for
his family.

Mother: Mrs. Fatmata Turay is a stay-at-home mom who takes care of the home and
children. She completed her secondary school education and supports her husband in the
family business whenever necessary.

Family Background: The Turay family is a close-knit family with strong religious beliefs.
They are practicing Christians and attend church services regularly. The family is based
in Grafton and has a relatively large extended family who are all based in Freetown.
Father: Mr. Samuel Turay is a business owner and a graduate of Business Administration
from Fourah Bay College. He is a hardworking and responsible father who provides for
his family.

Mother: Mrs. Fatmata Turay is a stay-at-home mom who takes care of the home and
children. She completed her secondary school education and supports her husband in the
family business whenever necessary.

Family Background: The Turay family is a close-knit family with strong religious beliefs.
They are practicing Christians and attend church services regularly. The family is based
in Grafton and has a relatively large extended family who are all based in
FreetPHYSICAL APPEARANCMohamed is dark in complexion with a good
personality. He is handsome, he has a pointed noise and has a height of 5 feet 5 inches
tall, and he is growing fast. He is a very normal child with no physical or any form of
deformity. Mohamed looks always healthy and strong but has minor illnesses such as
head ache and side pain sometimes, which has disturbs his total attendance every school
term. He has a good sense of humor and he is always neat and good looking both in
School and at home.
2.2 MENTAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD

2.2a Academic Progress: Mohamed is a hardworking and intelligent pupil, who has
consistently perform well in all subjects. He demonstrates a high level of understanding
of the concepts taught in class and applies them effectively in his assignments and tests.
He has good study habits and he is diligent in completing homework. Although he is
faced with some challenges in certain subjects, such as Integrated Science and
Agriculture, yet he has shown determination to improve and seeks help when necessary.
Mohamed, has good writing skills and can respond well to various writing style. He also
has strong research abilities and can analyze complex information with ease.
Mohamed has excellent verbal and written communication skills. He is confident and
accurate when expressing his ideas and he enjoys public speaking. He is also an active
participant in extracurricular activities such as sports, drama, and music.

2.2b Areas for Improvement: Mohamed needs to improve his performance in Integrated
Science and Agriculture. Although he has shown improvement, he needs to work harder
to catch up with his peers. He also needs to develop better time management skills to
balance his academic work and extracurricular activities.

2.3 EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD

Mohamed is a friendly and polite child who is always eager to make new friends. He is
confident and has good social skills. He is the fastest junior boy in his school when it
comes to sport and athletics. He is also one of the best footballer in the school team.

He gets along well with his peers and shows a positive attitude towards authority figures.
He is emotionally stable and generally happy.

Mohamed is a responsible child though childish, but takes care of his belongings. He
follows the classroom rules and he is respectful towards his teachers. He participates
actively in class and he is bold enough to ask questions when he does not understand
something. He has good communication skills and is able to express himself fluently in
Krio and English.

2.4 BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD.

Mohamed is well-behaved and follows instructions. He is always on time for class and
completes his assignments on time. He pays attention in class and is not easily distracted
though he is football friendly. He is diligent and hardworking and completes tasks to the
best of his ability.

Mohamed is an active child who maintains a calm demeanor. He is not agitative and he
does not engage himself in disruptive conducts. He maintains a positive relationship with
his classmates and does not bully or intimidate others. He is respectful towards his elders
and peers alike.

Mohamed Koroma is a well-mannered, hardworking, and responsible child who is

socially and emotionally developed. He exhibits positive behavior and follows
instructions, he is an excellent student. He has the potential to become a leader and role
model for his peers, given his positive attitude and strong character.
 Figure 001
3.1 RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the above findings, the following recommendations are suggested to enhance
Mohamed Koroma's overall growth and development:

1. Mohamed should be provided with more challenging tasks to stretch his intellectual
abilities and stimulate his curiosity.

2. Encourage Mohamed to participate actively in extracurricular activities to enhance his

social and leadership skills.

3. Mohamed needs to be encouraged to express his emotions freely and provide him with
the necessary support to deal with any emotional issues that may arise.

4. Provide Mohamed with access to resources that will enable him to research and learn
independently.

3.2 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

1. The use of interview method:

Interview was done face to face and questions were in line with the subject matter under
investigation.

2. The questions were posed directly to the child for his personal view and parent were
also interrogated for further information on family background.

3. Personal observations were done on the child's physical appearance and activities.

3.3 My Feelings and Inspiration

It’s no surprise that graduate with a degree in early childhood education get so excited
about the many different career possibilities ahead. They know that their days will be
spent not only working with young children and helping them learn what they need to
know to move forward in life, but that they will also be truly making an impact on
today’s educational system. Weather a graduate works in a traditional classroom or is
employed as a tutor at a facility, that person will touch the lives of young children across
the country in ways that could positively affect them forever. My experience gained
during this child study report has serve as an eye opener and inspiratory mechanism that
adds enthusiasm to pursue a future career in education, particularly in child development.

3.4 Conclusion:

In conclusion, this child study report has evaluated Mohamed Koroma's behavioral,
social, emotional, and academic aspects, highlighting his strength and areas for
improvement. The recommendations provided can assist in fostering Mohamed's growth
and development, leading to better academic performance and social interactions. Also
researchers can reference this document for future child study.

Figure 002