Content area
Full Text
KEY WORDS
* evaluation
* evelopment
* ediatrics
* play
OBJECTIVE. Interrater agreement and construct validity of the Revised Knox Preschool Play Scale (RKPPS) were examined.
METHOD. Two separately trained raters evaluated 38 typically developing children, ages 36 to 72 months. For each child, the raters observed two 15-min free-play sessions.
RESULTS. For the overall play age, the scores of the two raters were within 8 months of each other 86.8% of the time; for the 4 dimension scores, they were within 12 months of each other 91.7% to 100% of the time; and for the 12 category scores, they were within one age level of each other 81.8% to 100% of the time. Construct validity results showed a general match between the children's chronological ages and their overall play age scores.
CONCLUSIONS. Findings suggest that two raters can score the RKPPS with some consistency and that scores on this measure progress developmentally, thus supporting its construct validity.
Jankovich, M., Mullen, J., Rinear, E., Tanta, K., & Deitz, J. (2008). Revised Knox Preschool Play Scale: Interrater agreement and construct validity. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62, 221-227.
Play is an important performance area of occupation to a child (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2002). Through play, children learn to communicate, grow, and build the skills necessary to function in society (Knox, 2005; Richmond, 1960). According to the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (AOTA, 2002), participating in play is a fundamental part of growth and development throughout the life span. Motor, process, and communication and interaction skills need to be integrated for a child to be a successful player. If a child has sensorimotor, emotional, or social deficits, his or her ability to play may be compromised. One of the roles of occupational therapists is to facilitate play to ensure quality of life and optimal developmental outcomes (Takata, 1969).
Measures of play approximate cognitive and developmental level (Bergen, 1988), and observation of play gives occupational therapists the ability to evaluate motor, process, and communication and interaction skills (AOTA, 2002). By evaluating play behaviors, a therapist can measure developmental competence and change in a child (Schaaf & Mulrooney, 1989) and observe play deficits and the effectiveness of treatment on improving play skills (Bundy, 1991). Assessing the occupation...