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The Role of Direct Observation in the Assessment of Young Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2001

A. D. Pellegrini
A. D. Pellegrini
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, U.S.A.
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Abstract

In this review I examine the role of play and assessment in the lives of young children. These two seemingly opposing constructs are first defined. Next, I address a particularly important form of assessment, “high stakes” assessment, and argue that if it must be used, we should use a variety of assessment methods. One such method that I discuss in great detail is the use of direct observations of children's play. Examples of reliable and valid inferences about children's social cognitive functioning made with this family of methods are provided. Two specific observational instruments (one for observing play in the classroom and one for observing play in the playground) are presented. Recommendations for their use by practitioners are made.

Keywords

Assessmentchild developmenteducationdevelopmentpeer relationshipsplay
Type
Practitioner Review
Information
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines , Volume 42 , Issue 7 , October 2001 , pp. 861 - 869
Copyright
© 2001 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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